Does this look like EPM to you?

[geebs]

It could be anything from Encepholitis to Pnuemonia etc.... Or fractured spine... He is keeping his head low... Could even be pigeon fever.. Ya just don't know... VET CALL!!!!!!!!!! EMERGENCY VET CALL. if he has a fracture spine he needs stabilized..that happens when foals flip they can hit their wither or their poll...

 

[tls_ranch]

I had a QH colt with EPM... all the vets swore he had spinal issues. They took tons of x-rays and even ones with dye injected into his spinal column in his neck. 1000's of $ later... the result of a spinal tap came back positive for EPM. It took months to treat, but at least we reversed some of the damage. He went from grade 1 in his back legs (on a scale of 0=paralized to 10= normal) to about a 7. After that he still had a stiff gate behind and it wasn't safe to ride him

I hope your friend's colt gets better

Trisha

 

[spiritdance]

Quote:
Since she sees him first hand, and knows him, she is the best judge of if he is improving or not. If he was cast, it could simply be a strain or pull in the back or neck. From what I saw, I tend to think something other than EPM, or Tetanus. I would be inclined, if he was mine, and thinking along the lines of a muscle strain, to use Banamine though instead of Bute, but that is just me.

X 2. Banamine does more for inflammation. Plus, bute can mask the pain to the point that the animal can over-exert himself and worsen the injury.