Causes of death in horses & welfare issues - a wee experiment...

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LoobyLoosome

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Watching the emerging ragwort=welfare debate with interest (and yes if I could wave a wand and have it gone I would!).

An issue I potentially see is that if we start tightening legislation (or enforcing existing) along the lines of ragwort is a welfare issue as it is a potential cause of illness/death in horses, what would be next? Are there other potential causes of illness or death in horses that risk being next etc (competition injuries, laminitis, etc etc).

So what I thought would be interesting would be to do a poll amongst members who've ever had a horse die or is seriously ill, to determine what the most common causes of death(which could include soundness issues resulting in euthanasia)/illness in horses are, and assess if these are at risk of becoming welfare issues?

Step one though is to identify what needs to go in the poll list - and then I'll post a poll to gather the data.

Ragwort is one, injury in competition/training maybe another, laminitis, etc - any others?
 
The problem is, unless you actually see the horse eating the ragwort, there's no way of proving that that is the cause of death.(I think).

I lost 2 ponies from liver disease a few years ago - the vet told us it could've been caused by any kind of poisoning, at some point in the 5-10 years previous.
 
hum.. laminitis all ready is a welfare issue....

I had my TB put to sleep in May due to lymphangitis.

Yes colic, field injuries, dangerous behaviour, the list goes on.

Oh and on the point of ragwort... its summit that can only be controlled if everyone pulls together.. and because people dont want to work together the issue will never be solved.. But as a rule of thumb, if the horses have enough grass in the field to sustain them.. they wont touch the ragwort.

Lou x
 
T_K - How about liver damage query ragwort?


I should have perhaps added to that post that i'm certainly not against welfare legislation, i'm just not sure about how our adminstration will deal with it - but I mean let's be honest here, we have horses for our own pleasure and ends, so where does would the line eventually be drawn?
 
as legistlation stands.. if you own agricultural property then it is your duty to remove poisenous plants.. including ragwort.

In the case of Laminitis, very few are presecuted because of two things..

either it really did happen over night.. or the case was concussion / trauma induced..

Or you can't prove neglect.
 
[ QUOTE ]
as legistlation stands.. if you own agricultural property then it is your duty to remove poisenous plants.. including ragwort.

Or you can't prove neglect.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Act refers to prevention of the spreading of injurious weeds though, rather than the actual presence of it on your land - it's a subtle difference but has a bigger impact on the enforcement. And nonetheless there are a number of governmental and quasi governmental organisations who are beginning to suggest that there is a biodiversity benefit from ragwort (mainly butterflies it appears).
 
Oh for crying out loud. Here's some more information for the poll: Ragwort is NOT just a pretty flower. It causes cumulative damage to livers which often leads to a terrible death for the horse. Ragwort damaged livers cannot regenerate. The only definitive test for ragwort poisoning is a liver biopsy, itself an invasive and expensive procedure since one of the side effects of liver damage is the reduced ability of the blood to clot. Prof Knottenbelt has been working on a blood test for it but funds have dried up. If you read the hilarious "We Love Ragwort" information that was posted on here some time back, you will see that they play semantics. They say EATING ragwort isn't dangerous for the horse, it's the subsequent liver damage (something like that). But that's like saying that falling off a tall building isn't dangerous at all. And I suppose it isn't. It's the impact with the ground that IS dangerous. Word games. Eating ragwort IS dangerous. Horses WILL sometimes eat ragwort even when there is plenty of grass. Indeed some horses forced to eat it will actively search it out as they become "addicted" to it. The symptoms of ragwort poisoning only become noticeable when approximately 70% of the liver is destroyed. At 76% damage ALL horses will die. So a horse may appear to be totally healthy, even if the owner has had the animal for years. Then wham, something tips 70% over to 71%. Suddenly you see classic symptoms of ragwort poisoning which include jaundice, acute photosensitivity, weight loss, loss of appetite, loss of interest in life, lethargy, depression, standing in corners pressing the head against a wall, reduced blood clotting, blindness, self harm and harm to the owner or other horses. If anyone wants any more information on caring for a desperately ill rescued mare with acute liver failure, let me know.

This I can tell you: I would never, ever chance a beloved horse of mine in a field with ragwort in it.

Would you?
 
So, hijacking a little here....

If you buy a horse of unknow history, which appears healthy, which may or may not have eaten ragwort in the past (since there's no way of telling) and therefore may or may not have a certain percentage of damaged liver.... is there anything we can do to protect/assist the remaining liver? Aside from removing all traces of ragwort from the field and checking hay, of course.
 
To my knowledge all you can do is support the recovery of the liver by feeding Visorbin and keeping to a special diet - low in protein I think. However, there is another danger to be found in hay - mycotoxins and these can cause serious liver damage. Its caused by the presence of a mould and the toxin is what is left behind. You would not notice the hay was mouldy. There is a feed additive available to mop up the toxin but its not sold for horses. This is a big, largely unnoticed problem in the general horse population.
 
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