ANAEMIA & HORSES

Extracts from an article by Tim Mair, MRCVS HORSE & HOUND 25th April 2002

One of the most commonly misdiagnosed disorders in horses. It is not usually a disease in itself, but rather the sign of an underlying abnormality.

The average 500k horse would need to loose 12 litres of blood rapidly to bring on anaemia.

Chronic blood loss – in association with conditions such as worm infestation, growth of cancerous tumors, viral or bacterial infections and haemorrhaging from the guttural pouch – can lead to anaemia.

Once the root cause has been diagnosed and treated, the body usually treats the anaemia itself.

It must be noted that iron deficiency is rare in horses, and the use of supplements containing
high quantities of iron can actually be detrimental

Balanced diets contain more than enough iron to allow the horse to maintain normal numbers of
red blood cells