The Word You Never Want to Hear...Neurological.

So it was on May 23 that I first mentioned suspicions of EPM on my blog here to you guys. And I must have been noticing subtle signs here and there for a couple weeks before that that made me scratch my head and start idly speculating. Let's say, in that case, that it's been roughly 2 months between the time Spartan first began manifesting symptoms (of something) and now, when I've called out the vet moderately freaking out.

Here is a progression of his symptoms, in case you guys are ever faced with something like this and can cross-reference what you're seeing with this:

-Mild, very subtle NQR behaviors
 
   *more reluctant than usual to walk down hills and up hills, regardless of how shallow or steep
   *one of his back feet randomly slipping while I lead him on gravel, whether it's completely flat or uneven
   *more than usual lethargy
   *occasionally tripping while I walk him undersaddle

-Developing symptoms:

   *tripping occasionally when free-lunged in roundpen
   *for no apparent reason going from angelic undersaddle to difficult.

<Aside> I remember getting off of him in tears not once, but twice, because out of nowhere he seemed to have started regressing rather than getting stronger and more adjustable. He was struggling giving me a 30 meter trot circle that was light in the bridle, even though he'd been able to do it the week or two before just fine because I'd conditioned him up to it. At the canter, he would would randomly start cutting all the corners and cantering bent to the outside so he didn't have to carry at all. He also started launching himself into a totally downhill gallop instead of cantering whenever asked, and basically tried to drag himself around on the forehand with no more respect for my half-halts--it was so bizarrely rude of him.

Here's the thing--I was in tears because I didn't know if I was just ruining him the more I rode, OR whether he was genuinely starting to struggle while being worked. Because at that point I had already been suspecting something was going on, but his only symptoms were so mild that nobody but mom would have ever looked twice.  He really wasn't being that bad undersaddle either, he was just harder than before. Was I going crazy? Was my horse going crazy? SO I STOPPED RIDING HIM. This is my unpopular opinion of the day.

Horse =/= behaviorally himself and/or horse=/= right undersaddle =>  I do not ride until I figure it out because I would hate myself if I were asking him for something he could not do. So Spartacus went back on the joyful vacay that is his entire life. </aside fin>

~~~~this is where I called the vet, btw~~~~~

-Symptoms become obvious

   *trips when free lunging become more frequent and big, to the point that I no longer think I'm hallucinating (e.g, 3 big trips in a 20 min lunge)


-WTF Symptoms

*when playing in the lower arena, Spartan can no longer gallop as fast as he can properly; his hind legs can't seem to keep up with his front, and they keep whacking into each other and he also bunny-hops. He finally almost fell on his face and called it a day.

*became pissed when I asked him to sustain canter in roundpen, like it was really uncomfortable for him

~~~~~this is the part I began inwardly hyperventilating because I knew something was very very wrong and getting progressively worse, and left 500 voicemails on my MIA vet's phone, who never called me back and who I will never use again thanksverymuchvetwhoobviouslycared.~~~~~~

Goofy moose.

This is also the part I moved Spartan to his fabulous new home. In desperation, while I was hauling him out of his hellhole I frantically called a different vet and she, bless her soul, immediately called me back and set up an appointment the very next DAY to examine Spar and draw blood for an EPM test.

She performed a full neuro exam and here is an overview of what she found (yes I'm obsessed with lists):

-abnormal walk
-overreach with the front legs
-lame at trot
-weak hindend in canter
-freakin failed failed failed the tail-pull, his butt flew all the way out both ways with no resistance
-fine spinning in both directions
-looked drunk when I led him downhill; ataxic

Unfortunately, he didn't do any of his tripping or krazy-cantering/gallop while she was there so she missed an opportunity to evaluate that. Honestly, he was on a good day during that evaluation so I think her verdict was on the generous end of the spectrum.

She rated him a 1 1/2 out of 5. I rated him a 2 out of 5 personally, from having experienced firsthand how his symptoms matured. But she said he is definitely neurological. Sigh. We drew blood and sent it to Pathogenes to be tested for EPM, and I'm praying to god that it turns out to be that, because at least then we would have a chance of treating and resolving it.

In the week that I've been impatiently waiting, Spartan has gotten worse, I would say 2 1/2, getting closer everyday to 3. He is a horse who loves to gallop as fast as he can when he's turned out, but now he literally physically can't do it anymore. I saw him try and fail a couple times, and now he starts to think about it but always decides nah and just walks. Oh, and his walk looks like he's swimming across the ground, it's so ridiculous looking. Hills are still horrible. Today I was leading him down a microscopic hill and he buckled down and landed straight on his nose for no reason....He never trots or canters anymore. It's depressing, and I'm reaching the limits of my "play-it-cool" facade.

It's truly been problem after problem after problem with my sweet boy, and I'm just hoping he'll get some damn respite for 2 seconds without something else catastrophic happening. He is the cutest.

What makes me upset is that if it is EPM, it is something irreversible. Muscle wastage and neuro deficits can't really (or remotely reliably) be reversed unless the disease is caught in its really early stages. And I did catch it in its early stages...yet doubted myself and listened to other people's placations for a month. Then my [ex] vet delayed my horse getting medical attention for another month. A successful EPM treatment is declared if the medication moves the horse's symptoms one grade down the scale. I can't help but wonder what the outcome could've been if I had acted when he was just a .5 and 1 on the gradient, instead of now when he's obviously worse. Bad mom :(

He says he doesn't mind vacation forever. 

(look at how much better his weight looks!)