Equine atypical myopathy

[charlie76]

Yes but by which time its too late. With ours ( even though the vets Think its different ) they were normal and eating. Half an hour later they were sweating and struggling to breath.

 

[Three]

For AM yes, bloods show massively elevated enzyme levels.

However, as Charlie76 says, by the time there were symptoms to prompt a blood test it was too late for my mare, though some do eventually recover.

 

[charlie76]

And this where ours are different. The symptoms before death were typical AM however the muscle enzymes were not that high. Very strange. Doing our best to solve this mystery

 

[Equestrianfriends]

How awful i wasnt aware of this so glad iv read it! sorry to all the people who have lost horse over this

 

[Three]

Charlie, you have my sympathy. Awful not knowing. PLease keep posting updates.

 

[Jerokee]

See, about 3 weeks ago my pony had the following symptoms...

Reluctance/inability to move
Rock solid muscles
Temp of 50
Stance of a laminitic
Still had appetite
Increased respiration

Comprehensive bloods come back normal save for a v slightly raised White blood cell count

Vet was unable to diagnose anything particular

 

[floradora09]

Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Are there any actual/offical statistics on how many horses have been affected this year, and which areas they were in? The more I read the more people seem to have been affected or know of horses that have tragically died.

I'm beginning to become twitchy as my horse is kept in a lovely big field BUT it has some mushrooms and quite a lot of leaf litter in some areas. It really would be very hard for me to bring him all the time atm, but I am certainly starting to worry that he's at risk?

 

[Mare Stare]

Bump.

 

[Three]

Jerokee - I've heard of lots and lots of strange viruses in the past few months. On our yard we've had a least 4, all very slightly different, but the latest one was just making the horse lethargic. She was blood tested (as they all will be in future now we've had a case of AM) and came back with a high white count.

Hope your horse is feeling better now.

 

[floradora09]

If anyone is interested, I spoke to my vet about it yesterday, and they said:

It is not a common disease, but young horses are more at risk than older horses. It most frequently occurs in horses which are kept on poor/sparse grazing.

It is thought to be caused by a toxin taken up by the horse from the ground.

Although it is rare, the best ways to guard against it would be to give horses access to adequate grass and provide supplemental feed if poor grazing. This feed/hay should be fed from a suitable container, not on muddy ground to prevent grazing close to the earth and possibly ingesting toxins. Keep a close eye as early recognition/treatment results in the best outcome.

Sounded like more practical preventative measures to me than keeping them in all the time, but in our area we haven't really had any cases so I presume the risk is lower than those who live in a more affected area.

 

[danni3]

What is the chance of survival for this? My 6 month old foal is on his way to hospital with EAM, symptoms started last night, had blood results this morning and was told I needed to get him in urgently.

Im devasted, I bred this boy myself and he is my baby, Im so worried about him. I keep reading all the bad stories about it of horses dying, is there many that do survive?

 

[paddy555]

What is the chance of survival for this? My 6 month old foal is on his way to hospital with EAM, symptoms started last night, had blood results this morning and was told I needed to get him in urgently.

Im devasted, I bred this boy myself and he is my baby, Im so worried about him. I keep reading all the bad stories about it of horses dying, is there many that do survive?

I don't think there is an answer but you have done your best and got him to hospital quickly.
I am so so sorry for you. Everything crossed for your foal. I would be devasted as well.
which county are you in?

 

[Mare Stare]

What is the chance of survival for this? My 6 month old foal is on his way to hospital with EAM, symptoms started last night, had blood results this morning and was told I needed to get him in urgently.

Im devasted, I bred this boy myself and he is my baby, Im so worried about him. I keep reading all the bad stories about it of horses dying, is there many that do survive?

It's not good, I'm afraid. From what I've read 15-20% survive the initial disease but many survivors have to be PTS because of damage to internal organs.

I hope your boy hasn't got it.

On a better note, there are many viruses that have similar symptoms and most of them are not life threatening - especially with treatment.

