EPM

Pathogenes, a company in Florida specializing in treatments and diagnostic tools for EPM, is sponsoring a study of Oroquin-10, a new treatment for EPM. It’s not a double-blind study, however the company, Pathogenes, has a protocol they are asking owners to follow. Here are the links I sent my vet for the clinical trial for Oroquin-10. It has both treatment and preventive dosing options. According to the EPM Horse web site, the Oroquin-10...

The vet came out on Friday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be there because I had a physical scheduled at the time. (Ever look at the wait time for a physical? Six months. Sheesh.) Any way, my vet called me today at work with information on Isis. She said Isis does look like an EPM relapse case because of the uneven muscle atrophy (worse on one side than the other) and Isis is...

Since June, I’ve noticed little things about Isis that didn’t seem right: she was dragging the tips of her back hooves, she was reluctant to trot or move out, and her regular spirited playfulness was gone except for rare occasions. It’s easy to right off these symptoms to other items. Maybe it was too hot out and she wasn’t having a good day. Maybe the rain rot on her legs made her stiff...

Last night Isis had a bad day. The weather has been cool and milder, but she was still sweaty. She looked down and not perky when I brought her to the ring. She stumbled with her back legs on the walk from the barn to the ring. She was stiff, dragged her back hooves along the ground, and not moving well when I free lunged her. I put the saddle on her and...

On the way to the barn, the vet called me back. Here is the surprising thing: the vet thinks that Isis might not have had another EPM episode/relapse. (Granted, she can’t say for sure since she hasn’t seen Isis.) She said that she thinks Isis might have had a head trauma. Blindness in horses can be caused by head trauma, and it usually resolves quickly. In June 2009, the blindness caused by Isis’...

Yesterday morning around 8:00, Chris, the barn owner, went out to give Isis her morning hay. Isis startled when Chris walked around the corner of Isis’ shelter. Isis was shaking and seemed to have trouble focusing her sight. She was anxious and would not lead unless Chris walked next to Isis. Isis would pull back on the halter when she was tugged on. Isis was also quiet and subdued instead of yellow and...

The barn just called. Isis may be having another episode of EPM (neurological disorder), like she did back in June. She isn’t as bad as she was then, but she still isn’t “right.” I’ll write more when I know more. I’m on my way out to the barn now. Update: It’s not EPM. It’s choking. Update 2: After the vet visit, Isis turned out to be okay. The mild choke was cleared within...

The Marquis prescription for Isis’ EPM finally was filled on Friday evening. Four tubes of paste: the most expensive paste I’ve ever bought for her. I found it at a better price than other places but it was still amazingly expensive. Isis was on banomine from the last vet appointment to Saturday morning. It’s odd how being on the banomine changed her personality. She seemed subdued or dulled. The barn owner thought she...

Some good news at least. Isis is still only showing mild symptoms. We’re going to start her on Marquis (oh-my-god-expensive EPM treatment) for a month and then retest her for EPM titers. If everything goes well, the treatments should only be needed once. If the titers are positive, we may have to repeat the Marquis treatment. Isis is going to be on banomine (anti-inflammatory good for soft tissue) until Friday or Saturday, whenever...

I’ve posted here before about my mare, Isis (aka the Bay Wonder Mare or the Miracle Mare). On the evening of Friday, 12 June, Isis began to act strange. She lost her coordination and staggered about like a drunk person. She walked into walls in her stall. She was unaware of her surroundings. The worst part was that she didn’t know me (heart wrenching — I’ve had her since the day she was...