blood tests?

[Peanot]

What do blood tests tell you about your horse?
Thanks

 

[GTs]

If they are sick.

Non-specific questions get non-specific answers.

 

[Peanot]

Sorry, just having the vet out tomorrow for annual boosters and I was wondering whether to get her blood checked to see if she is ok, just like an MOT if you like. To see if she is short on anything, iron, etc, or see if there is something that I can be giving to her.

 

[GTs]

If your horse seems happy/healthy I would not bother - 99 times out of a hundred it will come back fine.

 

[PapaFrita]

My farrier (who competes at 1.40) says he does regular blood tests on his competition horses to check for anaemia even if they appear to be well in themselves. He might've mentioned something else but I can't remember! sorry!
Personally I don't think I would bother unless horse looks/feels below par. Then again, my horse isn't worth $25,000

 

[GTs]

Race horses have it all the time - but then again when you are racing in $1M races it is money well spent to catch things early.

 

[Peanot]

Thanks. She doesn`t seem out of sorts as such, probably just a little as if she`s lacking in energy when I`m riding her. I am feeding her 1 scoop of competition mix twice a day with speedibeet, hi-fi, apples, carrots, ultimate balancer, and superflex 5*.
When I had her 4 years ago, I couldn`t feed her the quietest mix without her going off her head. The only thing that she would be ok on was pony nuts with `Equivite calm`.
I used to feed her stuff to keep her calm, now I am feeding her stuff to spruce her up a bit.
Do you think it could be a lack of something or it is just her getting older and mellowing?
Thanks

 

[flyingfeet]

If yours is a little off colour its well worth doing.

Just had mine done and found a problem!

 

[Peanot]

If you don`t mind me being nosey and asking you Cotswoldsj, what made you decide to have the tests and what did they find? Is everything ok?

 

[Peanot]

I have read your post saying that he had a low white blood cell count, what were the signs? I hope he has a speedy recovery. What exactly does this mean?
I had a vet out for a mild colic about 2 years ago and the vet told me then that she had a low white blood cell count and when I asked her what I should do, she told me to do nothing, that it would sort itself out!!

So I didn`t think much about it TBH. If it is the case again, then I would rather do something to help.

 

[GTs]

If you are concerned about your horse, and this will put your mind at rest then it is money well spent. But if your horse is fine and dandy, and you think 'that a good owner would do it' it is really not needed.

 

[eekmon]

At our vets they run a 'Annual health check' like an MOT every winter! Where they do blood tests etc its a good idea, maybe just ask your vet before he comes out you would like a quick once over

 

[flyingfeet]

He was just super quiet - by that I mean not even looking around much at shows. He is fairly laid back anyway, but even cows that usually make him go ballistic were not having usual impact.

Plus he then fell over show jumping, and this isn't a horse that makes mistakes.

Other than that no other signs, coat good etc.

Will re-blood test in a week, but he looked perky at the weekend when he tried to kill an 11hh pony (the other side of a fence!!)

 

[Peanot]

Hi, I had the vet out this morning and I asked her about blood tests. She checked her heart and looked her over and said that she looked fit and healthy and blood tests would only tell me if she was a little aneamic (sp) so she gave me a name of a good product that would help. This is supposed to be better than pro-pel plus etc. I also asked her about some little lumps on her skin which have recently appeared and she said that they could be protein lumps! For the past month, I have been feeding ultimate balancer and giving her a scoop of competition mix twice a day. Vet said that this was probably too much protein for her and to halve the comp mix as the balancer would provide her with everything else that she needs.
I did have her on the pro-pel plus up until about a month ago when it ran out, I didn`t get any more as I was giving her the balancer. But now I am gonna look at this other stuff for her blood.
I took her out on a hack this morning and she was a lively little soul, so I thought that it can`t be that bad!

 

[flyingfeet]

That's not very helpful of your vet IMHO.

I got mine screened for blood & liver, so checked blood count and various enzyme levels. Granted that they cannot pin point what is wrong at the moment, but at least I know there's a problem now.

Vet was surprised as his coat, heart, temp etc was normal, so looked fit & healthy.

 

[Peanot]

She said that it would let me know if there was anything wrong with heart and liver etc, but usually when blood tests are done, esp with competition horses, the thing that shows up if anything is anaemia (sp). and this is very common. There is nothing else happening that would suggest that there is anything wrong apart from her lack of enthusiasm for work, although she was fine this morning. I am going to try this stuff that she has suggested and see what happens. Also earlier I was talking to a friend whose horse used to be with mine in the field and she said that her mare is acting the same at the minute and looks like she wants to cry! She told me that it was the same with them both this time last year, so she is putting it down to the colder weather and the nights drawing in.
I do hope that your horse is ok.

 

[flyingfeet]

Might be worth trying a course of panacur guard with yours - apparently the worm loads can increase this time of year and make any horse a little off colour.

Got my fingers crossed with mine!

 

[Peanot]

She has just been wormed, 1st October with a double dose of something. The yard where I am have a strict worming policy and they get the wormers in and have it all worked out. She was, last year, in her field with one other mare and then for the last 4 months, until last month was on her own, now she has another mare with her. They are all wormed at the same time. maybe something for the belly could help?
There has never been any worms visible when I am on worm patrol after worming. As at a stud where I used to work years ago, strongalids and ascarids were often visible. urrrggghh.

 

[vicijp]

Its not just anaemia that is picked up in a blood test on a competition horse. More important is the white blood cell, differential and fibrinogen - all can help in picking up any kind of infection early. Even when the horse is 100* on the outside.

 

[Peanot]

Well being as the vet will be out again in 6 weeks, (their fault, different post), then if this product hasn`t made a difference, then I will have blood tests done then.