Today's update

Well, Johnny's medicine was supposed to come yesterday but they didn't mail it until yesterday, so it won't be coming until early next week. That has me worried, because Johnny is just getting worse and his relapse wasn't nearly as bad as last time. But if he has to wait another few days, it may end up being so.
He has a vet appointment scheduled March 27th at Ohio State with Dr. Reed...13 hours trailer ride, then a vet appointment. Sorry old boy...I do it because I love you!

Johnny in May

Blustery Day
Originally uploaded by Elusive Elegance.

This is a photo of Johnny and Ella in May of 2002. Ella is in the back. I lost her a year ago, after having to move my horses when my rental house burned down. She had a heart attack from the stress of moving (she was an old girl) and was dead less than a day later.

Today's update

Johnny's relapsed. I am going to try to get ahod of the vets to find out what to do now, but today is a holiday so nobody is at work.

Johnny's update

Johnny finished his last double-dosing of Marquis two days ago. He had a vet appointment for a neuro exam which he did very well on, except he was still doing some mild leaning. Today he seems a bit worse, but it could be my imagination or it could be due to the fact that it's below zero outside and maybe he's a bit stiffer than normal. I am really hoping that he's finished with this EPM thing. We're both getting really tired of treating it.
To recap:
He got a very acute case in October of 2005. He was tested for EPM, which came up positive, Se deficiency, Vitamin E deficiency, west nile, and EHV/Rhino. Those were all negitive. His spinal tap came back positive and he had radiographs done of his neck, which showed some mild arthritis but not likely anything that would have caused neurological problems. He was hospitalized for a week. He was started on a 28-day round of Marquis. After about a week he got acute laminitus and was hospitalized for another week. About 4-5 days before the cessation of the drug he was completely back to normal.
About 2 weeks later he relapsed. He was put on antiinflammatories and then Navigator paste. After the 3rd (?) day of treatment he got laminitus, so he was taken off the drug for 3 days. He completed the 28-day dosage. He then relapsed 36 hours after his final dose.
He began treatment on Marquis again immediatly. He once again got laminitus, but the treatment was continued. Three weeks into the process, he relapsed, but without getting laminitus. He was immediatly bumped up to a double dose of Marquis, which we continued for three weeks.
Two days ago, the final day of his double-dosing regiment, he was taken in for a neuro exam and evaluation. He could walk, trot, canter, gallop, and buck.
The entire time he has been off hay and on complete feeds and sweet feeds only. I have been adding fat, vitamin B-1, Selenium, and vitamin E to his diet daily (all of which are supposed to promote nerve health, and the fat is supposed to hold the drugs in his system longer), and some days he is on banamine or bute. He is also on a glucosamine and vitamin/mineral supplement. He has been kept isolated in a small paddock, and is blanketed so he can invest more energy into killing parasites rather than keeping warm.
Wish us the best of luck. He's sick and tired of all of this, and so am I. EPM isn't supposed to take so long to treat when it's being treated this aggressively!

Elusive John

Elusive John
Originally uploaded by Elusive Elegance.

A picture of my thoroughbred gelding.

Today's update

Johnny is moving fine, but is still leaning a bit. Today is his last day on the double dose of Marquis, so we'll keep our fingers and hooves crossed and see what happens. He had a neuro exam today with Dr. Ott at Cleary Lake Equine, which he passed with flying colors. He had a good gallop around the arena and several hard bucks! Wish us luck!

An update for February

Johnny seems to be improving. His gait is more normal, although he still has a slight lean. He is pretty full of himself and bored, so I put him in a pasture with Flirt today. I am hoping this will work out alright.
One of the best vets in the US for EPM is at Ohio State University. Since I will be moving out there anyhow, I am thinking of simply leaving earlier than planned and moving out in March. This way, this vet can see Johnny. I can probably get a recommendation from one or more of Johny's vets to see him. Johnny now has 3 vets who have worked on him and know his EPM history.
He has another week and a half of double dosing medication. Keep your fingers crossed.