Horses, like humans, can suffer from disease. The care and well-being of your horse is crucial to prevent sickness and potential diseases and to keep them from spreading. EMP or Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis is a horse disease many equestrians have heard of before.
EPM is known for being potentially fatal if not recognized, which is an entire problem within itself.
EPM is a difficult disease. It can be devastating to horses and their health and afflict the lives of the owners and care takers involved. This equine disease is known for being enigmatic – its symptoms can be camouflaged and are often mis-diagnosed as other ailments due to their variability.
What is EPM?
EPM is a horse disease that affects the animal neurologically. Signs range in severity which is one of the reasons EPM is difficult to diagnose immediately. Symptoms may show up gradually or appear with intensity and severity seemingly out of nowhere. Horses can be infected for months or even years before significant and definitive signs of EPM can be confirmed. [social_warfare buttons=”Facebook,Pinterest,Twitter,Total”]
**NOTE** EPM is not spread from horse to horse – only through the contaminated feces of the opossum through food and water sources
EPM is a horse disease that has also spread throughout the United States and cases are mostly within the Western Hemisphere and not found in other parts of the world.
This horse disease is spread through a protozoan called the Sarcocystis neurona. This protozoan is contrived through opossum’s feces. The opossum acquires the organism from a few other select animals such as cats, armadillos, skunks, or raccoons.
The contaminated feces can easily come into contact with horses that are grazing, or through feed or water sources. The delivery of feed and hay throughout the United States has caused the widespread opportunity for infection.
Areas with fewer opossum populations are less likely to have EPM, but all regions in the United States have confirmed cases.
EPM is an interesting horse disease because over half of the population of horses in the United States may have been exposed to the organism that causes the disease, yet only a few will actually develop EPM.
EPM targets and affects the central nervous system in horses. Signs and symptoms can include:
- Stiff movements
- Issues standing or acting unbalanced
- Partial paralysis of the mouth, face or eyes
- Weakness and muscle atrophy – particularly along the topline of the horse
**If you are suspicious of your horse’s movements or behavior, contact your veterinarian**
Diagnosis of EPM is also difficult with this silent disease. Not only does it mimic other illnesses, but blood tests can show if the indeed the horse has been exposed to the protozoan, but NOT is it has transformed into the EPM disease. Often EPM affects one part of the equine more than the other – which is an important indicator of the disease.
If the horse has suspected EPM, there are 3 FDA-approved treatments available today. Rebalance, Protazil, and Marquis are approved for treatment in the U.S. They do not kill the protozoan but instead reduce the infection. EPM has no known vaccination yet available and research continues to find a definitive cure.
Treatments can be expensive, but if the animal is not treated quickly and aggressively, EPM can be potentially fatal or leave lasting mobility issues.
Many horses that are treated can return to full mobility and can be used to ride again, and some will recover to a degree but may not be suitable or may be unable to ride or carry a rider, depending on the response to treatment and the severity of the case.
Preventative Measures You Can Take
Horse owners and barns can do a few things to help prevent EPM in their area. Good pasture management is vital. Routinely visiting the pasture areas to look for non-horse feces or carcasses of wild animals can help remove EPM opportunities. Dispose of these properly.
Check your stock and animal water tanks for animals and droppings, and routinely wash and refill them.
Avoid feeding on the ground – this can help prevent horses coming into contact with contaminated feces. Use feeders or containers to throw hay and feed grain in.
Keep barns and sheds shut and locked – especially those that have grain stored in them. Keep grain stored in bins with lids to keep animals out.
Do routine checks and look for feces, burrowing or digging, or other signs of animals around or in your buildings.
Observe your horse’s actions and behaviors. If you notice anything unusual continue observations and make a phone call to your vet.
EPM is a complex and silent horse disease. It can lie in wait for months and years before actually transforming into a disease, or it can come into contact with horses and never reach EPM status.
Prevention and education are a horse owners and equestrian’s best defense against EPM.