I don’t know. I am sharing it with him and will see what he thinks.
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Re my polyneuritis horse: He was in Spain when I had him vetted. Lots of xrays, videos for my vet here, no signs evident. He then was gelded while still in Spain. Interestingly took a somewhat longer time than normal to heal so it was 8 weeks before we got him to ship. Arrived in US with symtoms. I was never able to confirm but I believe some event related to being gelded triggered this given the belief that there is an autoimmune component. Opthomologist here estimated the eye changes to be about 6 weeks old. SO Yes, I could believe your horse showed no signs with prior owner.
I’m not a vet but it is my recollection that a course of steroids shouldn’t be done w/out confirmation that there is no EPM as that treatment can make it worse.
Good to hear that you got so much info. Hang in there.
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It’s really an unfortunate situation for you and your horse, but I wouldn’t assume the seller was trying to pull a fast one. Lots of sales agents operate that way. Very interesting comments from the vet. I think I’d probably do the spinal tap as a next step. If it’s not EPM, the other possibilities sound more grave.
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That reply you got is full of such fascinating info! It will be interesting to see what your vet can do with that.
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Veterinarian/Equine Specialist Response #2
Just received the following response from Dr LuAnn Groves, who is an osteopath:
- He needs an osteopathic rectal and osteopathic exam and treatment. They have had success treating neurologic bladder with these methods, assuming he has neurologic bladder.
(I will keep sharing the feedback and will number each response)
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Actually I’ve had local vets prescribe steroids to horses suspected of having EPM. And, here’s an article about using steroids while horse is actively being treated, and a research paper suggesting using steroids did not adversely affect progression of EPM or symptoms.
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I’d be really clear about what information you would get from a spinal tap before doing one. EPM treatment is expensive, and takes months to see if anything is working, so I’m not sure I’d start treating without a conclusive test.
If it was me, I’d chase down diagnostic tests that could focus in on whether there is urine build up, whether there is inflammation in the urinary tract/penis, maybe cystitis, because they mention tail swishing and pain. I have seen more than a few horses with EPM and none of them exhibit a pain response to their behavior.
That said, and while I’m happy to be wrong, I’d focus on the area where the problems seem to be located before going into spinal/neural function without more clear behaviors. For me, that’s the penis, bladder, kidney, etc. Start with exploring the area where the problem manifests, and then go up from there.
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I am really intrigued by the possibility of irritation or inflammation in the penis, or the thought that there might be build up or urine leakage into a specific region of the penis that might be triggering contractions. My vet is contacting a specialist to see about an ultrasound in this area.
I keep thinking that if he had EPM, I would be seeing the more common signs of it, which makes me hesitant to just treat for it.
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Based on additional information I received from the owner previous to the one I bought Jasper from, the information I was told about him wasn’t exactly true. Some details were left out and that has led me to believe that she may have had more issues with Jasper’s behavior than was shared with me.It is neither here nor there, I went in to the the purchase eye wide open and I made the decision to buy him and I own him, so I am not blaming them at all. Nor do I think that he was doing the weird behavior shown in the video while with them. But I do think he was spooking and sensitive because of what was shared with me by that previous owner.
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A treatment combination of compounded mix of decoquinate (0.6 mg/kg of BW) and levamisole (1 to 2 mg/kg of BW). has provided pretty quick, very good treatment for a number of EPM horses, and IIRC, isn’t ball-busting expensive. It has worked a lot better than Marquis for a lot of horses.
The levamisole serves in part as excellent immune support, all that’s to say - treating with that could provide some support, even if it’s not actually EPM, and especially if there is some potential for polyneuritis
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Friend was just looking for Marquis yesterday and it’s backordered everywhere with no ETA, in case that influences your next step.
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Yes, I think I probably also would go with a spinal tap now.
Well Jesus that sucks.
She wound up ordering a compounded paste. Much cheaper. Hope it works.
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Not really! Yes, that’s an FDA-approved drug, but it fails a whole lot of horses. See my comment a few above about compounded decoquinate and levamisole.
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I believe that’s what we’re using for my gelding (l I’ll have to double check the label). No idea yet on effectiveness as we’re only a few days in, but the cost was very reasonable and it came in about a week. My vet did warn me that if he improves but not completely they may want to do a second round. As a bonus, my very picky eater finds it palatable enough that he doesn’t fight me giving it to him.
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Vets can find it, it’s been sold out to the general public for ages.
It should be an option if people want to use it. To not even have the OPTION is distressing. If my horse got EPM tomorrow I would want to have the choice to buy brand name Marquis. I don’t know if I would but I would want the option on the table. I’m glad to hear at least some vets can get it!
My horse was just diagnosed with EPM after months of a mystery on and off problem. They can get Protazil early next week, Marquis is on order and will take 8-10 days. It is available to vets, but it seems the supply is limited. I will start him on Protazil as soon as I get it and then switch to Marquis, which is the best treatment. Will also give him Emcelle for Vitamin E.
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