Ragwort poisoning?

[Foxy girl]

Hi not been on the forum for ages (had baby and back to work etc) but wondering if anyone can help?

My mare has been diagnosed with some sort of poisoning - she has been lethargic for a few days, dehydrated and last night came out in hives all over her, nasal discharge, sore eyes etc. Had her bloods back today, showing liver damage and they've been sent to Newmarket to assess how bad the damage is. Vet not sure if it's ragwort but it's a possibility (YO v. bad at clearing it, have been clearing it ourselves but obviously missed some...) but I'm wondering if the Japanese Knotweed that she can just about reach over fence by stream may be the cause...

Can anyone shed any light and also would Milk Thistle be a good thing to use to help her liver recover?

Absolutely devastated this has happened - feel so responsible for not clearing field myself and for trusting YO. Poor horse is so poorly but still fighting and we had to use stomach tube today to get fluids down her - absolutely horrible.

Have moved her to new paddock and spent 2 hrs checking for ragwort so at least i know she's safe for tonight...

Any help gratefully received!
Thanks

 

[Happytohack]

Sadly, this does sound like ragwort poisoning. A friend's horse, many years ago, was at a yard where the YO refused to pull it and the horse had symptoms exactly as you describe and the vet was 100% sure it was ragwort poisoning. Really, hope your mare pulls through.

 

[pidgeypony]

Having Japanese Knotweed growing like a cultivated crop in the next field and creeping into ours, we checked it out and it is harmless to horses. sadly, this does mean it is likely to be Ragwort poisoning. Milk Thistle is generally good for liver problems, but I don't know if it can help in these circumatsances. i am very sorry and hope the vet can give you some good news.

 

[Taboo1968]

Milk thistle is good for liver damage..... but you really need to ascertain how much liver damage there is..... the liver is an organ that regernates itself, but obviously if things have gone too far, no matter what you do, there is nothing you can do other than make them as comfortable as poss..... I recently lost a mare to this and she was on Visorbin supplement......

Do hope that things are not too bad for you and that you can turn things round for your horse....

Keep us updated.... it will be nice to know the progress! and good luck