Horse skin issue, blood tests high liver enzyme. Need advice as worried :(

[Shellinch]

Hi guys sorry for posting a new thread as really worried and I'm stressing

Rose my 4 year old coloured mare has been having itchy skin. Treated for mites and worms, changed bedding etc... Rose is my baby wen she first arrived noone could touch her, she wanted to say hi but didnt trust anyone and you couldnt get a headcollar over her head or touch her ears and she shied away from everyone. She can still be like that towards men now. With me i can do anything with her, she follows me strait in trailer, lets me lean on her, i can play with her ears, wash her including head, put her feet in a bucket if water, you name it she will do for me!
She was bought from sales last August so don't know her history, when she arrived she had burnt like patches the first 2 photos are left over from when she first arrived from sales.

She itches all over and grooms me back as she loves a good scratch and brush over, she isn't ticklish at all surprising for a mare.
She gets scabby areas With the yellow scabby/flakey skin on tail, mane and her coat gets oily and dull quickly but her head is shiny and so is the new hair that grows back.

I have been bathing her once a week and it's helping loads! And then putting a fleece rug on her constantly to prevent dirt dust and its also helping.

Iv had one patch of skin which will not grown back since she got broken in and the saddle rubbed it as follows

Iv put sudocreme on it which helped and cornicrescine (can't spell it) but someone pointed out the cornicrescine can burn white skin so Iv laid off it and sticking to sodecreme and Vaseline which is helping keep it soft and stopping it from a scabbing and going dry which it does if I leave it but still no new hair growth and it's been months!

Rose then got into an accident and opened her knee to the bone

Knee at moment all healing

This then made all this flair up although these pics are taken after the healing has started and the scabs fell off with the use of sudocreme and daily washing

These are healing well and hair is growing back apart from the bald patch in her back

She is being fed on cherry chaf, omega oil, garlic and allergy supplement from Dodson and horrel

Iv had her checked for bacterial and fungal infections and they came back clear

Her blood tests have come back with a high liver enzyme so she is going to be re tested in 3 weeks but what ca this mean and is it connected to her skin issues?

I am soooo worried as she is everything to me, she is the only horse Iv ever bonded with and she has bonded with me too and I just want to help her but this result has frightened me as vet asked about ragwort poising but I don't know her history and I have investigated and results are auto immune disease, liver damage, cushings so I'm panicking now :-(

Any advice much appreciated and sorry for the long message x

 

[be positive]

Your vet will be best able to explain the results and the degree of liver damage that she has but it is likely that it is the cause of her skin problems and with help she can recover.
I would in the meantime cut out the garlic, it can cause problems as it is toxic so not good for the liver, oil is not recommended either as they should be on a low fat, low sugar diet. There are supplements that can aid liver function ask your vet what he recommends to help her.

 

[Shellinch]

Ok fab thank you

The vet was a different vet and foreign so I couldn't understand much so il ring again 2moz and ask if they can send out the results

U no though wierd thing is I'm Itching and getting random allergies like she is with last few months or so. Dunno if it's connected but I just want her to be healthy.

Will cut her food to just pony nuts from now on. I just want to know what is causing it

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Shellinch, I'm sorry to say that your gorgeous little mare is a prime candidate for ragwort poisoning. Neglected horses and ponies that find themselves on crud pasture have to eat anything green that is left after all the grass has gone. Ragwort damage is cumulative and it can cause the blotches that you see on your mare and liver damage. While your vet works out if it IS ragwort poisoning (can only definitively be proved with a biopsy but vet will have a gut feeling without it) you need to put your mare on a liver-friendly diet as follows: VERY low protein diet but what protein she must have needs to be of the highest quality you can afford, feed Milk Thistle and Yea Sac, no oils or conditioning feeds (high in oils) EVER, feed in as many small feeds as possible. In addition, you need to keep her out of the sun in summer (if it ever shows up this year) as she may get acute photosensitivity which will make her face and any pink skiin areas burn horribly. With the patches on her skin, please ditch the cornucrescene - it works by being an irritant which makes an area inflamed which technically would bring more nutrients to the area and so the hoof horn/hair would grow better. The last thing you want to be putting on such sensitive skin is an irritant. I found the only thing that cleared my rescued mare's patches up was Bepanthen, the expensive baby nappy cream. Once I'd got my mare's liver balanced (though ragwort damaged livers will never recover) the skin patches cleared up. PM me if you need any other info or search my old posts and you'll find a ton of info there. Good luck xxx

