Horse Diagnosed with EPM

[horseygurl182]

I have no experience with EPM and I had hoped I would go the rest of my life without ever having to experience it, but unfortunately that dream has been dashed.

On Thursday (10/19) I got a phone call from my trainer saying that my horse had fallen down while waiting for a bath and wasn’t getting up. He didn’t collapse, but more so crossed his right hind over his left hind, sat down and then leaned against the wall and just gradually slid to his side. He eventually got up on his own but then was toe dragging his left front and left hind. They got him loaded up in the trailer to get him to the clinic.

We preemptively started treating him for EPM (Marquis and EPM paste along with DMSO) while we waited for the lab results to come back. His Lyme’s was negative, but the EPM titer came back I:2,560. We didn’t even need to go the spinal tap route since his numbers were so elevated. While he was there he also had a neck x-ray done which also showed arthritic changes in his C5/C6 which we will need to address (most likely with injections) later down the road. Right now he’s on Previcox to help with the neck issue but EPM is our main concern for the moment.

I’ve heard great things about Marquis and I’m hopeful we caught this early. After racking my brain, I really don’t recall any symptoms or markers that my horse showed prior to his 10/19 episode. We’ll continue treating for EPM for the next 25 days (since he’s had 5 days already) and see where that brings us. In addition to the EPM medication, the vet also suggested Vitamin E (she said that the human capsules are fine, we’ll just have to cut them open and he should get 10,000 IUs a day). He’s already been on a regular acupuncture schedule before the EPM diagnosis, so we’ll continue that as well to try and keep him comfortable.

He’s standing on his own and is able to get up and down with no issue, so under supervision he can go outside (on level ground) and be hand walked to give him some form of activity.

I have done a lot of forum searches and Googling, but my brain is started to become overloaded with information, so I thought I would start a new thread.

I would love to hear other people’s stories with EPM (the good, the bad and the ugly). My trainer has never had a confirmed EPM case before, so we’re all learning as we go. He is an older horse (17) but is in overall good health (he just had a PPE done in June before I bought him) and he checked out great. Please feel free to share any information either here or you can message me as well.

Please keep Elliot and I in your thoughts and send us positive vibes

[dotneko]

My grand prix horse had EPM for the first time about 8 years ago. Falling down. I thought he had broken his hip.
Vet started him on DMSO, banamine and dex. Within 3 days he was better. Never 100%, but just crooked. We started him on the cocktail - not Marquis, much less expensive. He relapsed twice over 8 years. The final one left him dribbling urine.
He was on 10000 IU NATURAL Vit E - not synthetic! We found he was a bit worse when he was stressed. I might wait on the acupuncture - I would let all inflammation quiet down first. No massages either.
In a month, you may see a treatment relapse - the dying protozoa will increase the spinal cord inflammation.

[joiedevie99]

We’ve seen a lot of EPM in the last few years - although mostly in horses that spent time in Wellington. All of the ones I’ve treated have been found very early - before any major symptoms showed up. One horse suddenly lost all the jump in the canter, another tripped every time he walked down a hill, another was king of the cavaletti one month and creating yard sales the next. All had positive but somewhat low titers - 1:500 to 1:2000. All returned to normal after their 30 days of Marquis, although I do tend to keep up the Vitamin E for quite a bit longer than that…

[findeight]

Isn’t there another, newer product out there then Marquis? I agree on laying off acupuncture and body work, might aggravate the inflammation already going on in the spinal chord. Killing the stinkers is the only thing that’s going to start turning him around. Most do add the Vit E on the theory it can’t hurt and might help with the horse’s recovery as the things die out.

Its impossible to predict how any horse is going to do, they all react differently…so do the bugs, unfortunately.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Spend the money for marquis to save the horse. I was at one barn where the owner, who claimed to have the money, let her horse go for a year before diagnosis, then only had vet prescribe the marquis for a few months.
Marquis, according to my vet, was the only thing that could have saved the horse.
Good luck. It’s expensive, but worth it according to my vet.

[Jumper_Princess1988]

My 19 yo TB gelding was dx with EPM early September…he was acting a little odd on the ground (spooking in the cross ties, very nervous in his stall, etc), but looked/felt phenomenal under saddle. Still, I’m paranoid so I had the vets out to check him over nose to tail and they didn’t find anything alarming (ruled out cervical arthritis and trauma, pulled blood for a variety of tests). A few days later, our barn manager called to say he looked like he was wearing shipping boots (hypermetroc gait). Right around then the blood work came back and sure enough - it was EPM. We started him on Marquis, Vit E and Transfer Factor (that was optional but came highly recommend - I figured it wouldn’t hurt). I think I started to see slight improvement after a week of the medication but didn’t really see him walking normally consistently until week three. We decided to go with 60 days of treatment vs the usual 28 days to hopefully prevent any relapse.

He had another vet apt last week and got the green light to go ahead with ground work (specifically ground poles) and to throw a saddle on him in two weeks. He’s certainly back to his usual, goofy self - and looks amazing on the lunge line! Lost a tiny bit of topline with the time off, but overall he doesn’t look terrible.

I didn’t have any personal experience with EPM until now but from what I’ve researched and learned from my vet is that it’s not scary IF you catch it early and treat it aggressively.

Good luck with your horse! Marquis isn’t cheap but I think it gave me my horse back!!!

[horseygurl182]

Thankfully he’s insured (major medical and mortality) so insurance should cover most of his expenses after the initial deductible. He was at the clinic a total of 5 days and in that time started the Marquis right away and we’re obviously continuing that for the next 25 days (30 total).
Glad to hear of some positive outcomes

[AKB]

Read the Pathogenes website and watch some of her videos. You will get some understanding of the many ways EPM can present. My guy had mild EPM. His titers stayed high after treatment, so we did Orogin, Neuroquel and a month of Protazil (cousin of Marquis but a tasty pelleted form). My guy is fine. EPM is frightening, overwhelming, and often very treatable.

[Lusoluv]

I would go with something newer and more effective than Marquis. Orogin or Protazil pellets work faster and have less of a relapse factor and side effects of Marquis. Orogin is a 10 day treatment and a horse at our barn showed marked improvement on day 3! Over a 10 year period, 2 other horses at our very large facility have come down with EPM. Neither of those 2 showed improvement doing Marquis and ended up using one of the other medications to clear up the EPM successfully. Marquis does work with some horses…but the long treatment and slow, if any improvement would make me nervous. Good luck on a positive outcome.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

i used to give my horses Transfer Factor as a poster said above. It does boost the immune system.