Saturday, October 17, 2009

EPM or Wobblers

I think that I might die.



The Vet came out this morning to look at Denali's leg. I really thought that she would look at Denali and say yes, it's swollen but it will be fine.

Her leg is fine.... we did x-rays.

The vet was concerned about how she moved on the lunge line. She suspects that Denali is neurologic, and we also did blood tests to check for EPM. She did a bunch of nerological exams on her, and I kept hoping she'd changer her mind.

I don't know much about either disease. I know that you can treat EPM, it's expensive, but you can treat it. The vet told me that I should read about them both online, but to "not freak out." Easy for her to say.

3 comments:

Frizzle said...

Oh, goodness...that certainly does not sound good. Yes, some horses who get EPM can be managed, although the drugs can be expensive. I'll bet you are glad that you have horsey insurance now. I don't have any personal experience with Wobbler's...but I don't think it has a good prognosis.
Has Denali ever displayed any symptoms that would have made your trainer suspect that she had some kind of neurological disorder? It seems odd that she could have one of those diseases and neither of you would notice anything.
Best of luck -- I've got my fingers crossed for you both!

FlyingHorse2 said...

Well, first thing...don't freak out. Easier said than done, I know. I can tell you that if they do a spinal tap high on the spine, it is much more telling. I had one done on an OTTB over 15 years ago, so I know they do them. Neurological diseases were quickly ruled out and then while still looking for his problem a 'floating' bone chip near his hip was found and removed. It's not much solace for you, I know but it doesn't have to be the end. Just the beginning of finding what the problem could be. Warm wishes to you and Denali.

Unknown said...

Hi, I was just browsing through your blog and saw the problems that you are having with your horse. I work for a vet in Texas and we see A LOT of nuerologic horses. Being a wobbler is not much different from having EPM, it just cannot be managed. A majority of owners do not even realize that their horses are nuerologic until they get down one day and can never get up. There is a medicine that is very common down here that is a diclazuril suspension. It runs about $400 for 30 days. It seems to be more succesful than Marquis or Navigator. Another thing that your vet could do is take radiographs of your horses neck. I don't know if maybe they suggested that, but many nuerologic issues are caused from neck injuries, this is how they can become a wobbler. Anyway, I hope my two cents are helpful. I just thought I could give you some ideas. :-)