EPM | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sidewinder Gait Bears Startling Similarity To Its Namesake

Named for the venomous snake, older horses afflicted with sidewinder syndrome have hindquarters that list to one side when they walk. This condition can be challenging to diagnose as there isn't a lot of research available on the abnormality, says New Bolton Center's Dr. Amy Johnson. The movement is considered a syndrome because it is a symptom and not a disease in itself and has different potential causes.

Johnson sees sidewinder gait come on suddenly in horses that are in their late teens and older. The affected horse's hind legs move so significantly to the side that the horse travels on three tracks. If the horse is drifting to the left, the left hind foot will be away from the body and the right hind will be in line with the left front when walking.

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When standing still, the affected horse often weights one hind leg more than the other – often the one that is closest to the body. Some sidewinder horses will spin in a circle when they walk or lean against a wall or fence to support their weak side.

Some causes of sidewinder gait include EPM, arthritis, or fractures. It's important to complete tests to determine if the cause is neurologic or musculoskeletal. Some horses have an acute onset of the gait abnormality, but may recover and go back to normal; the gait may or may not return. If it does come back, the hind end doesn't always track to the same side as before. Johnson hypothesizes that these cases may be caused by degenerative, age-related changes that create intermittent muscle spasms. Weather may also play a role, as Johnson sees more sidewinder gait in colder months. She believes this may be caused by aggravated arthritis or horses that are slipping on bad footing.

Often the older horses that develop sidewinder gait are euthanized, and even in necropsies it isn't always apparent what caused the gait abnormality.

Prognosis for complete recovery is poor. Some horses improve with exercise, while others need stall rest to avoid exacerbating the condition. Steroid use can cause issues in older horses that are already prone to endocrine issues and laminitis.

EPM is the only disease associated with sidewinder gait that can be treated. For horses with an inconclusive reason for the abnormal gait, it's difficult to predict which will improve and whether improvement will be permanent.

Monkey See, Monkey Do: Will A Foal Mimic A Mare’s Neurologic Behavior?

Foals often mimic the behavior of their dams, copycatting everything from grazing to running to rolling and more. But what happens when a foal is born to a mare that has neurologic issues? Will it mimic the odd behaviors?

The staff at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center has cared for many foals born to neurologically compromised mares, said Dr. Rodney Belgrave. Often the mares are afflicted with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Belgrave says he has not seen foals mimic the neurological signs their mothers exhibit.

However, foals can be born infected with organisms that cause neurologic disease. One of the organisms that causes EPM can be transmitted to the fetus from the placenta. However, infected foals may not demonstrate neurological signs until they are three months old.

Foals can also be born with equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1) that is contracted from the dam, but many don't show neurologic signs of this disease, either.

The most common cause of neurologic disease in foals is neonatal encephalopathy, which occurs when the fetus is deprived of oxygen. This can be caused by a bacterial infection called placentitis or by a difficult birthing process. Affected foals often don't develop neurologic signs until 18 to 24 hours after birth.

In both cases, the lack of oxygen leads to fluid build up in brain tissue. Though alarming, the prognosis for neonatal encephalopathy is very good if the foals are treated early and appropriately.

AAEP Publishes Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis Guidelines

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has published on its website comprehensive guidelines to assist practitioners with identification, diagnosis and control of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), a progressively debilitating disease of the central nervous system that affects horses that reside or once spent time in North or South America.

“EPM is widely considered the most important infectious neurologic disease of horses in North America,” said guidelines author Amy Johnson, DVM, DACVIM. “The variable clinical signs and widespread seroprevalence pose challenges to diagnosis. These guidelines aim to summarize essential information regarding this disease process, as well as highlight the three criteria for highest diagnostic accuracy in potentially affected horses.”

The EPM Guidelines, available as a PDF file, were reviewed and approved by the AAEP's Infectious Disease Committee and board of directors. View the EPM Guidelines here.

Besides EPM, AAEP guidelines for 20 other equine infectious diseases are available here. In addition, two foreign animal disease guidelines—for African horse sickness and Glanders—can be found here.

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‘By Showing Compassion For One Life, We Can Mend Many More’: Merck Research Horses Find A New Job

Merck Animal Health's equine division periodically conducts research on their product's efficacy. But what happens to the study horses when the research is complete? Click below to find out how Merck made sure the horses used in an EPM study had a soft place to land—specifically one where they would still be helping.

Watch below to see where they ended up.

The post ‘By Showing Compassion For One Life, We Can Mend Many More’: Merck Research Horses Find A New Job appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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