Problem with Liver

rabatsa

rabatsa

Confuddled
Joined
18 September 2007
Messages
15,616
Location
Down the lane.
Visit site
Our 8 year old mare has just been diagnosed with a liver problem. Without a biopsy the vet cannot say for sure what it is but he is treating her with antibiotics for an infection.
Whilst we have had her for the last 4 years she has not knowingly had any contact with ragwort. However she was born and bred by the gypsy fraternity and then moved onto a typical inner city pony field so past exposure is a distinct possibility.
Her symptoms are mild she was lethargic and not happy in her work and as the vet was coming to sedate a horse for the EDT it was a while you are here job.
I wondered what is the chance of previous exposure to the yellow weed showing up now? How common is a liver infection that is treatable and reversable? The vet said we just have to wait and see but any response to treatment will not be quick.
 
She lives out 24/7 with 5 others. There is a fenced off river and hedgerows Never noticed rat marks in the two field shelters but down at the main yard there are some poultry which attract rats in winter.
 
Our horse was diagnosed with the same thing this summer and was treated with antibiotics and Vit B injections. On the advice of a couple of very helpful people on here(Box of Frogs and Babybells) we also gave her milk thistle and took her off all protein food. She has now made a full recovery. Like your horse we were unsure if she had previously been exposed to ragwort as she was very neglected before we got her. We don't really know what caused the problem, probably an infection - but again like yours her symptoms were mild as we spotted it early. This is really just to say that hopefully your horse will make a full recovery but also that you will get great advice and support on here. The names I mentioned above were so helpful and supportive and knowledgable.
 
hi, my horse was diagnosed as having liver disease in the spring. ditto good advice from members mentioned above. put him on milk thistle and hi-fi lite with sugarbeet. vet gave him equisup. even tho he still isn't well his liver is back to normal (according to his last blood test). liver is good at regeneration but not if it's from ragwort poisoning. 4 years seems a long time for it to take effect so here's hoping it's not ragwort. keep my fingers crossed for you. by the way - i think my horses liver became bad with his body trying to cope with whatever it is he has ( we think it may be an allergy to something)
 
Is there any run-off from manure heap, silage etc into the river? How close do they graze to the river if it is fenced off? Some years ago at yard I used to be at a few horses got liver problems. The source was thought to be run-off into the stream, the horses ate wild watercress growing in the stream and this plant absorbs toxins. There is no proof of this but the stream was more effectively fenced off and run-off from manure heap altered. There have been no recurrences.
 
hi if you need any advice about your horses liver please pm me i will give you as much advice has possible. on the bloods that came back what part was showing high for them to no it was a liver problem? get her straight on to milk thistle look at her diet keep her on a vert low protine diet get her some b vits into her this is good for pick me up and gut fuction and liver you can get some thing from you vet called vi-sorbin very good stuff. If she is on haylage swope that for hay it has less protine in it. get some lactose from your vets aswell that will give her engery but the liver will not have to break this down witch this is good coz you want the liver to work as little as possible. how long ago did they take bloods? how long as she been on anti-b,s? is she showing any other signs apart from being tried? you say you dont know her back ground she make have had exsposiere to ragwort in her past she my of got hold of a tiny bit since she has been with you and that could be the last bit the liver needed. i lost my girl to ragwort posioning a few months ago i did notknow anything about her history i had her for six years after that with no problems a all then all of a sudden she started to lose a liitle weight so i took bloods witch said she had ragwort posioning i was so shocked coz i picked the stuff all the time wed the bloods were taken gave her a b vit injection and a cause of anti-bs and everything else i said above then 2 days after see was great then at the weekend she went down hill so fast we had to have our best friend pts. if you need any info please do pm i can give you the sighs they show and a lot more advice. good luck! hopefully it is a liver virus and will clear up soon put deffo go and get the stuff above liver virus or ragwort posioning it will help in both cases!
 
Thank you all for your helpful and hopeful advice. The brain just said liver HELP.
The results were given over the phone and I will get the paper version tomorrow to read, the antibiotics were picked up by someone passing the surgery. The way she was galloping round the field this morn no one would believe anything was wrong. Fingers crossed.
Re the river, there is no chance of grazing on the banks or in the water as there is a good margin but I had never heard of watercress being a problem, you live and learn.
Thanks again and I will let you know how she gets on.
 
My old chap has also had liver probs this year. He was treated with antibiotics and Vit B. I now keep him on a low protein diet with milk thistle and he seems to be doing well. I know he has not had ragwort poisoning as I have had him for 30 years and have always been religious about pulling it. He also has access to very good grazing.

I was dubious about the diagnosis but it appears the vet was right!
grin.gif
 
Hi rabatsa. Fingers crossed your ned just has a liver infection. If it's ragwort poisoning, your girl will need a lifelong change of management. As people have said above, you can support a damaged liver by providing a LOW protein diet (but all animals need SOME protein so take care!), milk thistle, vit-B supplements and protection from sunshine. The liver has the most amazing powers of regeneration but it cannot regenerate from ragwort poisoning as the plant alkaloids cause permanent fibrosis. Symptoms of liver danage start to show at about 70% and Prof Knottenbelt of Liverpool Uni (world expert) advises that at 76% damage, all horses will die. Ragwort poisoning is cumulative so your girl could indeed have eaten ragwort before you had her. Unfortunately, some horses then develop a taste for it and will actively search every tiny rosette out. Equally, any further insult to the liver (a virus or something) could be the last straw and push her over the edge.

Having said all this, my ragwort poisoned rescue mare was 24 hrs from being pts after the local vets saw the blood test results. However, my YO has extensive experience of rescuing horses and she said hold on a minute, the mare has perked up and is eating again. So the vets did a liver flush and we re-did her bloods and they came back showing a tiny improvement. Since then, 15 months of D&H tailored diet (Prof K advised to mention his name and they would work up an individual diet for Angel) and just bringing her in out of the sun every day has seen a total about face. She is fat, happy, bright and alert and is enjoying life to the full. At the ripe old age of 12 she has just been backed and is turning out to be a willing, reliable ride.

So don't give up hope. First you need a clear diagnosis. If it is ragwort poisoning, I'd e-mail Professor Derek Knottenbelt (knotty@liverpool.ac.uk) and ask his advice. Then ring D&H and ask for their help in working up an individual diet. Please do let me know if I can help further. Fingers crossed for your mare x
 
There seems to be loads of horses about with liver problems at the moment. As others have said, feed as low protein diet as possible. I would give your horse a detox with aloe vera (I always do this at this time of year after doing the 'big tapeworm worm' and to help them through season change) and Milk Thistle will help damaged liver cells to regenerate. Try and get milk thistle seeds powder as horses can't digest the whole seeds so they need soaking then grinding through a coffee grinder which is a pain.
 
D&H do a high quality tub of Milk Thistle which is recommended by Prof K. It is the whole plant, freeze dried and finely chopped. It's so close to the fresh growing plant that if you grab a handful too fast you can prick your finger from the minced up prickly bits. About £12 a tub which lasts a good 3 months. Please do understand though that Milk Thistle can only SUPPORT the remaining functioning liver. Liver cells destroyed by ragwort poisoning can NEVER regenerate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top