You never think it will happen to your horse, until it does. EPM (Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis) was something I knew very little about, despite having co-hosted a webinar on the topic with Merck back in 2014. Having always put my horse’s health and well-being first, I was shocked to experience this deadly disease first-hand.
EPM Diagnosis
On January 1, I moved Dexter to a new barn that was 20 minutes from my house and, coincidentally, the same barn in which I bought Dexter from years ago. This would be the 4th barn we had been at in the past year (one was for rehab and one did not work out, let’s just say).
At first, everything was going great. Dexter seemed happy and I was excited at the opportunity to get rides in before 7:00 each evening, something I haven’t done for at least 10 years. Plus, my trainer said that I could ride a few of her home-breds if I was interested–uh, yeah!
The following month, we noticed a change in Dexter’s demeanor and appearance. He became very dull, expressionless. He was also moving poorly and not developing muscle as quickly I would have liked. I suspected a Lyme disease flare up since the symptoms seemed very reminiscent of what we’ve experienced in the past.
So, when my vet came out to pull Dexter’s blood for his yearly coggins test, I asked him if we could also pull blood for Lyme and EPM based on my trainer’s recommendation. My trainer had some experience with EPM and said it was worth ruling out. Still convinced it had to be Lyme again, I was not prepared for the results–Dexter’s bloodwork came back negative for Lyme and highly positive for EPM.
EPM Test Results
When I first learned the news, I was devastated. The EPM stories typically shared involve retirement or euthanasia. I figured this was it…we’re done. But my vet and trainer were both cautiously optimistic about Dexter’s future as we caught the disease early, which is key for recovery.
Even though I initially felt a bit of shell-shock with the diagnosis, I was also relieved. Relieved to have a clear-cut answer. In a way, EPM actually made sense when I went back over Dexter’s symptoms:
- Lameness
- Weakness walking up and down hills
- Hind end muscle atrophy
- Less aggressive in his herd
Treating EPM
My vet prescribed 1 month of Protazil followed by 2 months of Rebalance as a treatment plan. While both are FDA-approved EPM treatments, Protazil comes in pelleted form at $800+ for a 28-day supply while Rebalance comes in liquid form at $100+ for a 1-quart bottle. While I try to financially support my local vets whenever I can, by ordering all of my medications through Heartland Veterinary Supply, I managed to save a total of $103.99 and score free shipping on top of that. A small win!
My vet also suggested that I start Dexter on a Vitamin E supplement with at least 5,000 IU to help boost his immune system during treatment. In his experience, he noted that Rebalance seemed to be more effective when given in tandem with Vitamin E. After doing some of my own research, I decided to go with a custom dosage of Smart & Simple™ Vitamin E Pellets by SmartPak.
Life After EPM
Once Dexter finished his course of EPM treatments, the vet cleared him to go back to work. We followed a similar controlled exercise regimen to the one I developed for his soft tissue injury rehab–slow and steady, focused on rebuilding strength and range of motion. Eventually we worked back up to trotting, cantering and even hill work. He hadn’t felt this good in YEARS.
Five months after we completed Dexter’s treatment, I had his blood retested to see how he had responded to the medications. The results came back negative. He was “cured” of the parasite. FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS. Due to the nature of the disease, Dexter will never be 100% again, so we’re still trying to work out what his new ‘normal’ is.
My biggest takeaway from this experience was the lack of personal accounts for horses who had overcome the disease. It took some serious digital digging to unearth a few forum posts detailing survivors. I was also blissfully unaware of how prominent EPM is in our area.
