Any thoughts on why a horse would have regularly high(er) GGT values when blood tests are done? Nothing else is presently elevated. Current value is 53 (range is 2-36). Curiously, last year he had an elevated GGT value I put him on milk thistle for a month and his values dropped from 75 to 38 to 26. Obviously going to start him back on it, but we are all puzzled as to these higher values. I have checked and do not find poisonous plants in my fields.
If I were you next time his GGT levels are high, I would also check his SDH levels. That enzyme is pretty specific for liver injury I believe. From my previous run-ins with liver issues with my guy, GGT took a long time to come back down to the normal range (used supportive therapy as well). Was that the case with your gut as well?
Thanks Larbear! SDH has only been high once but now that I look historically I don’t think it has ever been checked but that one time; we did a liver scan then and nothing was out of line and vets at hospital did not recommend anything else (treatment included doxy and milk thistle). His results went down to normal within a month. Historically, nothing else has been out of whack when the GGT levels are higher (AST, LDH, direct/total bilirubin all within normal ranges). He did have one higher LDH result in early 2019, but that did not come with higher CK/CPK, AST or GGT, however in this instance direct bilirubin was higher (.4), and total bilirubin was within range.
I should have gone to vet school!
Lol I hear you! Equally strange with my guy was when I had my vet out for suspected anaplasmosis (think it was his first?). My vet sent his blood work out for liver panel as well and everything came back normal except for his SDH. We thought it was odd but figured maybe a fluke.
Well! We kept testing it and over several weeks while ther other enzymes continued to stay in the normal range, SDH continued to climb.
I did do an ultrasound and biopsy which supported the SDH results. His liver was enlarged. No one could explain and the vets at the hospital said thatd likely his new normal. Huh? If if it stayed stable maybe but it was climbing! My regular vet wasn’t buying it either.
I did supportive therapy and it did eventually stabilize and come back down. I did report back to the g
hospital but never got a response back. I suspect it may be more common but most people would look at a standard liver panel and if the results were fine leave it at that. Had my vet not said “hey you know given his past issues let’s just be safe and double check SDH” it totally would have flown under the radar.