Can blood tests be wrong?

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catherine22

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My mare hasn't seemed very well recently, she has dropped weight really quickly over the last month and doesn't seem right, very stiff movement as well.
Vet came out on friday and took bloods, results came back today as showing very bad liver damage, vet however isn't convinced by the results as all her symptoms dont entirely match the extremes they are showing.
Horse is going to the vets on Friday for more tests and repeat bloods to see if this confirms the previous bloods or something else
Vet is very experienced and I completely trust them so there must be something else (potentially whihc I don't know) which is making them doubt these results
Anyone experienced blood tests showing something different to symptoms?
Teeth, worming, physio, vacs are all upto date
Feed ad lib haylage, sugar beet, baileys no 4, readigrass and oil 3 times a day
 
Blood tests are mainly used as part of a set of diagnostic tools rather than a definitive diagnosis, your vet appears to be looking at the result in that context .
Other parts of the diagnostic picture arent adding up, so hes investigating further
 
maybe wrong but I think if horse has been unwell the bloods can show up very badly soon after/during illness and recover as the horse gets better - the extra week may be the clue - vet may be looking to see if there is improvement in the bloods in that week !

Fingers crossed all is ok.
 
The other thing to consider is that if your horse has some liver damage the diet he is on will be contributing, he needs a low protein diet with NO oil, this is hard for the liver to cope with so while waiting I would at least stop the oil.
Phone a feed helpline for more advice as I realise you are feeding for weight gain now and need to get the diet right.
 
To update
Bloods were re done friday before last and came back normal. Testing neurologically she passed all the tests that the vets could do, including walking up and down steps blindfolded, backing up and being lunged. she has a strange action behind, which as well as the weight loss is the reason she went in, it is kind of like stringhalt but not as exaggerated. This improved when they nerve blocked her hock (it is worse on left hock than right) so they have injected her joints.
They have done xrays to check for any nerves being pinched. She is grey so they also checked for melonomas which was clear. As I said she is up to date with everything and having been stabled at the vets (not stressed) for a week on ad lib everything she has still dropped more weight.
She was walked out in hand over the weekend and she still has the strange action. Waiting to hear back form the vets today what they want to do next, as original plan was wait a couple of weeks for joints to settle then investigate more.

Anyone experienced anything like this?

She is a 11 yr old, TB exracer, lives out, Fed ad lib haylage, sugar beet, baileys no 4, readigrass and oil (back on oil as liver ok) 3 times a day. Looking on changing her onto Pure condition but holding off as if shes not absorbing food correctly it isn't going to matter what it is
 
I know you say ad lib haylage but how much is that? Is she eating enough? Wouldn't be the first time an owner hadn't noticed a drop of forage consumption and also wouldn't be the first time the obvious such as dental probs have been missed!! I know cos I'm dealing with the aftermath myself just now!! And just because a horse has no sharp points on its teeth doesn't mean there isn't a problem!
 
2 sections of big bale haylage over night and 1 section in the day. Hay box is always full, haven't noticed there being any more left than there usually is.
Teeth have been checked by EDT and vet so really hoping they will have covered all aspects in her mouth. She doesn't drop any feed when she's eating and has a healthy appetite
 
It may be stating the obvious but is she warm enough?
You feed her sugar beet is it the molassed type if so could she be sugar intolerant not necessarily insulin resistant more unable to absorb it properly, have you tried her on anything to help with digestion such as brewers yeast or pink powder.
Does she drink plenty of water.
 
She always feels warm enough and I do random checks on her late at night and early mornings to make sure.
She's only been on sugar beet for about the last 6 weeks, since she started to drop wieght to try and get some calories into her. good point about the sugar intolerance though as she has lost weight since she has been on it. maybe I will start her on the pure condition sooner rather than later as that is v low sugar and I think it has brewers yeast, or something for digestion in already
She does drink plenty of water
Thank you, another straw to clutch at.
 
could be a pain response? They've injected her hocks but that won't cure her straight away. My mare drops weight fast when she is in pain, even a small amount if she has twinged her back or her pelvis has dropped and she drops weight fast. In one 3 hr ride with a slightly badly fitting saddle (fitted by master saddler who I would never go near again!) she dropped from a condition score of 4 to a 1.5 almost overnight, vet was horrified!
 
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