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 Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
    
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | Longneck - 2014-12-01 3:30 PM rachellyn80 - 2014-12-01 2:03 PM (Re: Barn Cats) Everyone is trying to do their own investigation on where it's coming from. It's not likely that we will ever be able to prevent it, we will have to educate others on how to spot it...or start treating all horses in training prophylactically.
Muscle atrophy as well as many of the other "symptoms" that people attribute to EPM evolve over time... You have to be tuned into your horse and recognize when something is off. Ohh, okay. I thought maybe a cat would ward off a possum.
Possums arent the only carriers- And the problem is on the ground and in the drinking water. So while the cat may keep them out of the barn, they cant eliminate the contamination in the outside pens, pastures or water sources. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: lone star state | EPM is very complex because it affects different horses in different ways depending on where in the nervous system it attacks. It is currently being studied and researched and new things are constantly being learned about this complex character. Cats are being considered as a possible carrier. I suspect it is in some hay supplies as well. Because there is no way to control rodents or varmits from the corn hay soybean( and other grain or feed sources) field all they way to your barn, the focus has become on controlling the things you can control which is your barn and how grain hay is stored and handled at your property. As already stated this complex issue is going to become more about educating horse owners to quickly recognize and treat this parasite. My hope is that a drug soon becomes available that is a part of routine maintence such as worming to prevent the disease before it can start it's damage. |
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 Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | TurnLane - 2014-12-02 8:51 AM Longneck - 2014-12-01 3:30 PM rachellyn80 - 2014-12-01 2:03 PM (Re: Barn Cats) Everyone is trying to do their own investigation on where it's coming from. It's not likely that we will ever be able to prevent it, we will have to educate others on how to spot it...or start treating all horses in training prophylactically.
Muscle atrophy as well as many of the other "symptoms" that people attribute to EPM evolve over time... You have to be tuned into your horse and recognize when something is off. Ohh, okay. I thought maybe a cat would ward off a possum.
I wish someone would do a study on hay that has been fertilized with chicken litter. The coccidiosis connection interests me. |
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | Quite honestly, I think DDT killed this protozoa and when they outlawed DDT, it began taking over. 20 years ago you never heard of EPM and honestly, I didn't hear about it till about 10 years ago, and now, it's like worms....it's something I think all of them have and is going to be a part of routine maintenance in the future. JMO I know they said DDT caused cancer, but my dad used it all the time and lived to be 91.....I think it's all a money making scheme to ban all this stuff so that we have to spend more money on stuff to treat what the pests cause....maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorists, but follow the money and it's a plausible theory....and our horses are suffering. |
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Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | Diann it's already part of our routine maintenance. I'm taking two to Gary tomorrow morning to be tested and another one that we treated previously with Diclazuril to be retested.
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | rachellyn80 - 2014-12-02 4:08 PM Diann it's already part of our routine maintenance. I'm taking two to Gary tomorrow morning to be tested and another one that we treated previously with Diclazuril to be retested.
Is the ReBalance what you mean when you say it's already a part of your routine maintenance? Does it require a perscription? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 787
Location: NE Pa-Gods Country | instead of expensive testing, i treated my mare for 30 days with the Sulfadiazine /Permethrin (?) and saw some improvement. so treated for another 30 and she has put on significant weight and attitude improved.
My Heelers have killed 2 possums here in the last 2 months...
