Ragwort Poisoning Advice Please

[charliesarmy]

My friend off a different yards horse has just been diagnosed with the above he was going to be PTS because he was so poorley but on D-Day he rallied a little and slowly seems to be on the mend..she wants to move him from there but is worried about his recouperation...how long does it take to get over ragwort poisoning??he has had liver tests but have no results yet...its over a week now and he really is still very poorley how long will this go on for???

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Hi ca. Sadly he will never get over ragwort poisoning. Any liver damage that has already occurred can never recover. HOWEVER, if the horse has rallied a little your friend may very well be able to save the little bit of remaining working liver that her horse still has. She needs to do the following as a matter of emergency:

1. Move the horse immediately from any pasture that has ragwort in it. This is partly because the poisoning effect is cumulative so the more the horse eats, the worse the damage is and partly because some horses develop a taste for ragwort and he may deliberately eat more.

2. Put the horse on a LOW protein diet. What protein he DOES have must be of very high quality. Talk to D&H as they are brilliant at working up individual diets for ragwort poisoned horses.

3. If it was summer he'd have to be kept out of the sun because he will have severe photosensitivity. This shows as sunburn so bad that it looks as if the horse has pushed its head into a bonfire. Obviously, if there's no sun, it's not a problem.

4. Buy Milk Thistle (D&H do a good tub at about £12) and start feeding that immediately. It is proven to have a beneficial effect.

5. Buy a B vitamin supplement. Yea Sac is excellent as it also acts as an appetite stimulant. Ragwort poisoned horses have difficulty with hind gut digestion so the B Vits help.

6. Do everything possible to give top notch nursing and tlc to the horse. If he feels better in himself he will be able to fight better.

Ragwort poisoned horses develop photosensitivty, jaundice (sometimes), weight loss, depression, lethargy, lack of interest in anything, odd behaviour, standing in corners with the head pressed against a wall, self harm and harm to the owner or other horses. They need very, very careful care for the crisis period but if your friend can pull her horse through this stage and if her horse is a toughie, then she should be able to help him back to a near-normal life PROVIDED the liver damage is not already too far advanced. Tell your friend that I have a rescued mare who came to me with ragwort poisoning so severe that she had lost the will to live and the vets said pts was kindest. BUT with all of the above management, one year later, she is fat, happy, full of attitude and has just been sent away for backing and schooling at the ripe old age of 12! But I can never relax my guard and I couldn't trust her within smelling distance of a ragwort plant in case she has developed a taste.

If I can help any more, PM me and I'll try to help. Wish your friend good luck - she WILL know if her horse has had enough. xxx

 

[kellyeaton]

i lost my horse due to ragwort posioning if you would like any info just pm me!