Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Jaundiced foal, 2 months old, dies from liver damage
By Small, A C et al.·Published in Zentralblatt fur Veterinarmedizin. Reihe A·1993·Department of Veterinary Pathology, Australia·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis in a two month old foal.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A two-month-old foal was born small and with a yellowish tint to its skin, a sign of liver problems. Unfortunately, the foal passed away after two months due to serious liver damage caused by toxins from a plant that the mother ate while pregnant. The liver showed signs of long-term damage, including scarring and abnormal liver cells. This case highlights a rare condition where the foal was affected by the mother's consumption of harmful substances during pregnancy. Sadly, the treatment did not work, and the foal did not survive.
Abstract
A foal, small and jaundiced from birth, succumbed after two months to chronic hepatic damage which was characterised by fibrosis, biliary ductular hyperplasia and the presence of pleomorphic hepatocytes containing either a single large nucleus or multiple nuclei. The fixed liver contained sulfur-bound pyrroles, which are derived from pyrrolizidine alkaloids. During pregnancy the pasture was heavily infested with the pyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plant, Senecio madagascariensis. The hepatic disease affecting the foal appears to have been initiated by consumption of the alkaloids by the mare during gestation, and to represent a rare case of congenital pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8328228/