Can a current heavy worm burden or previous non worming cause liver abnormalities showing up in blood tests?

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Hello - I am looking for advice please (already talking to a vet about this too). Can a heavy worm burden, current or previous, if not on any worming programme cause liver enzymes to rise to such a high level that liver disease is questionable? And is it just a case of getting the horse wormed, and back on a worming programme to reverse the damage done? Or will there always now be a problem with the liver showing up in blood test results afterwards?

If people might give me examples of their experiences as well as figures of what the bloods showed perhaps this might help me understand it a bit more?

 

[shortenmyreins]

Livers can recover. I don't know about parasite issues, but I have a mare who had alsike clover toxicity. It caused her to have elevated liver enzymes and photosensitivity. She was removed from the pasture, and her bloodwork was redone 2 - 3 months later - her enzymes were back to normal. No issues since, and it's been quite a few years.

I had a vet recommend to use milk thistle to help with the liver. But talk to your vet first - they should not be on any other medication or possibly supplement while on milk thistle. I have a friend who is a vet technician and when I asked her about it she said it was amazing stuff and had seen dogs go from very little liver functions to normal livers on the milk thistle.

But talk to your vet first!

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Thank you shortenmyreins - that's really good to know. I guess I was also worrying over like the stomach wall and lining being damaged by worms longer term - I'm not sure if clover toxicity would damage the stomach wall or lining?

The liver I know is an amazing organ and can replenish itself - but not with Ragwort poisoning I am told? I wonder why that is?

Milk thistle sounds the way to go - did you only feed for a short while or is it something you've kept on feeding for a number of years/forever?

 

[shortenmyreins]

I was told to feed the milk thistle for 30 days. I have used it a couple of other times that I suspected more problems with alsike clover - her first symptom seemed to be scratches (mud fever), so the couple of times that she's had it I've used the milk thistle again.

Parasites definitely can do damage to the stomach/intestine lining as they can get encysted in there. I've no idea about how well it can recover. If they haven't been treated before, you will have to work with your vet on a deworming program as if they have a very high worm load killing deworming can cause problems like colic. Do your vets advocate fecal egg testing to determine what type of shedder the horse is?

 

[Ali27]

Our little pony has got liver failure 😢 However a friend told me that hers did several years ago, vet was convinced that pony had eaten ragowort but biopsy showed tapeworm in liver. Advised to double dose with Strongid p even though she had always used pramox etc. I have just done this with our pony, also wormed for liver fluke when was first diagnosed in May.

 

[Shay]

The Liver does recover from most things - not ragwort poisoning as the toxins accumulate in the liver and cannot be excreted so effectively every time the liver tries to heal it is immediately poisoned again. "Normal" intestinal worms do not cuase liver (or indeed gut lining damage) but redworm and liver fluke both will. A migrated tapeworm is unusual but certainly possible. If the liver damage is parasitic in nature and the parasite suitably treated the liver will recover But if encysted redworm is (or was) the issue beware of any sudden re-emergence which can be life threatening.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Do you know your horse has a worm burden has the vet tested?