Liver diese what are the hopes?

[Kristine]

Hey guys,

One of the youngster's started to get lumps and wounds on his face. We had the vet out and he said it was either an allergy to a plant he was eating or its liver diese.

The blood test came back it is liver diese.

But we dont know what kind. Its aggressive though apparently.
He said if its not ragwort poisoning its possibly reversable. The only ragwort he could have had was with his previous owner when he was a foal

The vet is coming back wednesday to do a biopsy and tell us wether he has to be put to sleep

I hope he doesnt have to be put to sleep he is the most amazing mover! And hes a fabulous looking pony.
Unfortunatly the pony he came with had to be pts due to probs with his male bits wish we knew if he had any liver damage

Not having the best of weeks so far

 

[Oldred]

Sounds grim but what are the actual results of the blood tests and what are the other symptoms? A friend of mine has had a nightmare time with blood tests that on paper show high levels of the enzymes that are markers for liver disease (sorry, I can remember all the names at the moment!) BUT all the horses have recovered and retested months later with clear tests.

The possible culprit was mould in the hay (not visible) that produces a toxin. She changed her management completely - no straw, changed to rye grass hay, changed feed manufacturer to one who tests for toxins and despite tests that appeared to indicate imminent death, they are all completely recovered.

If you need more information, I can get full details of test results etc.

PS She is also in Suffolk.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Hi kms. A year ago I took on a rescue mare with dreadful ragwort poisoning caused by the ignorance of a previous owner. The symptoms were very obvious. Terrible sunburn, weight loss, lethargy, depression. She had blood tests for liver damage and they came back so bad that the vets were talking pts. However, when I explained that she seemed to know her life had changed and help had come her way, and she had perked up, was eating well, taking an interest in life again... They said, oh in that case, let's try a liver flush. This is a surgical procedure whereby a vast plastic bag containing minerals and vitamins in solution is dripped directly into a vein in the horse's neck. We waited 10 days and repeated the blood tests and they came back a tiny bit better. So I would say, don't give up hope immediately. When the liver is damaged by ragwort, it cannot recover but if it's another reason, your ned can recover. The biopsy is definitive so hang on until you have those results. In the meantime, you can help your ned hugely by feeding a diet LOW in protein - ned will need SOME protein but what he has must be of the highest quality. Yea Sac in the feed will help your ned's hind gut digestion and is also an appetite stimulant. And finally, milk thistle is proven to support a damaged liver. D&H do a high quality one in a tub for about £15 I think. Watch your ned in the sunshine coz he will burn badly if he has pink skin anywhere at all. Also, if he's very very ill, it can affect a horse's brain and change his personality so take care in case he starts to self harm or tries to hurt you. I have got a ton of info on ragwort poisoning and livers from Prof Knottenbelt (Liverpool University) who is a world expert on it. When you get the biopsy result, PM me if you want any more info or just to chew things over. Thinking of you x

 

[Kristine]

He has been put on box rest with a strict diet of hay.

He was in a feild with the other youngster growing up as they do and yes the scabs look like really bad sunburn.

Will get some pics tommorow.

It was High enzime (sp) levels that the vet was worried about.

I will put all of these option's in to the vet and bless the people at my yard (bar one person) they have all said if we need any money for vet treatment they are all there to help.

He's bored in the stable and i feel bad playing with the other baby without him. If i'm playing in the field he will rear up (away from the door and not high) just because he wants to play

I'll post pics tommorow and update wed.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Certain high enzyme levels can be an indication of ragwort poisoning but the biopsy is definitive. One thing KMS, once I knew how damaged my rescue girl was - and it was definitely ragwort poisoning because she was rescued from a field with NO grass but yellow with bloody ragwort - Prof Knottenbelt advised against the biopsy. It's quite invasive and it wouldn't have told ME any more than I already knew, ie my mare was very, very ill with irreversible liver damage. Taking a biopsy wouldn't have changed that. He suggested saving the vet fees and concentrating on giving her as good a life as possible, for however long she has left. He said she will let you know if she's had enough. Now, this may NOT be the same for your baby ned but if money is an issue it's worth talking very hard to your vets about what extra a biopsy would show. How would it help what happens next? Was your baby in a field of ragwort ever? How long have you had him? If he's eating well and alert and playful, maybe it isn't ragwort poisoning - maybe something else. Long, hard talk to the vet I think. Wish I could be there with you xxx

 

[Kristine]

He was in a field f ragwort from a foal up untill about 8-10 months old.

Rebecca (lady who owns him) Has owned him since september i think.

I look after him on a day to day basis so i am a big part of his life.

He isn't quite himself now he's in a stable. He does'nt particullary find hay appertising and this is the first time he's been in a stable and eaten hay.

We let him out for 10 mins and he loved it

it was so good to see him happy but we had to put him back in his stable

I have told rebecca about the liver flush and she is very keen on trying that with him.

I have some pics of his face and am just uplading them.