EPM without Muscle Wasting

[lds14]

Hi All,

We just pulled bloodwork for my horse to test for EPM, He’s rating about a 1 on the Neuro test. He also is currently being treated for Lyme Disease with Doxy (about 6 weeks in). His symptons do seem to match EPM, especially in that his downward transitions have been very difficult. He was moving well, even getting good scores on gaits in Dressage classes up until about 2 weeks ago. We thought he had back problems from saddle fit as his back/topline have been filling out considerably since I got him 6 months ago. Saddle fitter was out Tues and he had filled out another 1/4 inch since the last fitting 2 months ago. Then vet out Wed to confirm there was nothing else wrong than the saddle fit and the terrible news about the Neuro signs.

I’m certainly scared it could be another Neuro issue. But has anyone else had an EPM case that did not include significant muscle wasting?

Thanks in advance!

[joiedevie99]

Yes, quite a few. IMHO, we often catch EPM in performance horses (especially dressage horses) long before many of the more severe symptoms. One had lost the jump in the canter and the ease of lateral movement. Horse was still showing and doing well, but not the way he was capable of. Another was having coordination issues in the changes (which were very well confirmed).

[retrofit]

Yep - my horse. I believe his EPM was caught really early. He responded beautifully to Marquis and only needed 1 round of treatment (1 month). He went back to work and 4 weeks later was again showing neuro signs. That time it was Lyme. My vet said they often go hand-in-hand. We were able to catch the Lyme early too, because we had already done a titre when the EPM was diagnosed so the 2nd titre showed a clear change. From this experience, I will never hesitate to spend $$$ on bloodwork!

OP - Best of luck to you & your boy.

[lds14]

Retrofit and joiedevie99 - That’s interesting to hear, thank you for your comments. So much of the literature out there states muscle wasting as a common sign, and that certainly hasn’t been the case with my guy.

I guess we’ll see what the bloodwork comes back with next week. I’m not sure what I’m hoping for, although I would prefer a definitive answer so we can take action, rather than going back to the drawing board and trying to figure out what it could be.

[1bigPercheron]

There are co-infections that can occur with Lyme that mimic symptoms of EPM, Shivers, EPSM, and even Wobblers syndrome. How do I know ? I went down all these paths after treating for Lyme. We are finally treating for Bartonella with herbs, and I am seeing results, no question about it. Lots of skeptics out there, and I was one. But I had nothing to lose, as we were facing euthenasia.

[AKB]

My horse presented with stopping at cross country jumps and a crooked tail. His EPM SAG blood titer was very high. A few days after starting Orogin, the tail began to improve and look normal. We ended up giving him Neuroquel, then a month of Protazil/diclazuril as the titers did not come down. Look at the Pathogenes website. She has lots of videos of EPM horses. If you can treat early, you decrease the chance of permanent damage.

[lds14]

Thanks for the comments all. EPM was negative, so we are back to the drawing board. Vet is due back to follow up next week to evaluate the SI joint and potentially neck rads to look for issues there.

[AKB]

You may need to repeat the EPM test if the neuro signs continue. Sometimes, it is negative early in the disease. Also, some tests are better than others.

[lds14]

Thanks AKB, I’ll keep that in mind. I won’t close the door on EPM just yet.

[HJdaydream]

Veering a bit off topic- but what else have you guys used to treat EPM other then Marquis? My vet was recently telling me about a generic version that is basically 1/10 of the price.

[AKB]

We treated with Orogin, then Neuroquel through Pathogenes in Florida. It was a lot easier and cheaper than Marquis and worked fast. The repeat titers were still high, so we then did a month of Protazil/diclazuril, which was expensive. I don’t know if we needed to use the diclazuril, as the horse is fine, and many vets say the repeat titers are often not useful.