Liver Enzymes & Laminitis

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SuperHorse

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Help - just wondering if anyone can shed any light on what increased liver enzymes in a horse can be a sign of?
A friend has been told by the vet her horse has raised liver enzymes. At the same yard recently 2 horses have been put down due to laminitis, another has got colic and another 2 have died (supposedly from old age). Could it be caused by something dodgy in the haylage or something? And is there any link to raised liver enzymes and laminitis?
 
what else has th evet said abut the horse?
my horse had raised liver enzymed because she had liver disease?
 
The vet has put the horse on anti-biotics and is going to re-test in a couple of weeks. If it hasn't gone down he has suggested there may be another underlying issue (i.e. liver disease or a tumour).
 
my boy had raised enzymes he was laminitic but this wasn't the problem, unfortunately I lost lim after a week of intensive care.

I do hope your friends horse will be OK

sending hugs and healing vibes to her
 
Cut any high protein in his food as the liver has to work harder to process it can be something and nothing my mare was put on anitbiotic injections and then re tested.

Never found out what caused it but she is fine now, hope all is Ok for you both x
 
Abnormal liver enzymes can mean an infection in the liver or a tumour or, very commonly, long term ragwort poisoning (often it has occurred years before). The liver is an amazing organ and can regenerate if it is damaged from an infection. However, the liver CANNOT regenerate from ragwort poisoning. In order to support the liver while you work out what to do next you need to immediately start your horse on a low protein diet and absolutely NO oil (check for conditioning products - they are always high in oil). In addition, Milk Thistle has been shown to help liver function - D&H do a very high quality product - and Yea Sac will aid hind gut digestion which is often compromised in liver damaged horses. Again D&H do a good one. Your horse will need some protein but you can further help the liver by feeding the highest quality protein you can find. Good luck x
 
luckily my mare is on the up and has improved with every blood test and is basically back to normal. i gave saracen horse feeds a ring and they were fantastic. i also feed white thistle and apple cider vinegar.
hope your neddy is ok.
 
When my horse had raised liver enzymes they said it meant he had had some sort of virus and was a sign of fighting an infection.

Doh!!! Sorry just read the post again - I meant high white blood cells are an infection of a virus - yes raised liver enzymes mean they could have been eating something that is damaging the liver........
 
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how is the mare now??

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She's actually fine - the weird thing is that she's been fine in herself the whole time, which is partly why it's so confusing
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She'll be tested again in a week or 2, so I guess we'll find out more then...
 
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