 

[springtime13]

My 10 year old Highland gelding died 3 years ago in Leicestershire with very odd symptoms. Fine all day, then came in at 4.30pm a bit quiet, laid down in stable but not colicky. Got the vet out who couldn't find any problems, only issue was slightly raised temp. I came back to see him later and he was fine, but quiet and eating well. Returned in the morning at 6am and he was down and dying - he could hardly breathe and was sweating terribly. The vet came immedietly but there was nothing he could do. Archie seemed "brain dead" and was PTS straight away. Sadly, one of his field mates also died mysteriously 6 hours later. The field had a stream running through it, was next door to a church grave yard and also has a fair number of trees. Maybe coincidentally but there was an earthquake days before Archie died and I wonder if bacteria from the stream/rotting leaves/ grave yard had been stirred up. Also interestingly a sewage pipe had burst in the field only weeks before. Severn trent reassured us that it could not harm the horses but I also wonder if this could have been a potential cause.

 

[danni3]

Toby is in hospital now in intensive care, they are doing their best for him but cant promise anything.

Im in Northamptonshire and he has gone to Newmarket hospital. All staff were lovely!

We have a lot of over hanging trees in our fields and a brook running through our land next to the paddocks. Ive never heard of EAM or maybe id have been more aware. We found him last night really lethargic got him in from the field and he collapsed in the stable, we managed to get him up but his muscle behind his shoulders was trembling really rapidly. By this morning he had lost co ordination in his front end and both shoulders were trembling right down his legs and along his neck. Once bloods came back they said he wasnt looking good and he needed to go in asap.

He seems stable now at hospital, hes stood up and eating which is great and is having plenty of fluids and glucose to keep his energy up.

Keeping everything crossed for this little boy

 

[flashmans]

Any news on Toby today?

 

[bugbee717]

Danni3 what part of Northamptonshire are you, fingers crossed for you

 

[rascal]

Any news on your foal?

 

[Magicmillbrook]

I lost my mare Millie (Miller's Song - the bay in my sig) to Atypical Myopathy on the 6th of this month. She was pm'd and confirmed as AM. AM initially attacks the slow-twitch muscle fibres mainly found in postural and respiratory muscles and it appears to be caused by either Mycotoxins or Clostridial toxins - but as yet that cannot be confirmed.


The disease is called 'atypical' for good reason, there are some similarities between cases but no fixed pattern. My mare was on good pasture with no water course near by although her fields were boundaried by trees. We have plenty of grass so wasn't grazing close to the soil. She was fit and well and hacking four or five days a week. She was regularly worm tested and fully vaccinated. She was 19 years old and lived out but fed hard feed and checked twice daily.

Millie was fed and checked on Saturday night as usual and appeared to be fine, showing no symptoms of anything other than wanting her tea!
The following morning she was seen upright and grazing at 7am. At 8am a friend noticed her lying down and thought she looked unusually still so called her. Millie looked up but didn't look 'quite right'. Another friend phoned me and got her up and into her stable and called my vet.

I was on the yard by 10 past 8 and Millie was in her stable eating hay. I took her temperature which was normal. By quarter past 8 she was wanting to lie down and starting to sweat. I suspected colic so started walking her.

My vet was with us by 8.30ish, retook her temp (still normal) but found a massively elevated heart-rate (60 beats/min) and could hear little or no gut noise. Vet thought it was possibly colic with a displaced bowel so phoned to have Millie admitted to hospital with potential surgery.

We were at the vets by 10am by which time Millie was sweating and shaking. Lots of tests later (done by an incredible team of three nurses and two vets who were all brilliant) showed suspected AM with the most obvious sign being dark brown urine (taken by catheter). She was immediately put on two drips to try to get fluids into her and flush her system and I was warned she was fighting for her life.
Within an hour she was obviously in so much pain the vets put her onto morphine and by early afternoon she was down, in pain and unable to get up.

By 8pm (12 hours after the first symptoms) the vets told me her system had closed down completely and she was in significant pain even through the morphine. They advised euthanasia given the pain levels, uncontrollable elevated heart rate (over 80 beats/min) and the damage to her system.


I've not posted this for sympathy - in fact I'd prefer none at all please - but so that people can see the symptoms and rapid progression of this horrible but very rare disease. The more we can learn about it the sooner prevantative or curative medicine can be found.



This is an excellent website http://www.myopathieatypique.fr/en if you wish to learn more. Although a french site it is in English too.


.

