Dermots, not so brillant, Blood Test Results....

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Forget_Me_Not

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The vet called me late-ish last night (After ranting on here-opps) He hadn't called because there where some alarming things which he wanted to see in more detail. He talked on and on in jargon for a good 10minuits while I nooded with "ohhh.........yes.........right........." I think it was quite clear that it was abit to much to take in. So went to the vet today where he kindly written up the results in English. My mums face as we drove with a bag on fresh poo for his sample...
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This what vet wrote....

"Anaemia (low red blood cell count). Rasied white blood cell count and neutrophila indicative of infection (viral or bactiral). There is a significantly lowered albumin (hypalbuminaemia) with an increased globulin that warrent further investigation. With normal liver and kidney levels it would be appropraite to look at a faecal egg count to look into a protein losing enteropathy. I would advise we start "Dermot" on Equisup-I to assist in red blood cell production and re-blood sample in 10 days to monitor progression. If these parameters are not improving or we a deterioration clinically in "Dermot" an abdominocentesis (belly tap) would be indicated to investigate intra-abdominal lesions." PHEW!

So in short...

Shockingly Dermot has a protein sink in his body (he is wormed and on high protein diet so thats quite worrying) So he is to carry on with high protein feeds. I took a poo sample in today just to check worm count.

He has low red blood cell and high white = viruse. He is going on more medication (Dermots going to love having more things in suringes twice a day...)
 
Don't panic. It probably sounds worse than it probably is.

Change his diet as quickly as is safe to a high fibre diet, ensuring that if he is not grazing in he field he is having hay in the stable.

He may have a low grade virus. But the anemia could also be to do with ulcers. But I'm sure your vet will have discussed all that with you.

Good luck - and keep positive.
 
going to get my freind to read this as i may be completly wrong but it sounds a similar thing to her horse last year - will get back to you x
 
poor dermot
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hope he's feeling better soon

ohhh and btw what a nice vet you have translating it into english for you
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is that their main suspicion(sp?); sorry for all the questions, am a vet student so am quite interested.
 
Good luck and im sure all will be absolutely fine!
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This isnt to scare anyone, especially NOT forget_me_not! But if you think your horse is a bit under the weather/not itself..you (the rider/owner/best friend) knows best. My horse gem wasnt feeling right so i finally managed to persuade mum to get the vet out and she did a rather brief check over. Said "may just be because shes in season". I wasnt convinced, but hey, what do i know, im not the vet! So...she left and weeks/couple of months later, while i was away in spain, gem was out in the field in her rugs, started shivering. Obviously something not right, luckily our friend had come down to ride. Mum called vet, they wanted her to go to hospital, had blood tests and the man said he didnt know how she was still standing. (Waiting for me i say...
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) She had peritonitus...potentially if the vet had listened to me when i said so, or when i called her at the very beginning when i was concerened (monthsss before) she would still be with us.

Sorry for hijacking! Doesnt need discussing, just a word of advice (although in many cases it would be over dramatic!!)
 
I can scan all the tech fingers for you?

Amymay- No Dermot is in the yards 'vet field' the paddock for poorly horses. It was important when he had lymphangitis ealier this week that he was always moving around. I will try and carry on keeping him out until he's better. He gets feed chaff, soya, No 4. nuts and abit of barely ontop of the rich grass we have at the moment, the vet said its important to keep this high protein diet.
 
fjudge...I'm slighty peed off too, not at all to your dagree mind, I had that vet out weeks ago becuase of Dermots lose of weight and spirit, he to gave him the once over, in hindsight he really should of done a blood sample as it screemed viruse. Infact this time round it was still me who made him do it.
 
Just done a module on parasitology and the resistance appearing in worms. I'm now making everyone on the yard have a worm count done instead on just worming blindly so we know if/what type of worms are present.
Most of the horses are relatively old and so they shouldnt have a high count anyway.
 
Dermots has had three different wormers in the last 6 months..so would this not have to mean that these would have to be very super worms that are resisting all these different chemicals?
 
have just text my freind who is at work - she says that it sounds simliar but wants to know what the symptoms are/were please x
 
[ QUOTE ]
fjudge...I'm slighty peed off too, not at all to your dagree mind, I had that vet out weeks ago becuase of Dermots lose of weight and spirit, he to gave him the once over, in hindsight he really should of done a blood sample as it screemed viruse. Infact this time round it was still me who made him do it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know how you feel
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but dont worry, im sure all will come right very soon!

My mums attitude now is she'd rather pay for blood tests, etc... then to be absolutely gutted a while down the track. Once stung....never again!!!
 
perhaps, but not all wormers work on all the stages of worms. if worms are eaten late in the grazing season, ie autumn then some can hypobiose (they make nodules in the gut wall and lie there until the spring) so they would be unaffected by the wormer given (ivermectins and benzimidazoles can work on htese stages) I think there has been quite alot of resistance reported to benzimidazoles. plus other types of wormers dont work on eggs etc
 
He has lost alot of condition, whither and spine very pronanced, lathargic and gentraly lost his spirt, little grumpy, not hungry though will slowly nibble food over a period of time. He has been like this for two months-ish.

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Just want to say hope he's back to his old self ASAP (all that technical stuff just want over my head bar the anemia bit)
 
just relayed all this to freind - blood tests all very similar to hers this time last year - symtoms the same - the only difference is that her mare had and still does heve swelling to the lymph nodes (fliud retention) have you notcied anything like that?
 
Well sounds almost exactly the same as what pickles had twice! first time eqisiup did the job hope it does for you. Beware though, equsup can make them go from lethargic to absulute nutter! I didnt realise this!

Good Luck have pm'd you a bit more info

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well it sound as if they both have the same thing then - as i say she is at work at moment - i will tell her to pm you either later this evening or tomorrow - she has been desperate to find out what it is - had lots of vets look at pony but with no real diogosis forth coming x
 
dont worry although pony still has lumps and is a bit lethargic she is coming right - ann found the best thing was not to push her to do more than she could manage and she fiddled about with the feed - she thinks that the feed she is on now has made a lot of difference - she tried the high protien simple systems but that seemed to make her worse - any way she will discuss it in more detail with you as im not entirely sure of things - good luck im sure hell be ok x
 
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