 

[Shellinch]

Thank you Iv changed to using Vaseline which is working lovely although the sudocreme worked well too and Iv changed her feed to pony nuts for time being until I get the next results back

 

[Chief55]

I found out the hard way about Photosenitivity in horses. I had no history on a Paint I obtained and after a week or so all of his white areas were covered in sores and red. I am stalling him during the day now and his coat is peeling but looking better. The vet was treating as if it were rain rot and it did not get better. Once he was stalled for a week I could see some improvement. I have heard of giving the milk thistle to cleanse his liver so may try that.

 

[Stacy_W]

My NF mare was blood tested at the beginning of June as she developed a large oedema on her belly and the result was high liver enzymes. I was worried, as I'd only just bought her and already, like yourself, had a great bond with her. I immediately put her on a low protein diet of hi-fi, fibre nuts, milk thistle and a vitamin supplement, as horses with liver problems need support with certain vits. The change was almost immediate. She looks wonderful and the oedema disappeared within about three weeks. The vet did suspect ragwort poisoning, but after some thought decided against a biopsy as she's 25, and because she had no other symptoms. BOF's advice is invaluble.

 

[Chief55]

I'm going to start mine on milk thistle also..thanks for the advise!!!

 

[Queenbee]

I echo what's been said especially about the milk thistle I'd also bin the cherry chaff its laced with sugar, cut out pony nuts if you haven't already... Go for hi fi light from dengie... And a broad spectrum vit and mineral supplement, keep it as simple as possible, if your on haylage switch to hay... Either way soak for 12 hrs to eliminate sugars.

 

[Chief55]

MILK THISTLE!!!!!!!

My Paint had the same thing and I spent tons of money on Vet bills and meds. I read about Photosenitivity in horses especially pink skinned ones and that is exactly what he had. Give the Milk Thistle as directed and in a month you will see it works! It cleanses the liver of toxins. I ordered mine from The Healing Barn...I think that's the name. Good luck!!!

 

[AmyMay]

Stop using the garlic, and the awful cherry garlic. And hust have her on a good high fibre diet with a good vitamin supplement. I'd also speak to your vet about using an immune system boosting supplement.

Second speaking to the vet about the probable causes of the high liver enzymes.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[popularfurball]

My pony has an auto immune condition - its not necessarily the end of the world like google porrays it to be.


I too would get her off the apple chaff - I would personally only give her hay and see how she is - then you can add suplements and guage if they make better or worse.

I use global herbs skratch plus for my pony with good results.

I would also invest in a cotton combo rug so she is covered but not warm as warm/damp encurages bacteria etc.

Lastly, get yourself an aloe vera plant Squeeze fresh gel on to sores - one of very few things that my pony can tolerate on her skin - works wonder

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

MY mare has had oedemas on her belly for three weeks.


The first couple times we found them they went away after the course of Norodine and Baitryl stoped.
These are the recent but they have changed position now

they seem to change shape and position daily

This time round also it started when the above were used (for infection). Vet took more bloods on wed and I got results yesterday ( liver disease). We are stopping the soya oil- formula4feet-glucosomine laminator. And Alfa A lite.

So she will be just on the joint stuff Fibergy and vege oil and we cut her bute down to ½ morning and evening. Also I have to pick up some Legaphyton
http://www.equistro.co.uk/ProductPage/LEGAPHYTON.html From they vet as this helps the liver repair and returns the enzymes back down to normal.



The horse only shows distress lethargy diarrhea etc when it gets to the irreversible stage

I read about Photosenitivity in horses especially pink skinned

Yes this does happen my mare has a little pink bit on the bridge of her nose and she has had sun burn on this, which she has never got before.