We lost our 7 year old cob exactly 1 month ago - in fact it was about this time on the Sunday evening I had called the vet - Als symptoms were exactly like your mare, with the exeption of the urine, at midnight we had the lorry packed and ready to go down to newmarket for emergency colic surgery due to no gut noises - but she went down and despite 5 of us trying, she just couldnt get up, despite painkillers and anti spadmodics, her legs trembled and shook and she had no strength at all, by 5am we knew there was nothing else to be done and she was PTS. She had hacked out the Sunday morning and was totally normal.

We didnt have any bloods or and autopsy and insurance company were happy with a diagnosis of colic, but the vet thought there was something more going on as she wasnt showing the classic colic smptoms and didnt respond to the meds, he thouight possibly liver failure - but I cant help thinking now about AM. The only thing she didnt show was the dark urine - but then we wouldnt have known as she lived out and didnt urinate for the short time she was in between falling ill and being PTS. Being a very good doer she was on sparse grazing with her hay fed from the ground, all the things that are advised against for AM. You just dont know what to do for the best now. Thank goodness for the recent sharp frosts. I am now praying for a big freeze.

My heart goes out to anyone else who has lost a horse to this.

 

[dressagelove]

This is so so scary. Thank you for all the information, very helpful. So all we can do is do the preventive measures and hope for the best?
Is there any information on which areas it is affecting?

 

[bugbee717]

I am very scared, I have 8 youngsters out on grass, I am in Northamptonshire, and phoned the vets on Thursday, I was told that we had no confirmed cases. Even though one of the vets was on the radio on Monday talking about it.

 

[danni3]

Hi

Im in Kettering bugbee.

Toby was confirmed with EAM at the hospital and struggled for his first two nights, but he is a little fighter and he has pulled through it, he came home yesterday. Still not quite back to full health, he did get a touch of pneumonia so he is on lots of medication and regular checks but hes alert and happy to be home.

I feel so lucky to have such a strong little man. The vet said they have had 6 horses in with it in the last few weeks none survived and Toby was the first foal to go in the Newmarket with EAM and the first to come out ok. SO one very happy mummy but very cautious now for all my other horses!

 

[Mare Stare]

Hi

Im in Kettering bugbee.

Toby was confirmed with EAM at the hospital and struggled for his first two nights, but he is a little fighter and he has pulled through it, he came home yesterday. Still not quite back to full health, he did get a touch of pneumonia so he is on lots of medication and regular checks but hes alert and happy to be home.

I feel so lucky to have such a strong little man. The vet said they have had 6 horses in with it in the last few weeks none survived and Toby was the first foal to go in the Newmarket with EAM and the first to come out ok. SO one very happy mummy but very cautious now for all my other horses!

I'm so glad. I have been thinking of you. I thought maybe the worst had happened because you hadn't given us an update.

Bless him.

 

[paddy555]

Hi

Im in Kettering bugbee.

Toby was confirmed with EAM at the hospital and struggled for his first two nights, but he is a little fighter and he has pulled through it, he came home yesterday. Still not quite back to full health, he did get a touch of pneumonia so he is on lots of medication and regular checks but hes alert and happy to be home.

I feel so lucky to have such a strong little man. The vet said they have had 6 horses in with it in the last few weeks none survived and Toby was the first foal to go in the Newmarket with EAM and the first to come out ok. SO one very happy mummy but very cautious now for all my other horses!

Wow! I wondered what had happened and thought the worst. Well done to Toby and the vets. You must be so relieved.

 

[Kokopelli]

What a lovely story, so glad Toby has pulled through. Well done to him, you and the vets.

 

[MrsMozart]

Excellent news! So very pleased lass

 

[tiggs]

Great news about Toby.
Our vets have produced an information note about Equine Atypical Myopathy which might be of interest
http://www.scott-dunns.co.uk/equine_atypical_myopathy.htm

 

[HollyB66]

One of my friends has recently set up an EAM Awareness Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/162319723868273/

Please feel free to join and share your knowledge and experiences.

Our yard has recently lost a young pony to EAM and currently have a 14 year old mare at the vets fighting it (she's the one in the profile photo).

It's looking hopeful that she will pull through, it was caught VERY early and she was at the vets probably within an hour and a half of the first visible symptom.

 

[HollyB66]

Our yard has recently lost a young pony to EAM and currently have a 14 year old mare at the vets fighting it (she's the one in the profile photo).

... in the Facebook Group Profile Photo, not my HHO profile photo.

 

[rascal]

So pleased Toby made it.