Management of hepatopathy in horses

For a comprehensive discussion of the approach to the liver disease case, readers are referred to a previous UK-Vet Equine review (Tallon and McGovern, 2020b). Once hepatic disease has been identified...

Figure 1. Lipaemic plasma from a mixed breed pony with enterocolitis (left). Note the difference with plasma from a healthy horse (right).

Lipid disorders in horses and foals

In horses, lipids are absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in the form of fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids bind to albumin and travel through the portal circulation, but most fatty acids...

Figure 1. a) Ragwort Senecio jacobaea; b) Red clover.

Equine liver disease in the field. Part 2: causes and management

Despite an appropriate diagnostic approach, a causative agent is not identified in many cases of liver disease, and treatment must be guided by clinical signs and biopsy findings. Even biopsy changes...

Figure 5. Ultrasound assisted liver biopsy. The white marks on the horse's coat just outside the shaved area are the guidance marks placed during the preparatory ultrasound. The biopsy needle should be pre-marked for the correct depth.

Equine liver disease in the field. Part 1: approach

The equine liver comprises 1.5% of body weight (Dyce et al, 2002) and contains up to 10% of the total blood volume at any one time. It has multiple functions including metabolism of proteins,...