Protein Losing Enteropathy

[Leeana]

I recently purchased a 7 year old mare, she has "Protein Losing Enteropathy" and she also has a Thyroid problem (sorry, i cannot think of the actual name). The prevous owners had Dr. Tiznick (Maing of the Thiz Wiz feed) develop a feeding program for her.

They / we are feeding her TizWiz 12% pellets , she just came home today so i have not tweaked anything and am leaving her on that for the time being. They said she cannot be fed anything higher then 12% pellets. She also gets thyroid powder 1x a day. Along with that she gets beet pulp, BOSS, and Mare Plus.

Four years ago, she did have an episode with her Protein Loosing Enteropathy and was in the clinic with Iv fluids and pain meds. They said it presented itself like a severe colic.

Anyone have any experience with any horses having PLE or a thyroid problem ? I plan to follow the diet they gave me for her , im actully scared to change anything.

What is your experience ? She should be fine to reproduce correct ? She has a filly year before last and a colt this year (that passed away).

 

[Minimor]

Do you know what caused the problem in the first place? Often it's triggered by something, such as treatment with bute, or colitis, severe parasitism or something such as blister beetle poisoning. Was it something specific, or did it have no apparent cause? I'm told if it shows up with no underlying disease that it might be caused by intestinal tumors (such as lymphosarcoma) or a condition known as granulomatous enteritis.

Without knowing the underlying cause I'd be cautious of breeding her. Maybe that's just me, but I'd want to know all the details before deciding either way. (What happened that her '08 colt died, by the way?) Since she had a filly two years ago she's probably okay to breed again, but I'd be checking with my vet and asking her a bunch of questions before I'd breed (or buy) this mare.

 

[Leeana]

The owner of the farm i bought her from was a vet, and was very informative, but im curious what others experiences are with this. They did not mention what caused it. The mare does seem to be very healthy , they gave me a stict diet to keep her on.

Her 2008 colt coliced badly and had to be put down

 

[RockRiverTiff]

The only related experience I have is with a mare that had a thyroid condition that was later found to be related to Cushing's. She had a slight dystocia (one leg back), went on to have two normal foalings, then breeched again badly and we retired her. I later spoke to a reproductive vet familiar with minis who felt that the mare's condition (even while on Thyro-L) was retarding her ability to correctly position her foals. I have also heard that it may be hereditary in some horses, but I don't know if that's accurate.

 

[RachelJ]

I am the previous owner of this mare. I was very clear that the protein loosing enteropathy was due to an allergic reaction to fenbendazole (SafeGuard). I am a people doctor, not a vet, so yes, I have alot of medical knowledge. You will find very little info on this problem. Both my vet and I have done extensive research on the topic. Yes, she has hypothyroidism and requires Thyro-L. She has had her levels monitored on a regular basis and this is the dose she needs. I have had this girl since she was a weanling and having to sell our horses has been very difficult for us. As for her baby this year, he developed an impaction colic. In spite of prompt and intense (and proper) vet care he did not make it. The loss of this baby on top of our having to disperse our herd has been incredibly stressfull and we have been in tears nearly every day. The grief has been overwhelming at times. She has only been bred twice and had no problems conceiving and no problems delivering.

The protein loosing enteropathy she has is NOT hereditary. There are a few articles that have been published regarding other horses that have developed intestinal inflammation after the use of SafeGuard. Since her first 2 episodes occured after the use of SafeGuard we're 100% sure that this was the cause. I know if it had not been for the knowledge and willingness of Dr Tiznick to work with us on developing her feed program that she would not be with us today and in such excellent health, let alone be able to have babies. She is an incredible mare and will do well for you if you continue to follow the rules regarding protein intake for horses.