12/05/2025
Great information on how Acuscope and Myopulse can help a horse recover from EPM POST medication. Unfortunately, EPM is common where we live. This is just one of many reasons Iโm thankful to offer this modality in our rural area!
If you have questions how Acuscope and Myopulse can help with your situation please give me a call or shoot me a text!!
Todayโs topic: ๐๐๐
Since the beginning of my career I have helped various EPM cases recover here in CA and one trend I have noticed is that a good percentage of Californians arenโt that familiar with EPM and honestly do not think their horse can contract the infection because it's only in the โmidwest.โ This is no longer true, EPM is now prevalent in many areas of the country, including CA. So let's take a dive into what EPM is, what the symptoms are, and how to rehabilitate a horse that has EPM.
๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ท๐ด?
EPM is an abbreviation for Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. Horses contract the disease by becoming infected with protozoal parasites (Sarcocystis neurona or Neospora hughesi) commonly found in opossum f***s. The opossum will defecate in the hay or sometimes water then the horse ingests it and that is how the horse becomes exposed to the parasite. After the parasite is ingested it makes its way through the horseโs digestive tract into the bloodstream. Other hosts have been identified as skunks, armadillos, raccoons, and domestic cats, although it is unlikely they directly pass the parasite to horses, they do contribute to spreading the parasite throughout the environment. Many horses are exposed to EPM, but only a small percentage present clinical symptoms of the disease. A horse that has a strong immune system is capable of fighting off the infection, but a horse that has a compromised immune system is more susceptible to developing symptoms. Health conditions, stress, and even steroids (remember corticosteroids affect the immune system) can affect the horseโs immune response. In the case a horse cannot fight off the infection the parasites then attack the Central Nervous System (CNS) resulting in inflammation of the nervous system that leads to neurological symptoms.
๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ท๐ด
Every horse displays different symptoms of EPM depending how significantly and which area of the CNS is affected. It is good to know not only the obvious symptoms of the disease, but also the subtle changes that may go unnoticed until more serious symptoms develop. Some of the more subtle symptoms include, behavior or personality changes (such as, spookiness, depression, irritability) gait abnormalities, hind end weakness, stumbling, and incoordination. These symptoms can vary in severity and sometimes are not constant. More obvious symptoms of a horse suffering from EPM include, muscle atrophy, ataxia, cranial nerve dysfunction, muscle stiffness (possibly tying up), abnormal stance or leaning on walls.
๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ท๐ด
After your DVM has properly diagnosed the horse with EPM your vet will prescribe a certain medication or discuss your medication options with you. I have my personal preferences for EPM meds, but your vet can go over that information. In my experience most cases are giving meds around 60-90 days unless severe. Additionally, you are going to want to support your horseโs recovery by providing a forage based diet with low grain and low starch. Vitamin E supplement is also your friend, supplementing a high quality vitamin E LIQUID is essential to helping not only the horseโs immune system but also nerve health (liquid has been proven to be more soluble than powder UCD research study states). Depending on the severity of symptoms your vet may advise further recommendations to support your horse through the process.
๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐/๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ท๐ด?
After a horse has been successfully treated with medication for EPM, most of the time the ailments and weakness caused by the parasites still remain. This disease is neurologic, the parasites have attacked the CNS, which is the hub of the body, while the medication kills the parasites and addresses some inflammation it does not restore the CNS to its previous state of functionality. The body is always trying to repair itself, but to help ensure the horse returns to its previous state it is very important to help regenerate the CNS post EPM, which the Acuscope has the capability to do. The Acuscope has direct access to the nervous system and can help regenerate nerves along the spinal cord that have been damaged by the parasite. In addition, the Myopulse can help restore the integrity of the muscles that have become atrophied or weak, which helps to restore coordination and balance. All of the horses that I have treated post EPM have made great recoveries, even some that were thought to never be ridable again.
This is but a short summary of EPM. We could talk for days and go into many different aspects and become more fine tuned, but this is a generalization of the disease that many people should become familiar with. This does not only affect โmidwestโ horses, this is a disease that has become prevalent across the country.