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Treatment

Treatment varies depending on the cause of the hepatitis. If it is bacterial in nature, prompt treatment with antibiotics is required. Other causes of hepatitis such as viral or toxin-induced usually rely on supportive care. Such care normally consists of IV fluid therapy, vitamin B, antioxidants, and medication to decrease the amount of ammonia in the blood.

Prevention

Fortunately, hepatitis is not very common in horses. To best help prevent against it, proper maintenance of your horse’s pasture is necessary to decrease exposure to toxic plants that can cause this condition. Bacterial and viral causes of this disease are harder to prevent, but ensuring your horse is up to date on vaccines may help.