Possible liver problems in veteran pony

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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We had to get the vet out today for my friends 36yr old pony, she just didn't seem right today, quiet and depressed although still eating well. She also looked tucked up and is covered with all these scabs especially under her belly and didn't like you touching them.

Anyway vet has been and thinks it is cellulitis and she also has some oedema between her front legs. Heart/lungs and gut sounds are all fine thank god and no temperature. Also her colour was fine.

The vet has taken a blood sample, the results will be back monday. She has had a antibiotic, pain killer and vitamin inj and she has a course of antibiotic powder and bute also.

The vet said if it is her liver we can support it's function. We certainly arn't ready for her to go yet and neither is she, she is very cheeky and bright normally!! Any stories pls xxxx
 
We sadly lost our old pony only a few weeks ago and she had a problem about 7 years ago where the vet wanted to put her down. A change of diet to low protein (we used spillers happy hoof and micronised flaked maize - high quality protein to keep weight on) plus cider vinegar for her joints and if not so well a course of Milk Thistle, we also had some stuff from Ainsworths the homeopathic pharmacy (if you do use them don't guess just speak directly to a pharmacist) to detox and support the liver function (also not massively expensive)

We also have a IDxTB who is now 21 who had hepatitis and the change of diet is something that helped her too, but with her it was a very long course of antibiotics, scans and hepatacyl plus echinacea to support the immune system. She had an incident where she collapsed on the road while being ridden which really made us do something about her change of demeanor. She then had lymphangitis and this has left damage in as far as if in for periods of time (or too lazy to walk about in the field) she either has to be walked or legs bandaged, 3 years on its now part of her daily routine.

Hope your friends pony gets on ok, unfortunatley it seems to be part of having older equines!
 
There's been several posts recently on liver problems hun so would be worth you doing a search. All you can really do, as the vet says, is support the liver by feeding little and often, LOW protein. All animals need some protein though so what protein you do feed must be of the highest quality you can afford. Milk Thistle helps, D&H do a high quality dried tub. Yea Sac helps with hind gut digestion which is often compromised in liver damaged horses and ponies. No oils or conditioning feed at all. The scabs under her belly, painful to the touch would have me worried though. It is probably a sign that her liver isn't coping and there is fluid collecting in her abdomen. This could get significantly worse very fast and tbh, at age 36, your friend needs to start thinking about quality of life. The symptoms that come with end stage liver failure are seriously not good - always the wise old saying: better a week too early than a day too late xxx
 
Yes, sadly this is what we are thinking to. We will see what the bloods show tomorrow. It has come on very suddenly, the vet said her liver will of been struggling for awhile and now it just can't cope.
 
Hug her and love her and let her go poppet. The symptoms of end stage liver failure are terribly distressing for both horse and owner. Tell your friend it's the last and most loving gift any owner can give a beloved horse: a dignified death when life becomes too much of a burden. Thinking of you all, 2 legs and four xxx
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
Hug her and love her and let her go poppet. The symptoms of end stage liver failure are terribly distressing for both horse and owner. Tell your friend it's the last and most loving gift any owner can give a beloved horse: a dignified death when life becomes too much of a burden. Thinking of you all, 2 legs and four xxx
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Bloods came back this afternoon, her liver is ok!!! Thank god, she has a bacterial infection and anaemia so on antibiotics and a iron supplement. We are to update vet next monday unless she deteriorates so fingers crossed. She is eating very well which the vet is pleased about and brighter so touch wood xxx
 
Earlier this year my little New Forest Mare (21 years old) became very ill. She was very toxic, we do not know how she became like it.

I called the vet because she had very very bad diarrhea so was becoming very dehydrated.

She gave up eating and drinking. My vet wanted to put her down but I asked him to give my little girl a chance. We gave her antibiotics etc and bought her into the stables. Rugged up and in a nice warm bed I could only hope.

She had bloods taken. These came back with nothing particular other than the dehydration.

She was still with us the following day so she was put on a drip. I also contacted Roger Hatch of "Trinity Consultants" and had sent to me some L94 (A liver and general Tonic) plus some Hydrate. I also gave her a course of Aloe Vera Juice and Pink Powders.

Very slowly she started to pick up. We gave her what she wanted to eat. One day she would have alfa A then the next day she did not want that. after 4 days she was allowed to hand graze for a few minutes.

We never did find out what caused her problem but she is now 100% fit.

Supertrooper it is worth talking to Roger Hatch, this is the website www.justbespoke.com He really is very good.
 
hi,

paulineh i have a pony that was very similar to yours. It was suddenly ill one day rolling and colicky in field, terrible diarhoea and unwilling to eat/drink. Presented with colic like symptoms as well as infection. Vet tested her and found she was very toxic, with a nasty internal infection- which surprisingly he said could well have been salmonella. She is very old so was worried she wouldn't pull through, same as yours. Fortunately slowly she has picked up, gained weight and is back to normal now, i am feeding her lots and a gp veteran supplement seems to have helped her too. Perhaps this may have been what your pony had rather than liver probs?
I was surprised to hear about salmonella, but vet said birds defacating in the paddocks and horses then eating this is probably what happened, especially over the winter as the shooting season gets under way there are lots of phesants/partridge and wild birds around...sometyhing to bear in mind perhaps. x
 
pony person said:
hi,

paulineh I have a pony that was very similar to yours. It was suddenly ill one day rolling and colicky in field, terrible diarrhea and unwilling to eat/drink. Presented with colic like symptoms as well as infection. Vet tested her and found she was very toxic, with a nasty internal infection- which surprisingly he said could well have been salmonella. She is very old so was worried she wouldn't pull through, same as yours. Fortunately slowly she has picked up, gained weight and is back to normal now, i am feeding her lots and a gp veteran supplement seems to have helped her too. Perhaps this may have been what your pony had rather than liver probs?
I was surprised to hear about salmonella, but vet said birds defecating in the paddocks and horses then eating this is probably what happened, especially over the winter as the shooting season gets under way there are lots of pheasants/partridge and wild birds around...something to bear in mind perhaps. x
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That is just how my girl was like. My girl never came up with colic symptoms though. Interesting about the pheasants as we do have a shoot very near us and have the birds in my fields. Also have a few foxes in the field. My vet thought it was Salmonella but the bloods came back as clear.

Who is your vet as my yard is close to the Berkshire border. How old is your pony.

Also for the last 2 Christmas my Springer Spaniel had a similar thing and my small animal vet thinks that he may eat something up in the woods.

Hope your pony is well now
 
hi, the pony in questions is 30's rather old but much better now thanks, she has picked up no end- we were really worried she might not recover.

Yes you wouldn't think about the birds really, but that is really interesting if you have shoot birds on your ground too, same as us and both ponies have had similar illnesses...yes she wasn't colicking badly but she was tubed to help try and flush her out and was flank watching etc

We also gave her a good wormer once she recovered enough on vets suggestion..
 
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