Epsm / pssm

D

deeplydippy

Member
Joined
7 February 2008
Messages
16
Visit site
HELP... not been on here for months but help needed please. Have a young Appalousa and i think he has EPSM / PSSM. I have done some reading on line and am feeling gutted . I had a horse previously that had a different condition that i battled with fof 3 years , hardly able to ride him and in the end had him P.T.S. Dont think I can do that battle again....
 
Hi - before you sink into the well of dispair -

Read Grace's blog. http://danceswithgrace.blogspot.com/

She was written off and sent for meat. Now she is happy to work every day - in fact it is better for EPSM/PSSM horses if they do work every day.

Read http://www.ruralheritage.com/vet_clinic/epsm_summary.htm

I follow the dietary recommendations on this site for Grace and with a few personal tweaks we do just great. It takes a while for the diet to take effect and to get your head and organisational skills around working your horse very consistently.

And - take out shares in vegetable oil.

Good luck
 
We thought my boy had EPSM, but after getting a muscle biopsy dine it turned out to be recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis....which to be honest is not far from EPSM and the management is the same.

Unfortunately it went undiagnosed for too long so my boy had severe muscle damage but he's had a year off and is looking better than ever. I still live in hope that he will be a riding horse again one day.

Management needs to be strict, but is not to difficult. Low sugars and starches, high oil, keep warm, keep moving (riding and turnout) and keeps stress to a minimum....are the basic principles I live by.

It would be worth getting your vet out to do an exercise blood test which means they come out in the morning to draw blood..then you do a period of intense exercise on the lunge, and the vet comes back 4-6 hours later to draw more blood...this then shows if there is a rise in the muscle enzymes. If no....it could still be EPSM, but is less likely...if its raised then you have enough info to get your insurance to pay for further investigation.

There is a drug to stop the tying up...but it is expensive. Snip has to have it 90 mins before exercise, and if he's had too much spring grass or is just showing signs of muscle pain.
 
Thanks, its been reading the strick regime that does it for me. I work shifts which are on a 15 week rota and just getting to ride at all some weeks is impossible. keep him diy with help from a friend but cant expect her to excerise him as well as turnout feed etc.
Vet coming on monday and i have told them what i think it is. will look at the sites sugested and take copies of info with me.
 
Lunging would be fine too. Just ten mins on the lunge, as long as you start slow, and finish slow, will be sufficient to count as daily exercise.
 
deeplydippy said:
Thanks, its been reading the strick regime that does it for me. I work shifts which are on a 15 week rota and just getting to ride at all some weeks is impossible. keep him diy with help from a friend but cant expect her to excerise him as well as turnout feed etc.
Vet coming on monday and i have told them what i think it is. will look at the sites sugested and take copies of info with me.
Click to expand...

If possible set up a track aka paddock paradise. Being out as much as possible helps, natural movement is good.

I have been known to circle the car park in the dark with my girl to get her movement in. She has got used to my head torch.
 
I was feeding alfa a oil, have recently switched to alfa a molasses free as I was feeding added mint and fenugreek anyway, and this had it in there so made life easy.

Too much alfalfa is not a good thing, but as long as you're feeding ad lib grass hay, then a hard feed of alfalfa is going to be fine.

Speedi beet is also a good, inexpensive feed that is suitable.

Tesco cheap veggie oil is also a must have. At his worst I was feeding snip 800ml of oil per day, that is now right down to just 200ml per day on top of the alfa oil.

You can get specialist feeds like Saracen releve, and feeds like equijewel are suitable too.

Calories as fat is the key.
 
The diet is actually a very good one for any horse, and both my boys are on the same, even though the baby has no problems at all.

I was feeding selenevite E, I believe if you feed above 300ml of oil per day you need the increased levels.

I now feed Winning Edge Silver or gold which has lots of muscle support and repair ingredients and does everything all in one supplement.

Having an electrolyte supp in is a good idea too as this can help replace the depleted minerals when needed.
 
thanks for all that. will start him on diet anyway. he could live out 24/7 although will be on own sometimes and there seems to be some talk of sugars in spring grass not being good. as i said though been down a road like this before and not sure i can do again....
 
My boy seems to get hamster cheeks from the spring grass sugars, long before any others do...and I do muzzle him to reduce his intake (partially for sugars, partially because he is a good doer, despite being wbxish)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top