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EPM
Aug 29, 2010 13:12:55 GMT -5
Post by coconut on Aug 29, 2010 13:12:55 GMT -5
I had not heard of this before but one of my contacts in Kentucky had 5 of her horses diagnosed with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) which apparently came from her hay supply that had been contaminated with opossum feces The treatment for her 5 horses is going to run $800 per horse for a total of $4,000 for a month's worth of medication Has anyone else heard of this locally (or anywhere) ? horses.about.com/od/diseasesandillness/p/epmhoirse.htm
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cricket
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Dox and Ariel
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EPM
Aug 30, 2010 13:14:11 GMT -5
Post by cricket on Aug 30, 2010 13:14:11 GMT -5
Yeah, I've heard of it, but haven't known anyone who's dealt with it locally. I've come across articles about it from time to time.
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Denali
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EPM
Aug 30, 2010 16:10:47 GMT -5
Post by Denali on Aug 30, 2010 16:10:47 GMT -5
I treated my mare in October for EPM. Look at the statistics on racehorses and EPM, it's scary. It was around $1,200 to treat her. I learned a lot if you have questions.
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EPM
Aug 30, 2010 19:51:53 GMT -5
Post by winterlakesfarm on Aug 30, 2010 19:51:53 GMT -5
Yes it is here locally. If tested, the majority of horses would test as having been exposed. The protozoa lives benignly in its chosen host, birds, but when birds die, possums eat their carcass and the protozoa then move to them.
When horses ingest the protozoa through exposure to opossum feces, the protozoa migrate throughout their bodies looking for bird tissue. As long as they stay out of the horses neurologic system there are no symptoms. If they make it into their nervous system you then see the telltale signs of lack of coordination, ataxia etc.
It is very expensive to treat and some horses do not recover fully. On the other hand many horses live with the protozoa in their bodies without ever developing symptoms. Again if we all had our horses tested a great many would show they had been exposed.
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Denali
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EPM
Aug 30, 2010 22:09:54 GMT -5
Post by Denali on Aug 30, 2010 22:09:54 GMT -5
I think I read somewhere that 60% of horses have it present. A spinal tap is the only way to be sure, 100%. My mare had symptoms, and a super high titer. I chose to just treat and skip the spinal. She's almost 100% again, but we caught it early.
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EPM
Sept 21, 2010 3:38:13 GMT -5
Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 21, 2010 3:38:13 GMT -5
I went through this with my big percheron Kadin in May. While his symptoms were very subtle, I feel fortunate that my vet/nutrition background helped me recognize the problem VERY VERY early in. I opted to start medication before the test results were even back and am glad I did. The cost however - is awful. Figure a 1000 pound horse costs about$750 a month for medication with an estimated time frame of 2-3 months for treatment. Kadin weighs 2800 pounds - so is almost a 3x dose per month and he was treated for a full 3 months. I also opted for extreme nutritional care including supplemental balanced Vitamin E, high dses of prebiotic/probioics, as well as pulling blood and formulating a mineral specifically for him. More and more horses are showing signs of being symptomatic - but many vets don't recognize it as EPM and write it off as something else. Many vets also are just simply not well versed enough about EPM and tend to think it is one of those last resort kind of things rather than just starting meds. The other issue is that even spinal taps are NOT 100%. If a horse has a very slow progressing form of the EPM, a spinal culture may not show indicative titers if a current flair is not active. Most horses in our area will show at least low level titer, which can also mean a mis-diagnosis. It is tricky business diagnosing EPM - but, if you have any indication at ALL that your horse has it - insist on starting Marquis. It is NOT cheap, but the side effects are extremely minimal and will not hurt a horse who doesn't have EPM. When i started Kadin on meds I noticed ONLY a very very slight muzzle twitch and slightly sleepy eyes - no neuro symptoms besides that. He has nearly fully recovered at this point, but relapses are not uncommon, so keeping an eye on him. On a side note - I have 2 additional extra boxes of marquis that I ended up not needing. Each is a months supply for a 1000 pound horse. Dates are current. I paid $750 for each box and would love to sell them at $600ish - but if you are need, contact me and we can talk my email is info@horsefoodpro.com Sara
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EPM
Sept 22, 2010 13:43:20 GMT -5
Post by sunlightslady on Sept 22, 2010 13:43:20 GMT -5
Our vet stated there was a horse in the Chehalis area that was positive and did look like it would make it through treatment. That was late August.
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