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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383
 
Location: Sweet Home Alabama | Has anyone dealt with this and had it treated? My vet believes my broodmare has it and told me to either treat her or put her down. Diagnosis is difficult to make because there is no specific assay for this disease and because signs of EPM mimic other neurological diseases. So even if I spend the $1,000 for a month long treatment there is no way to know if this will "fix" her. And in an article online it stated that 10-20% of horses relapse. I really like this mare and she's only 6, but at the same time, it sounds like even if I do all I can she may not even bounce back. I'm trying to do my research, but I would really like to hear from folks who have had one overcome this |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
  
Location: Florida.. | change your title.. to EPM...
yes many bounce back.. some go on to careers, some are pasture ornaments.. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| There are cheaper alternative treatments out there. We treated my good barrel horse last fall for around $550. He's running better than ever before.
My vet consults on it quite often, Pm me if you want his contact info for your vet to get in touch. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 312
Location: KS | Do you mean EPM, Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis?
This is the disease that horses get from eating hay that an opossum has defecated on.
My mare got this last summer, the sooner you catch there is something wrong the better. My horse was loosing weight and seemed really sore. I had her in with about 6 other horses so I thought maybe she got kicked or even bit, so I gave her banamine for about a week, but my gut was telling it was more so I finally ran her down to the vet. They ran tests that showed inflammation, didn't show that it was for sure EPM but vet was positive that this is what my mare had and suggested going ahead a medicating for it. My mare is around 12 years old and I would have done everything to help her. There are horses that in time come back 100%. We gave her pills for 10 days and prayed.
She had lost weight up around her withers, and all her muscle has come back, she looks fat and happy now. I can tell flexibility isn't as good as before but I have read and researched that give them 6 months to a year, work, exercise and you can get them back to normal. If it were me I try everything to save your horse. Work with a good vet, so your research and be prepared to give your horse a year off. I do some light riding and stretch her out good to keep her flexible.
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| A couple years ago our vet recommended IV Diclazuril followed by 30 days of sulfa meds. He said he'd seen the best results with this treatment. Of course, something better could have come along since then, so do your research. I understand your hesitation, as I had a mare with neurologic issues that did not respond to EPM treatment. I was very sure her issues were the result of a heat stroke, but I owed it to her to try the treatment. Another thing I'd consider discussing with your vet is her future as a broodmare, I believe I've heard that the stress from labor/delivery can cause a relapse. |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | Www.pathogenes.com for testing and treatment!! |
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