shawneeAcres
Nov. 25, 2009, 10:11 AM
Interesting story here for those of you who may have wondered if your horse has EPM.
I purchased a horse from Texas last January and had him shipped here. Shortly after he got here he was running in a muddy paddock (I saw this happen) and he went to stop, when he did his hind end slipped WAY underneath him, so much that he almost sat down. Afterwards his left hind ankle became swollen. had vet out to take a look had she felt it was jsut a strain, prescribed rest, bute, cold hosing etc. So after a few weeks had her back out and she said to start him back into work. I did so and he seemed a bit funny behind, not tracking up with the right hind (not the left that had been hurt). I continued slow work and he was doing better but still not quite right on right hind, but also not lame. I put him on adequan, which didn't seem to make any difference. Then I tried bute, no difference. Hmmmm.... So had vet back out and was going to check out his hocks. She watched him and then she pulled his tail, he was VERY unstable behind and she said he is neurologic, probably EPM. Now I have seen and owned EPM horses.. had one the summer prior I "inherited" froma student that couldn't afford the treatment so I took him and treated him and he was TOTALLY different than this horse. I wasn't convinced, she drew blood and did the western blot test and said he did show that he had been exposed (of course 90+% of horses in this area will show that). So I ordered MARQUIS and did a 6 week treatment. Absolutely NO change for better or worse, again unlike the EPM horses I had seen previously that had been treated. So after the treatment we started him back in slow work. He still wasn't tracking up on right hind and wanted to swap off the left lead. But as we got him fitter it did gradually improve, although not 100%. Finally, I decided that he may need his stifles blistered. He was very "loose" behind and having had horses (lots of them!) over the past 40 years I have seen enough that I felt this may have been the case all along. Had vet out and she agreed his stifles were some of the loosest she had ever seen. We blistered him (both stifles) and the left stifle really reacted with inflammation and swelling the right very little. Now a little over a week later the horse is moving better than I have ever seen him go. He is tracking up EVENLY not trying to swap off the lead and jsut seems like a different horse. I think all along, it was the stifles. He never showed the muscle wasting of an EPM horse or any of the other signs I ahve often seen with them. So bascially the moral of the story is that sometimes it isn't EPM, and my vet seems to agree with me. I LOVE my vet but vets, as doctors, are NOT God!!
I purchased a horse from Texas last January and had him shipped here. Shortly after he got here he was running in a muddy paddock (I saw this happen) and he went to stop, when he did his hind end slipped WAY underneath him, so much that he almost sat down. Afterwards his left hind ankle became swollen. had vet out to take a look had she felt it was jsut a strain, prescribed rest, bute, cold hosing etc. So after a few weeks had her back out and she said to start him back into work. I did so and he seemed a bit funny behind, not tracking up with the right hind (not the left that had been hurt). I continued slow work and he was doing better but still not quite right on right hind, but also not lame. I put him on adequan, which didn't seem to make any difference. Then I tried bute, no difference. Hmmmm.... So had vet back out and was going to check out his hocks. She watched him and then she pulled his tail, he was VERY unstable behind and she said he is neurologic, probably EPM. Now I have seen and owned EPM horses.. had one the summer prior I "inherited" froma student that couldn't afford the treatment so I took him and treated him and he was TOTALLY different than this horse. I wasn't convinced, she drew blood and did the western blot test and said he did show that he had been exposed (of course 90+% of horses in this area will show that). So I ordered MARQUIS and did a 6 week treatment. Absolutely NO change for better or worse, again unlike the EPM horses I had seen previously that had been treated. So after the treatment we started him back in slow work. He still wasn't tracking up on right hind and wanted to swap off the left lead. But as we got him fitter it did gradually improve, although not 100%. Finally, I decided that he may need his stifles blistered. He was very "loose" behind and having had horses (lots of them!) over the past 40 years I have seen enough that I felt this may have been the case all along. Had vet out and she agreed his stifles were some of the loosest she had ever seen. We blistered him (both stifles) and the left stifle really reacted with inflammation and swelling the right very little. Now a little over a week later the horse is moving better than I have ever seen him go. He is tracking up EVENLY not trying to swap off the lead and jsut seems like a different horse. I think all along, it was the stifles. He never showed the muscle wasting of an EPM horse or any of the other signs I ahve often seen with them. So bascially the moral of the story is that sometimes it isn't EPM, and my vet seems to agree with me. I LOVE my vet but vets, as doctors, are NOT God!!