Help Liver Problems

[wizard]

Help please my minihorse x is very ill and has liver condition. about a 1/3 rd of liver still

working vet has him on something called Heptosyl 500mg he has 1 a day it is very expensive hes taking £122.04 inc vat. someone has told me about something called Milk Thistle they said thats it very good.asked my vet but hes not intrested in giving my horse it Can I ask if anyone knows about

Milk Thistle and Can you give it to Minihorse..sorry for all the questions dont know a great deal about the minihorse

 

[Pipruda Miniature Horses]

Help please my minihorse x is very ill and has liver condition. about a 1/3 rd of liver still

working vet has him on something called Heptosyl 500mg he has 1 a day it is very expensive hes taking £122.04 inc vat. someone has told me about something called Milk Thistle they said thats it very good.asked my vet but hes not intrested in giving my horse it Can I ask if anyone knows about

Milk Thistle and Can you give it to Minihorse..sorry for all the questions dont know a great deal about the minihorse

Milk thistle can be given to horses, not sure of the dosage though, as have only used it for a dog with liver problems.

If you google it you may find the correct dosage for a mini.

It certainly won't harm him to give it in conjunction with what your vet has prescribed.

 

[jayne]

A couple of years ago, my mare Maddie was very sick and so I had the vet out and we drew blood. I forget what the name of the part of the liver test that was way off, but her numbers were 1980 (this is not a typo) when normal should have been under 20!! The vet said he never saw a horse survive with such a high number. So we got her to the vet hospital and did a liver biopsy which showed active hepatitis. She was prescribed prednisone and a week into the treatment, the steriod caused her to founder severely and we almost lost her. It was a long hard road, but eventually she recovered.

My vet, who is quite open minded to using natural therapies along with medical ones, recommended that I add Milk Thistle to her diet. I use the stuff that is for humans, found right in the health aisle in my supermarket, and since she is about 325 pounds, I give her twice the human dose, which is two pills that I break into her food at night. About 6 months ago we drew blood for something else (she's insulin resistant now) and her numbers on this test were 68. Now that's obviously higher than the 20 or less it should be, but WAY better than the 1980. We decided that with her age (late 20's) and other health issues, we would not pursue any further treatment for the liver issues other than continuing the Milk Thistle.

Disclaimer - I am not a vet and the following is my opinion: I would not be afraid to supplement your horse's treatment with Milk Thistle. I don't think it can do any harm or interfere with other drugs/treatments. Livers are remarkable organs and have a huge capacity to heal. I hope your horse is doing better soon.

Jayne

 

[wizard]

Thank you so much everyone it does help to talk will google Milk thistle

 

[Little Bits]

My sister became very ill with a liver problem. They run in my family. The doctors at the time didn't think she was going to make it with out being on dialysis. She was on all types of medicines so she did some research and put her self on milk thistle and has been on it ever since. Her condition cleared up. And she now takes it everyday. The doctors were amazed at her recovery. I wouldn't hesitate to give it to my horse.

There is also a tube of stuff called Harlen oil. We use it in the racehorses to help flush out the kidneys. It is also good for a horse that seems to have problems urinating.

 

[Camille]

My sister became very ill with a liver problem. They run in my family. The doctors at the time didn't think she was going to make it with out being on dialysis. She was on all types of medicines so she did some research and put her self on milk thistle and has been on it ever since. Her condition cleared up. And she now takes it everyday. The doctors were amazed at her recovery. I wouldn't hesitate to give it to my horse.

There is also a tube of stuff called Harlen oil. We use it in the racehorses to help flush out the kidneys. It is also good for a horse that seems to have problems urinating.

I have done homeopathic for quite some years with the animals and Milk Thistle is top of my list for liver problems.

There is several forms you can purchase, capsule, Silymarin phosphatidylcholine complex, Tincture and Liquid. The Silymarin phosphatidylcholine complex some believe is easier to absorb. Dose: 280 - 450 mg per day in divided doses or silymarin-phosphatidylcholine complex 100 - 200 mg two times per day. (The dosage is a human dose double it for your mini. I give the goats the human dose.)

You can check for any of these forms at herbalcom.com. They are the cheapest for herbs on the internet. You will not be able to find liquid or tincture there as they are mainly bulk herbs.

Ask your vet before giving this if it is safe to use in conjuction with any medication you are giving as some herbs do not interact well with medication. Milk thistle is generally safe. Side effects are usually mild and may involve stomach upset and diarrhea.

Never use Milk Thistle in a pregnant or nursing animal.

 

[normajeanbaker]

Look up a product called Equine Liver Flush. I had a mare with liver issues this winter and was told to use that on her by a vet. Made a HUGE HUGE difference. She gets it done 2 times a year now. It has Milk Thistle in it. It is safe to use on a Mini. I think my Mini was getting 5 CC's orally a day for 2 weeks. I can double check that though. It is not expensive to but and made a world of difference on my mare.

Jen

 

[wizard]

*****MORE ADVICE PLEASE GUYS*******************

Just wandering a little worried about the other 2 minis I have just incase they to have taken

something in field also .Can anyone tell me of a supplement or something I can give them please

They may not have taken anything but very worried just incase

 

[Pipruda Miniature Horses]

*****MORE ADVICE PLEASE GUYS*******************

Just wandering a little worried about the other 2 minis I have just incase they to have taken

something in field also .Can anyone tell me of a supplement or something I can give them please

They may not have taken anything but very worried just incase

As you are in the UK, could you have a problem with ragwort in your fields? If so this does cause chronic liver damage in horses. If this is your problem, then I would be getting rid of the ragwort asap by handpulling it, and dosing all my horses with milk thistle.

 

[wizard]

As you are in the UK, could you have a problem with ragwort in your fields? If so this does cause chronic liver damage in horses. If this is your problem, then I would be getting rid of the ragwort asap by handpulling it, and dosing all my horses with milk thistle.

Nope for sure I dont have any ragwart in my field,for past 3 years have always pulled ragwart as soon as it starts I pull it.Always had this thing about the stuff I even Strim my own grass then hunt through it leaving it for 7 days before I move section over to graze. Vet

thinks if anything Ragwart has come from Hay bought put me right off this year as have already heard about tails of farmers not clearing ragwart before cutting for hay ..Milk thistle I keep sking my vet bout it one I hve just now wont even touch the stuff hence all the money for medication,asked vet that I was going change over to and he just said that he would stick to the

Hepatosyl.So confusing is int it Will however try Milk Thistle on other 2 wasint sure if it was safe for minis at first

Thanks for all your help feeling better now

 

[kaykay]

Hyperlipemia (fatty liver)tends to affect miniatures more often then big horses. Could your horse have that?? If so it has to be treated immediately to save the horse.

Heres an articles

My link