My horse has EPM-like symptoms. Could it be something else? Vet?

How sad! That really depends on the diagnosis and exactly what is going on with your horse. You could always get a second opinion from a different vet and see if there is a treatment that would help. Hope that he can be treated and recovers.

If you have not had x-rays done of the hind limb, I would definitely consider this. If you have been on several treatments for the Ehrlichia, I would also recommend that you have a Ehrlichia PCR performed to see if Savanah is still positive for the disease or if she has been successfully treated. This is more expensive than the test most clinics run in their own lab. The difference between the two tests is that the snap test we use for an immediate result checks for antibodies to Ehrlichia versus fragments of the disease itself like the PCR detects. If still no improvement and x-rays are completely normal, I would then seek a second opinion with a specialist for further testing / treatment options. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text consultation if needed. Please remember to rate this post as helpful or not. Thank you!

Hello there and thank you very much for your question. Mud fever, as you may or may not know, is simply a skin infection caused by a moist environment. Generally speaking, horses do not show signs of lameness or the symptoms that you are seeing based on this disease only. In fact it would be very rare. Therefore, I strongly believe that there is another reason that may be causing the lameness and swelling issues that you are experiencing. I urge you to have the veterinarian perform a complete orthopedic examination as well as neurologic examination that includes diagnostic nerve testing as well as x-rays so that they can make a diagnosis. Again, I am quite skeptical that the mud fever is the reason for the symptoms your horse is experiencing. Everything is possible but in this case it would be very rare. Thanks a lot for your question. I hope I have helped.

I'm sorry Tessa isn't doing well! I'm not sure what tests you have had done, but if you haven't had any x-rays done, that may be the next step. It could be that she has a problem with spine that is affecting the nerves traveling to her front legs. There could be a problem the spine in her neck (cervical region) or the thoracic region (chest area). An MRI would be a further step, as it would better visualize the spine. I would take her back to the vet to discuss seeing if x-rays and/or an MRI might be a viable diagnostic tool. I hope this helps!

Hello. This may be a sarcoid, but without a biopsy there is no way to know definitively. Unfortunately, this site prohibits us from giving out any kind of medical advice, & ethically, it would just be wrong to do so. There are other advice sites that are more generous with information since we can have an actual chat. You might try to access one of these & see if someone can help you there. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

All three of those issues (epilepsy, Addison's, heart disease) are completely possible based on the symptoms you have described. I would agree with your vet that an echo is a good next-step diagnostic. We are also able to test for Addison's Disease, and if the echo is negative for any identifiable problem, then your vet may recommend this test next. There is no test for epilepsy, it is what we call a diagnosis of exclusion. Meaning we look for all other possible causes first. There is also a possibility that none of these are the true cause. There can be rare muscular, nerve, or brain issues that can cause these types of symptoms, but are very hard to diagnose and often require advanced diagnostics with a veterinary specialist, so it is a good idea to test for the more common things first.

My guess would be possibly meningitis from diskospondylitis or SRMA. I'm not sure what testing, if any, has already been done but I think you are going to need quite a bit of testing done to get this sorted (x-rays, blood testing, etc). What treatments have already been administered? Have steroids been tried? I think SRMA may be the cause. Suggest this to your vet and see what they think. It is hard for me to comment too much as I have not examined the dog myself and I do not know what testing has been done (or the results) or what treatments have been tried. Here is a link to an article about SRMA: http://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/neurology/steroid-responsive-meningitis-arteritis-srma/ Hope this helps. If you have more question feel free to post again.