Edited by mhprimetime 2014-12-02 4:22 PM
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I had a gelding that i carried to a vet last year he would not run she said,he was not,sore enough to,be hocks. He was still not right carried him in the spring to look at him a second time. She did not do a neuro exam said it was his hocks we fused them did not get better. Injected stifles no better. A friend talked me into going to another vet he did a neuro and he failed on side did the uc davis test came back negative. That vet did not know what to say. Did some reasearch say all the success with dr. Ellerison, florida. Did the bloodwork sent me the oroquin. Did the course and within the 3 or 4 day stated to,see some improvement. He could not put any weight on his right rear. He was the last horse to come now he is first to come in have not ridden him due to me being under the weather. But was out in pasture with him the other day he looks like i worked him his topline muscle looks like i have been riding him. He has gained weight also. Looks a lot sounder also. I think epm is caused by more the the one or two bugs they know about. Not sure about ddt. But all i know my gelding is better than he was. That high dollar vet that kept injecting she finally told me he has multiple joint disease and has limited runs left, with no clinical proof. Before i,did hocks we ultrasound suspenories, of course xrayed hocks, stifles, and front feet. Only thing i did not xray was knees.
Edited by daisycake123 2014-12-02 6:39 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Did/do your horses that you've either had tested for EPM, or are testing, have neuro symptoms?
This spring I bought an 18yo mare back that I owned 10 years ago. She was a bit sore when I brought her home, mainly throughout her back, flexed sore on her hocks, needed her teeth done. Got her teeth done and rode her lightly and she was good throughout this summer. She used to be a steady eddy - I mean, the horse I could put anyone on, had NO problems with whatsoever. I know that was 10 years ago, but her attitude has changed and has grown worse this fall. I started her on Pentosan and she grew even worse. She is more needy now, anxious, and then she 'hopped'/bucked this fall when cantering in a straight line - she'd never, ever done that before, even when her back and hocks were sore this spring.
I've had my vet and an english trainer look at her, they don't think that it is neuro based on the crossing legs test and crossing over when turning in a tight circle. I think she has poor tail tone.
I'm not saying it isn't her hocks fusing, but I feel like there is something that is making her act like this too. I wouldn't mind testing, but I feel like my vet is going to think I'm nuts for insisting on it. I hope I'm not stealing your thread, it's just always been a lingering thought in my mind. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | No problem! I like to read anything I can get my eyes on. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 302
| The 1st signs I noticed with my horse was slowed down eating his grain, then he started chewing with his head tilted and then started quidding his hay into balls. I thought that was an obvious sign of teeth issues (had teeth done 7 month prior). The day my vet came out to look at him was the day we noticed muscle atrophy to the left side of his head. He showed no neuro signs what so ever but the muscle atrophy pretty much happened over night. We started treating right away and during day 2 to 5 which is the die off period he got really lethargic, slow moving and his personality disappeared. It was hard to watch. I am at day 45 of treatment on Marquis and he is doing great. Everything back to normal except the muscle tone to his face. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2013
Location: Piedmont, OK | Regardless of what you treat them with I don't think you never get rid of the protozoa 100%. IMO you need to keep them on some type of immune booster for the rest of their lives to keep them healthy. |
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Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | soonergirl98 - 2014-12-03 11:10 AM Regardless of what you treat them with I don't think you never get rid of the protozoa 100%. IMO you need to keep them on some type of immune booster for the rest of their lives to keep them healthy.
Maybe I dont understand it properly but I think ALL horses have the protozoa, kind of like we all have cancer cells in us. But it is wether they activate and the damage they do. I think you can kill off the abundance of the protozoa but it will not reverse the damage done to the spinal cord. But also the shedding of the protozoa from killing them can cause inflamation as well as having them in the first place. So they can improve symptomatically when you finish treatment and the inflamation subsides. Best I understand it anyhow. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Dr. White did the exam and didn't feel the need to draw blood... and he didn't have ulcers. He thinks it's just the lack of exercise (only being handwalked 20 minutes a day) and the 7.5% protein grass hay. Wants me to up his hay quality some and see how he does.
Is the ReBalance something that you just give them periodically (like a wormer) or a daily supplement? |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| rachellyn80 - 2014-12-02 5:08 PM
Diann it's already part of our routine maintenance. I'm taking two to Gary tomorrow morning to be tested and another one that we treated previously with Diclazuril to be retested.
Does rebalance treat one horse (1200lb) for 90 days? |
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