ABSTRACT
Domesticated equids appear to be especially prone to liver disease. Cases are sometimes suspected on the basis of suggestive clinical signs, but frequently liver disease is first identified unexpectedly when investigating horses with mild and non-specific illness. Domesticated equids appear to be especially prone to liver disease. A very important fundamental principle when considering liver disease is the distinction between a horse whose liver is failing to adequately perform its usual function versus a horse with damage to the liver that does not interfere significantly with hepatic metabolic activities. Horses with signs of Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) have a poorer prognosis than those with liver disease without HE although attempted treatment of the condition is justifiable. The usefulness of biochemical markers of liver disease can be considered diagnostically in terms of sensitivity and specificity for liver disease, and also prognostically in terms of association with survival or non-survival.
