Yes, my vet did an extensive battery of
tests - and long - we were there for 4 hours. At first he didn't
think he had EPM, but at the end of the day, my vet did say he was
going to be interested to see the results of the EPM test.
BTW, his regular blood test which I also requested,
(just to assess his general health) showed all his values were in the
"normal" range, except his protein and calcium were on the high side - not
overly alarming according to my vet, but notably high.
Since he does not get alfalfa and has been on
straight grass hay for the past year, and hardly any grain other than a little
senior feed (Super Horse Senior, made by Manna Pro) and some beet pulp
shreds, seeing a "high" protein and calcium was odd to me. He was not
anemic, and his other values were all excellent.
What continues to puzzle me is, how could he have
been exposed to this, since there are no possums anywhere near here, and we do
buy local hay. Could the feed have had contamination?
Carla Richardson
Colorado
Have you done any of the physical tests to evaluate the horse, or had a
vet do then? Such as turn the horse in a tight circle and see what he
does with his feet? Etc.? A good vet familiar with EPM can put the
horse through such an exam, which includes a whole battery of such
exercises, and determine if there is a high probability of EPM or
not. A horse with EPM will not "know" where his feet are at, etc.
I would put my faith in this kind of evaluation before going for the spinal
tap.
