Elevated liver inflammatory markers and Liver Fluke

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FelicityCottonsocks

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Hi,

My poor boy has been suffering with elevated liver enzymes and now above normal levels for inflammatory markers :( his liver enzymes have come down, but there is something still going on to cause the inflammation. He's OK, just abit dull and lethargic. So is obviously feeling rough. After vet recommendation, he's been treated with Tribex for liver fluke. I just wondered if anyone has had experience with this and if so, how long did it take after Tribex treatment for the horse to start to feel better? I am feeling really worried that if it isn't liver fluke, then what the hell is causing this...

He's been on steroids and antibiotics for 4 weeks.

Any advice and stories (not horror ones please! Nervous enough) would be really appreciated.

Thanks :)
 
It is a long time ago now, but I had a horse that was dosed for liver fluke. He was away being broken-in and the YO noticed that he was drinking a huge amount and didn't seem quite right. The vet had a think - no blood tests in those days - and asked to look in his usual field, where there were sheep. He decided to give him liquid wormer for sheep and cattle, that wasn't actually licenced for horses, although he said it would be OK. It seemed to cure him anyway and he told me to keep him away from the field he had been in.

Liver fluke is alive and well and farmers are always being warned about it.
 
It's true to say I'm a bit obsessed with blood work, I've got spreadsheets with all mine and lots of other people's trying to find patterns. My friend said yesterday that by the time I get my pony sorted I'll near as dammit be a vet!

When you say his levels are elevated, which markers and how high? Is his bile high? GGT? GLDH? AST? Mine was never treated for fluke, vets didn't think it likely at all round here. We still haven't solved it. So far the only normal reading I've had in the 2.5 years I've been blood testing was 5 weeks after a steroid injection to his sacroiliac. At that point his liver and muscle enzymes went down to normal. At around 6 weeks after second injection they all started to climb again. So a link somewhere between the anti inflammatory effect of the steroid and the drop in enzymes and then the systemic effect of the steroid perhaps wearing off and the enzymes all rising again.

Desperately now trying to rid him of any and all sources of pain (obviously, what horse owner doesn't?!) through chiropractic treatment and anything else I can do, and hoping that once I have pain sorted muscle and liver enzymes will drop. Mine is never lethargic but is not his normal happy self and hasn't been for months.
 
Nothing at all actually. We lost a little companion pony completely unexpectedly. She came in from the field, started acting a bit odd in the stable and a few hours later was dead from acute liver failure. We had no idea why (no ragwort on our land) so got all the ponies blood tested. All 4 of them had raised liver enzymes. The little ponys buddy had high bile, a liver biopsy didn't show too much but was put on steroids, antibiotics the works. Eventually okay. The Connie was slightly elevated but was having surgery for tendon so it was the least of my sisters worries and she hasn't retested since. The haffy was higher than mine but bile wasn't affected, she was old and retired and we wouldn't have treated her, it never seemed to affect her and she was pts due to other reasons this year. Mine was the only one on work so I kept retesting to make sure work wasn't making him worse. His levels have varied from slightly raised to stupidly high but never bile so function wasn't compromised. Until this year (which I thinks a whole different issue) he has never looked sick or sorry, always super shiny and full of beans so I haven't worried unduly. We also noticed that muscle enzymes were high too, so diagnosed with possible glycogen storage disease PSSM. Even now when I am convinced he is in pain (trying to figure out where) he is still mega shiny, too fat if anything, and full of energy (although sometimes I think he has nervous energy and almost runs away from pain rather than getting sluggish).
 
Thank you. Have a thread running in the tack room about my elephant who over the past year has become hypersensitive in being touched.

Has three lots of cobactin which helped as he had hard bits in his skin that would raise and come off like scales do snakes. Had a skin byopsy and it came back as bacterial infection.

He settled for a while and has now started up again, the first was in December last year after a suspected fall in the feild and his entire back went into spasam a d he wouldn't let anyone touch him, the pn a few days later the scabs/scale things started appearing. It's been on and off all summer and I'm now thinking of asking vet for a liver enzyme test as insurance rubs out in December.

He is an appaloosa but both parents have tested negative for pssm.
 
Ah I did see that when I was at work. Mine has also got hypersensitive to everything this year, noise, touch, everything, even started head shaking. I know it's bonkers but animal communicator says he has a trapped nerve and is feeling really vulnerable and on edge because it hurts so much. So mine has combination of high liver enzymes, high muscle enzymes, sacroiliac injury, hypersensitivity, head shaking, headache (I think), chiropractic issues and it wouldn't surprise me if he had ulcers too due to the pain. And he isn't insured! Good job we love them isn't it?! I don't think a blood test is a bad plan.
 
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yes mine stamps her front feet down and doesnt like to keep them up. since treating for ulcers she is keeping her hinds up better . if liver fluke is an issue then I think bile acids would be raised . but her liver results today are not good and vets are advising a biopsy and to be honest i am devasted . she looks so good ,only symptoms are really bothered by midges which as she has sweet itch maybe expected but nothing I do stops her swishing her tail only when they are not around does she settle. also her back went into a massive spasm even though she has not been ridden for a year . her GGT has gone up to 1071 and AST up to 718. Vets advised not to hesitate to get biopsy .
 
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