Can you all share your experience with mortality insurance coverage for neurodegenerative illnesses like EDM and eNAD? Has anyone been successful without having done a necropsy? What have insurance companies required?
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Had one with EDM…we were required to have the necropsy by the insurance and the clinic did samples of the brain and spinal cord (they also are doing active research on EDM, and I told them to take as many samples as they wanted in hopes that one day they will have better diagnostic or treatment options). We did do a myelogram before I decided to euthanize because I wanted to make sure we had exhausted every possible option (he was just 5). I don’t think they required the myelogram as he had enough neuro and behavioral signs.
Definitely an agonizing month plus wait to get the answers. My gelding did have bilateral cerebellar degeneration. Because the results were so clear, the insurance was actually very easy to deal with regarding the claim once the results were in.
Not sure you could get the claim through without that necropsy info since there is no other way to conclusively diagnose EDM/ENAD.
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Same experience as Critter with my EDM mare. My attending vet called my insurance company prior to euth and got preauthorization to do so (same day); we then necropsied, confirmed, and they paid the claim.
(They also extended to me their sincere condolences, which meant more to me than I would necessarily have expected. They were absolutely great.)
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Insurance will always require a necropsy even if the cause of death is evident. I had a horse with kidney disease who we euthanized once he was no longer comfortable/enjoying life. His BUN and creatinine were off the charts, his urinalysis was completely in line with the diagnosis, and they still insisted upon the necropsy and refused to pay out until the final pathology report was back. When they did the necropsy, they found he had a single horse shoe kidney that was severely deformed. Yet we still had to wait almost 12 weeks for the finalized histopathology report. It was honestly incredibly frustrating and exhausting.
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This was my understanding as well, but the vet at the animal hospital said that they shouldn’t require necropsy or confirmation of diagnosis as long as the horse meets the AAEP guidelines for humane euthanasia. I am going to check with my insurance but wanted to gather intel first. I am curious what people do if they don’t have access to somewhere that can perform necropsies. I technically do, but would rather put my horse down at home rather than at a hospital - which poses a bit of a dilemma.
I was able to put my boy down at home and then have a removal company come and take him to the university for the necropsy. It was no different than them removing him to go to the crematorium. Maybe this could be an option for you? I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this awful situation.
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Can I ask what symptoms your edm horse had?
Mostly behavioral as opposed to neuro at first. He was always a bit fussy at the mounting block…but we had a few episodes where I went to swing my foot over and he bolted at that moment. The first time I had to bail half way (as I knew trying to finish swinging my leg over and trying to stop him would not end well…I landed on my back and slammed my head in the ground and got a nice concussion). After that I learned his trigger warnings and also learned to land on my feet.
He actually first started with some stifle issues vets were working on shoeing changes and other treatments…but it wasn’t a consistent lameness. Then he started pulling front shoes and tripping inconsistently up front…which was just odd (but again, didn’t see it as a sign until later on). Vets again made shoeing changes up front.
Then he just got more spooky and nervous to ride…which he had always been a pretty good young horse…but for a while I chalked it up to winter and baby horse. I tried doing more turnout (we already did full day, but I started leaving him out until late night.
Then things escalated more quickly. He started doing this very odd head fling on the lunge, but it was coupled with striking out in front. And there was no reason for it and he had never done it…at the time I was thinking he had something pinched in his neck and that was the issue we were going to be dealing with. Then the striking/head thing would happen when leading him or when he was just grazing in the paddock. During this time, he also developed some pretty awesome movement (he was always an above average mover…but this was a wow trot)…in hindsight, that was the start of him becoming neuro, so his movement was becoming more exaggerated.
He had a few massive explosions under saddle at that time…both were for absolutely zero reason and he seemed as surprised as I was. I should have come off…but some guardian angel kept me safe in the saddle both times. After the second one I stopped riding him.
He also developed issues standing for the farrier during that time…especially hind shoes. I remember the last time we shod him, the farrier told me it was last time he was putting hind shoes on him…and this was a very good farrier who could deal with some tough horses…and my gelding had always been perfect for the farrier since he was a baby.
At the very end he had more drastic personality changes…he actually bit me one night (again, he was as surprised as I was). This was the sweetest horse who had never pinned his ears in his life and was a snuggly type. You would be putting his bell boots on and he was just do a full spread eagle spook from standing quiet with no trigger. He would be grazing quietly and suddenly go into a bucking spree in the field…while all the other horses were quiet and grazing.
He was only 1.5-2/5 neuro at the end. But the behavioral stuff became extreme. And he was 18h…so it just wasn’t safe to be around him. He was also urinating excessively…and on necropsy they found some kidney stuff too…and the vet said that was a symptom/findings they had seen in several others.
I wouldn’t wish EDM on anyone…definitely the hardest thing I’ve been through with a horse.
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