Liver damage? Different question - can anyone help?

[Oldred]

Has anyone had experience of blood tests that show high levels of GGT, High ALKP, AST and ALB. A friend with 10 horses had a pony tested as it appeared not itself and the results came back very high (GGT 590). This should mean serious liver damage the vet said. My friend then had the pony's field mate tested (who was not ill) and the GGT level was 600. The vet said 'guarded prognosis'. Horrified, she decided to have other horses tested with the result that all of them have high GGTs from 101 to 666. (Normal is 40 ish I think). They are all in good health and no cause can be found. The vet is convinced it is ragwort poisioning BUT the owner is very, very experienced and exceptionally careful with hay only buying from one farmer for the last 25 years who makes his hay from fields nearby which have never had ragwort on them.

She has naturally changed everything - hay, feed, bedding, had the water tested, turned some horses away onto other fields, disinfected all water tanks (the vet is adamant there is no evidence of viral or bacterial activity).

Has anyone any thoughts - i.e. does raised GGT levels sometime occur for other (maybe unknown) reasons rather than liver damage?

Any thoughts gratefully received.

 

[ru-fi-do]

Is GGT to do with the gamma count? If that makes sense, i have just replied to the other liver damage post, my mare has got a raised Gamma count, is should be 60, it is currently down to 200 roughly. My vet has no idea what is the cause, she has done liver function test and tapeworm and they have all come back fine with no cause to worry., I too would be very interested to hear what peoples thoughts are on this, my girl has been in for a liver biopsy unfortunatley the liver sample was not good enough so she is going in again next week. Come to think of it it would be quite interesting to have another horse on the yard tested to see what thier count was.

 

[vicijp]

Maybe fluke? Was there anything else to suggest worm damage?
Is there any sheep/cattle grazed on the land?
If so dose of Nilzan Gold will help.

 

[Oldred]

Thanks ann82 and vicijp. Ann82 - yes, I saw your reply - most interesting. You say your vet has 'done liver function' - what does that mean exactly as I got the impression the gamma count (GGT) was a liver function test as such. Is there something else your vet did to check liver condition? Another friend (not too far away but entirely different yard) had similar high GGT also went for a biopsy which told her nothing either! Her pony's GGT's are on the way down but horse's companion (also tested) is on the up - with no symptoms. The biopsy pony did have symptoms of lassitude etc but now back to normal.

Vicijp - do you mean fluke (odd result) or liver fluke?! Nothing to suggest worm damage and all are wormed very frequently (she is worming less now as some info coming out that too frequent worming v. bad!) No cattle or sheep to my knowledge on land - I will enquire further but what is your reason for asking and also what would the Nilzan Gold be for?

Thanks.

 

[vicijp]

Cattle, and sheep especially, are big carriers of liver fluke. Grazing with affected animals is pretty high risk. Nilzan Gold is the wormer used to treat it.

 

[Oldred]

The affected horses haven't grazed with sheep or cattle but the hay comes from pastures with a beck running through which can sometimes flood. Could worm eggs be contaminating hay and infecting horses??

 

[hunteress]

Just seen your post ive posted one on liver !! my vet asked about Ragwort we havn't any but I know some hay that isn't great sometimes carries Ragwort we always go to a farmer that is careful with his hay but I know of someone who isn't also I got my boy from Ireland and it could be something in his passed you don't know of what they have eaten in the passed My boys tests were low and vet says rest and this Equisup he stopped jumping out hunting and I'm just talking nice hunt fences nothing Intermediate so the alarm bells started ringing as he loves his jumping also he started bucking not like him I now know his liver lies under his saddle round along the top so could have been bothering him!! anyway hope are all well .

 

[foraday]

One of my chaps has raised ggts at the moment! The first blood had them raised at 96 then 3 weeks later they shot through the roof into the hundreds!

Vets are confused as no worm damage nor ragwort poisoning etc!

So far we have done 1 week of antibiotics for supportive liver care and put on HB formula and then will blood test again!

Interesting to know you are in norfolk-we are in suffolk!

Hopefully your vet will be already doing the supportive care bit!

Apart from the blood tests the neddy in question is fine and dandy!

I got my HB formula from www.hypedrug.com much cheaper than the vets.

Will be due for another blood test at the end of the 30 days on hb formula

 

[Oldred]

Thanks for that - has the vet ruled out bacterial or viral cause. Also, friend was told its no good testing less than 4 months time as it takes ggt levels that long to go down. Obviously your vet doesn't think so. Very odd. Good luck with your horse - please keep me posted on results. BTW my friend in actually in Suffolk, on the border in the Waveney Valley. Anywhere near you?