Red cell for anaemia - good doer

Gropony

Gropony

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My pony, who is a Haflinger x and a very good doer, came back as slightly anaemic on a recent blood test. This was just a routine test, he is already a bit too fat, shiny coat, full of energy, I had assumed it would come back with nothing. We then tested for piro, lyme, leptospirosis and all negative. He is not in heavy work (two hour long lessons a week, plus one or two more mounted sessions plus one lunge/in hand work).

The vet told me to put him on Red Cell for two months. But I am hesitant because 1. I want to know the cause of the anaemia and 2. He is already difficult to manage in terms of weight and and not exactly calm. I don't need him to have any more energy or put on any more weight. Plus I would need to put it in a feed, which I have stopped now with the grass being so rich.

Has anyone had experience with this product?
 
In the UK, it's not common to have too little iron available and anaemia can be caused by low copper / selenium / zinc. I'd try a supplement which doesn't contain iron but does contain these 3 before using red cell.

A small feed of a few soaked grass nuts won't make much difference to the weight. I had a cob who regularly tested slightly low on rbc and haemoglobin and was advised to give iron but this was years ago and there's a better understanding of other factors now.
 
Magnesium deficiency can also contribute to or cause anaemia. Overweight, nervousness, spookiness are other typical symptoms. If not done yet, I'd have his blood tested for magnesium. You should know though that a deficiency is seen in the blood only very late, i.e. lab results can still come back as normal when the horse already doesn't get enough magnesium. But if the results show a deficiency it's high time to act.

I have no experience with Red Cell and I'm not saying you shouldn't follow your vet's advice. However, I'd definitely check whether he's suffiently supplied with all quantity and trace elements, especially those important for the metabolism.
 
I am in France. The vet is the one used by the yard, we don't have a choice. He is more used to working with sport horses. He is a specialist in imagerie and injuries. I find him hard to deal with as he tends to run a test then give an aggressive treatment without searching any further why the results are like they are.
 
Final.update. I spoke to my vet friend (dogs and cats) and she saw zero interest in giving the red cell if the cause of the anaemia wasn't known. She told me 90% of the time it is linked to an inflammation. He has a uveitis episode two weeks after. So for the moment I am monitoring and I will see. His gums are already back to normal.
 
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