Liver disease in horses causes complex, progressive welfare harm through metabolic disruption and hepatic encephalopathy. Welfare management requires early diagnosis and targeted supportive care.
Hepatic disease in horses causes welfare harm through multiple mechanisms. Photosensitization — skin hypersensitivity to UV light from failure to process photodynamic compounds — causes painful, blistering skin lesions on unpigmented areas. Horses with hepatic photosensitization suffer from sun-exposed skin damage that resembles severe sunburn with crusting, oozing, and profound discomfort.
Hepatic encephalopathy — neurological dysfunction from ammonia accumulation — causes the most distressing welfare signs. Affected horses show abnormal behavior including compulsive walking, apparent blindness, head pressing, and extreme agitation or somnolence. The acute welfare impact of hepatic encephalopathy is severe, and horses in this state require emergency stabilization and careful nursing to prevent injury.