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Veteran
Posts: 184
 
| So I have a barrel horse that is recovering from a stifle injury but the vet gave me the go ahead to start working him. He has been back in work for 2-3 months without any issue. Well......I took him to his chiropractor and massage therapist about 3 days ago and was busy with work so he had a nice little vacation. Yesterday I took him out of the paddock and brushed him down, then saddled him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I picked up his front right hoof and he suddenly lost his balance?
I looked up at him when he caught his self and tried to brush it off thinking he way have just not been standing square. I took him out to the round pen and lounged him....fine. Rode him at a walk/trot....fine. Canter....there was a full out gallop and feeling like he was unbalanced so I asked him to stop and immediately got off. Took him to the wash rack and unsaddled him.
Once I turned the water on he started shaking and shifting his hind legs with the his eyes open to the whites showing. He starting falling over in the wash rack but managed to catch himself again. I immediately called my vet who said the chiropractor may have "WOKE" up the old injury meaning he may need another 6-8 months off.
That doesn't feel right....I feel like its something deeper than that. He has been checked for EPM and as clear. I booked him an appointment for an equine rehab center next week for a full work up of x-rays, ultrasound, ad lameness exam but until then I would like to know if anyone has ever dealt with his kind of thing before? |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
  
| How long a ago was the horse checked for EPM and what type of test? Three vets missed my horse's EPM, but he had a very mild, subtle case. With what you have said it could be almost anything but EPM is suspect. Notice any muscle atrophy, especially of the right side or top line? Sometimes early symptoms of EPM |
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Veteran
Posts: 184
| That's the odd thing....no muscle loss at ALL! He looks fanastic. Nice even barrel, slick shiny coat, and good solid muscle tone. I'm so so so upset and afraid I'm gonna lose him  |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Just to cover all of your basis, has he been checked for a heart murmur? I had a horse that would "collapse" after I rode, and he was diagnosed with a murmur.
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10519/heart-murmurs-in-horses |
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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | I would really look hard into the EPM. Like someone else said, mine was missed by multiple vets, AND she suffered a stifle injury, AND she too lost her balance when having her foot picked up--that happened less than a week before she went completely neurologic and could barely walk.
She was always VERY fit, like race horse fit, hard muscled and never had any noticeable atrophy. And she still worked and ran, but had footfall rhythm issues, and random violent pulling back. But she still worked good.
After treatment she bulked up and relaxed and started REALLY working good. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | Where specifically did the chiro re-adjust him? My mare used to fall down when I would pick up her right foot 2 years ago. She did it a few times in a week. Called chiro and she had a pinched nerve in her withers. also, most horses tense uo a bit in the shower, so it could put more pressure on a pinched nerve. He could have popped a vertebrae out of place in his adjustment(like maybe it twisted a bit). Idk, its just a seggestion since it suddenly appeared after the adjustment. |
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Veteran
Posts: 184
| I will have the vets retest for EPM. This horse has been through HELL for me. He is the iron athlete that never gives up. We have been battling underrun heels with him as well and he won't stand still long enough to put hind shoes on him due to the stifle injury...gonna try glue on eggbars as per recommend by the vet and farrier. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| EPM.
Mine nearly died of it and never had even a little positive response on the test. The tests are worthless as far as I am concerned. Treat and see what happens.
Edited to add also: My EPM horse blew his stifles. After heavy heavy treatment, and months of turn out, his stifles are nearly straightened out!
Edited by classicpotatochip 2017-02-03 10:07 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | We don't really have EPM here in Canada that I know of. Seems like alot of horses down South have it. I thought you could only get it from opposums? |
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| SuperTrooper - 2017-02-03 10:14 AM
We don't really have EPM here in Canada that I know of. Seems like alot of horses down South have it. I thought you could only get it from opposums?
We had a horse die of it in Jackson, WY that had never left home. We think it probably was contracted from feed. It does pop up in cold country.
There's several different carriers, cats being one. I haven't read up on the carriers etc in a while. I just treat it now if I recognize any symptoms or have a mystery lameness/illness.
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | Lyme disease can have similar symptoms to EPM. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | classicpotatochip - 2017-02-03 11:15 AM SuperTrooper - 2017-02-03 10:14 AM We don't really have EPM here in Canada that I know of. Seems like alot of horses down South have it. I thought you could only get it from opposums? We had a horse die of it in Jackson, WY that had never left home. We think it probably was contracted from feed. It does pop up in cold country. There's several different carriers, cats being one. I haven't read up on the carriers etc in a while. I just treat it now if I recognize any symptoms or have a mystery lameness/illness.
Would you mind telling me your treatment method and the signs and symptoms you look for before treating?
Thank you.  |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| It is the same protozoan that causes toxoplasmosis. (dirty kittly litter pans) Barn cats can certainly be a guilty culpret. When hay is raked before baling, poop can be baled or rolled. All hay is raked. |
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| IRunOnFaith - 2017-02-03 11:48 AM
classicpotatochip - 2017-02-03 11:15 AM SuperTrooper - 2017-02-03 10:14 AM We don't really have EPM here in Canada that I know of. Seems like alot of horses down South have it. I thought you could only get it from opposums? We had a horse die of it in Jackson, WY that had never left home. We think it probably was contracted from feed. It does pop up in cold country. There's several different carriers, cats being one. I haven't read up on the carriers etc in a while. I just treat it now if I recognize any symptoms or have a mystery lameness/illness.
Thank you.
I give Protazil!
Muscle loss, facial expression abnormalities, blown up stifles, balance problems, no feeling in tail, can't pick up inside front foot when turned in a small circle around me on foot (tries to pivot), training problems, lots of reading materials on the net. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | epm sounds good but its odd that this just started after the chiro massage work ,sounds to me like they messed up and something is not right .. nerve, out of alignment .. or did horse ty up? |
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Veteran
Posts: 184
| It could very well be he had a tying up episode but then would seem odd that he would walk right afterwards like nothing ever happened?? |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | After you took him and had Chiro work done on him, did he get turned out in a large area so he could move around are did he stay in a stall? Meaning a vaction did he get to stay in a stall all that time after his Chiro work?
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2017-02-04 9:04 AM
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | streakysox - 2017-02-03 2:07 PM
It is the same protozoan that causes toxoplasmosis. (dirty kittly litter pans) Barn cats can certainly be a guilty culpret. When hay is raked before baling, poop can be baled or rolled. All hay is raked.
toxoplasmosis is caused by toxoplasma gondii
EPM is caused by sarcocystis neurona and less often neospora hughesi |
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | With the episodes of losing balance and falling over, you should probably have a neuro exam done.
Not all neurologic disease is caused by EPM but it can be.
Ear ticks can cause really strange acute neurologic presentations
Vestibular disease can cause a horse to lose its balance especially if you take their horizon away. Horses can compensate very well with vestibular disease until you take away their ability to see the horizon- like blindfolding them, etc.
Viruses may cause neurologic disease as well but those typically have a fever and the horse is very sick, not off and on normal and abnormal.
Trauma can cause neurologic deficits
And you can have Wobbler's going on as well that could cause ataxia in the hind end. Wobblers can be a developmental disorder where the bone was malformed without an injury causing it, or it can be secondary to arthritis from trauma at some point in the past.
Edited by casualdust07 2017-02-04 3:07 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 184
| I'm hoping that it's a pinched nerve...this horse means the world to me. I brought him out of the field today and he was super hot and prancing around like nothing was wrong..so confused beyond belief |
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