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Re: [RC] Rascal's EPM diagnosed today - sharp penny

 Geez...I'm sorry to hear this. Having had my best mare go
through this I know the roller coaster ride of emotions you
are and will be going through IF it is EPM.
 Did your vet mention that the only way to be sure he has
EPM is the spinal tap and even that is not %100. If the
test comes back positive and he shows the clasic symptoms
then there is a good chance he has EPM. Another symptom is
tilting the head; my mare did this ocassionally and I
thought it was just a funny quirk of hers. You also may
want to have a vet/chiro look at him...some times what
looks like EPM is just a  pinched nerve due to alignment
issues. That was where I took my mare first to rule out any
chiro issues. My vet/chiro examined my mare and said he was
90% sure she had EPM. Then when her spinal tap agreed we
put her on the Marquiez (sp?) which was $800 for the 28 day
treatment. I can't imagine what treatment you vet is
talking about that is $1400. At the time the Marquiez was
considered the expensive treatment but this was 3 years ago
and things may have changed since then. Also sometimes you
have do the Marquiez treatment again depending on how far
the EPM has progressed so that would run you $1600 but I'm
told these cases are few. Once he is clear of the EPM with
the right diet you will be able to do everything you can do
with him before the EPM. The only time this isn't true is
if there is permanate damage from the EPM.
 So just to let you know it isn't a death sentence like it
was years ago. There are alot of EPM recovered horses
competeing out there. There is also an EPM group on yahoo.

Wishing you the best,
Penny
--- Laurie Durgin <ladurgin@xxxxxxx> wrote:
   I wrote the storey and accidently deleted it.
Vet came today to draw coggins. Since hurting my hand ,
my son had been 
caring for horses, and with all the storms I had only
been down to barn 
once.Was trying to  protect my hand , knew I'd start
working if I went down.
   After we turned Rascal and Honey out, the other horse
came up to "see the 
company", and we watched Rascal trot down the slope.He
stumbled sort of, I 
was only half paying attention, but my vet was watching
and said,"watch him 
and see if he stumbles like that again;if he does call
me"I said I thought 
he'd just tripped  a bit.He said maybe. Then Rascal came
back, and the vet 
said"wonder if we can get him to trot"I said "sure, he
free lunges if I had 
the round pen still up." We'd just been talking about the
voice commands he 
knew,I said "Rascal trot and flicked the lead rope at him
while the two 2 yr 
olds and Champ and Honey crowded around.He trotted
outsome and circled back, 
it looked like his whole hip and leg"missed or slipped".I
cried "he's lame, 
that horse has never been lame, except when he got kicked
as a yearling."The 
vet said 'let me turn him on a tight circle and took the
lead rope and put 
it around his neck and led him,I was being  blocked by
the colts who came up 
for rubs   so I didn't get to see it all> I'd felt him up
and down his leg, 
no heat,tenderness or swelling after he'd trotted out and
had said "is it in 
his hip?". He said," he's not lame, it's
neurological.He's got EPM.I said," 
are you sure, what about West Nile?" He said, "he's not
sick, he's not 
hurting, he just doesn't know where his feet are."I said
the D word(I t ry 
not to cuss) and started crying. But I bit it back.
I asked about treatment and diagnosis. he said on a
?serum/blood  test 95% 
or so of horses would test positive. He said he's the
right breed, the right 
age,typical symptoms.Ahe said something about the spinal
tap, which I don't 
remember, but he was pretty sure.
Treatment ,the convient expensive way, 28 days at
1400$Cheaper less convient 
way, 90 days at about 7-800$I asked about
effectiveness.He said they both 
work,and I'll need a spinal tap at the end, 350$.
I  have to go with the cheaper, I only do some
sewing,occasional horse 
sitting, and church nursery work for 'horse money" as I
am a stay at home, 
homeschooling mom.And with 4 emergency room visits and 2
surgeries, we are 
up to our necks in dr. payments.Plus major vehicle
repairs(like engine and 
trans. in my older pickup.this winter.
   He said it's not as bad as the articles paint it, he's
treated lots of 
horses with it and they almost all recover to do what
ever thay want.He said 
they usually are falling down before he sees them. I told
him he was fine 2 
tue. ago when I rode and had my hand crushed and stitches
in. And I'd seen 
them all running and playing a couple days ago , and
hadn't noticed 
anything.The "almost all" is the hard part. There goes
our debut at the 
Oconee 30. Well Honey has needed more time, so maybe now
I can get her  some 
real training in. And I could trailride Champ (18,
daughter just brought him 
home to semi-retire here for a yr . or so as a trail
horse till I got Honey 
going, then we'd decide his future when she detached some
emotionally, 1st 
horse)And my 'surprise 2 yr old' could be taught to
ground drive and to the 
mechanical parts or a saddle , maybe some despooking(cept
he isn't spooky, 
guess that half arab part didn't get passed on.)So I will
have some horses 
to play with. But all rides off till at least fall, maybe
winter now, and I 
am not sure yet about ; if he seems to recover fully how
long before I can 
ride him and how long it will take after being off ,3x
times this year 
adding up to about 6 months  total.
   He is getting Daraprin 25 mg.1 a day at 78.21$ for 79
or them.And Ditrim 
960 mg. 10  tablets every 12 hours for 90 days.I paid
102.$ for 500.(Well I 
paid  for it partly, i'd paid for the coggins and a
rabies for 87$, then 
when I went to pick up the meds.I paid another 100$, what
I had in my "horse 
account"
    And Dang, I'd just sent in my AERC membership like 4
days ago, and 
bought some camping gear last week for the Ride, now I
wish I had that money 
for the vet.Can you tell I'm depressed? I said if I
didn't make this ride I 
was a Jonah. Maybe I shouldn't have said that outloud.
   If anyone knows if I can get the drugs cheaper
somewhere, or knows any 
more details about their experience  let me know. I will
look up what I can 
find on the net.
  I melted his pills in warm water and mixed with
shredded apple in his 
beetpulp and applecider vinager and bit of grain.Good boy
he ate it all, 
usually that works , he is not a picky eater.Then I
watched him walk to the 
trough,which is behind some drug up gravel mess from barn
flooding. Then I 
saw it; he wasn't his surefooted self,he stepped  funny,
like "wheres the 
ground".
I asked about vaccinating the others , he said I could
try, the jurys still 
out on it,not proven yet. But I think I will order some
this week.
   Well maybe I can volunteer at the GERA rides this
season, at least learn 
something ad be helpful.
Laurie/Rascal"whats epm mom, and why can't I walk right?"


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Replies
[RC] Rascal's EPM diagnosed today, Laurie Durgin