 

[popularfurball]

Soya oil is also a no go area for us (our no go list is mollasses, lush grass, alfalfa, garlic, soya oil... sunlight, midges, dust)...

Basically I keep the diet as inanley boring and simple as I can (plain hay chop for a feed, or speedibeet if I have to get something down her, though she reacts a little to the beet by getting footsore).

Footyness and lethargy are the early warning signs of a big flare up. Followed by random oedemas appearing all over her - this then turns into hair falling out like rinscald in clumps with skin attached. Once the hair starts to come out, she brightens up and the lethargy stops.

I use a lot of thistles/nettles - and the global herbs restore initially and then switch to their old age product.

I cant remember what her bloods said - extortionately high allergic reaction indicators, muscle damage indicators but not sure on liver stuff showing up.

 

[HBM1]

One of my mares was diagnosed with liver problems two weeks ago. Her first signs were very similar to mud fever sores on her heels, which were treated as normal, and mild weight loss which I wormed her for as she was due anyway. She was then, on one of the very hot days, literally attacked by flies and ended up with open sores on her legs, flank and face - I honestly could not believe flies could be so vicious, especially in one day. I brought her into the barn and she had a bath and the sores were cleaned.

I called the vet in as I wanted her to have some antibiotics and/or antihistamine and was horrified when the vet said the issue was actually her liver - by this time (the next day) she had bright red gums. The liver was actually causing the skin issues. It also meant she was exuding an odour which was like catnip to flies and why they attacked her so badly. I will never look at a fly in the same way again.

The diet I was recommended for her is Happy Hoof. I was actually told by my vet to continue with the garlic granules as they will also help with the flies. She is acutely photosensitive so on sunny days is in and goes out at night - the awful thing is yesterday, even on an overcast day, her skin opened up in sores and started dripping blood. Brought her in and she is fine again.

The vet also sold me a product called Legaphyton, it is a form of Milk Thistle in concentrated form. I will keep her on that for 2 months then switch her to regular milk thistle. It is £56 for a rather large tub that should last 4 weeks, apparently you can get it cheaper on the internet but I wanted to start her on it that day rather than wait.

I have ordered her a UV rug and she has a new UV hat with ears and nose mask, I have also just ordered her some fly boots. Basically, it seems she needs to be completely covered against the sun. I am hoping this clears up enough by next summer for her to be out - albeit in a get up Nigella Lawson would be proud of. It is heartbreaking to see the sores appear and hard that they come even on a cloudy day when I thought she would be safe.

I know she has never been near ragwort in her life and has been in a field with two other of my horses who are not ill. So we are baffled as to how this has started.

The only change in her diet I had made was to introduce some barley rings - I removed those instantly.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

The acute photosensitivity of liver damage is a zillion miles away from ordinary sunburn and needs to be treated accordingly. One of the things the liver does is break down the chlorophyl in the green plants that the horse eats. When the liver is damaged severely enough, it is unable to break down the chlorophyl so it continues to circulate in the blood stream and in effect turns the entire horse into a giant leaf, actually ATTRACTING the sunlight. The only dead cert, effective way to prevent the acute photosensitivity that comes with liver damage is to stable the horse during the danger hours of approx 8am to 7pm. Sunny days will be obvious no-nos but UV rays can penetrate cloud cover to harm the horse even on cloudy days. Sores on the body respond well to Bepanthen or any good quality nappy rash cream. But don't whatever you do turn the horse out with anything oily still on his skin or those bits of his skin will fry.

 

[HBM1]

it is horrific for the horse, I am lucky in my case as whatever caused it was acute and not something which has been going on for a prolonged time. The vet therefore thinks it is something her liver will get better from, but her diet will always have to stay very low protein even if she does come into work ever. I have taken up shares in Sudocrem, but thank you re the Bepanthen, I may try that on her worst areas if they break out again. I am hoping that with her, the complete cover up will work for the rest of this year and by next summer she will be well enough to just have a rug on.

OP Please let us know how your horse gets on too? It is really helpful to hear how others manage the condition too.