EPSM diagnosis

Dr. Beth Valentine is accessible as a virtual vet on the Rural Heritage website. She is very knowledgable about EPSM and answers questions quickly and completely. She might have some ideas that would help.

Kristan — I was wondering how your horse was doing on the diet. Your post actually prompted me to think that maybe my Haflinger also has EPSM. Similar symptoms to yours. I was wondering how you are feeding the Vitamin E and Selenium. Are you using “people supplements?” I looked at Tractor Supply and didn’t find anything for horses. Haven’t check with the feed mill yet.
Leslie

My vet said to be sure you got natural vit e and sel, not processed. http://greenmountaindraft.org

This link will take you to a piece about vit e and sel he wrote for our newsletter. Go to the newsletter tab.

Jean

Here is the piece that was in the newsletter.

To E or not to E
We often get a lot of questions in regards to vitamin E and Selenium. Should I feed it, does my horse need it, what the heck does it do? I often reply, “It depends”.

Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin that is an excellent antioxidant and helps support muscle function and the immune system. Selenium has an interrelated function with Vitamin E it basically increases the efficiency of Vitamin E as an antioxidant and is also, very crucial in proper muscle function and a healthy immune system. In a nut shell both Vitamin E and Selenium are free radical scavengers that help with normal oxygen metabolism in the body, which produces toxic free radicals as byproducts. Vitamin E and Selenium are able to neutralize the effect of these toxins.

When do I supplement? There are many factors that contribute to this decision; some of these factors include diet, pasture, underlying diseases, lameness, and discipline. The only thing we all have in common is that we live in the North East, where the soil is Selenium deficient.

If your diet does not include grain and you are feeding hay /pasture only, you may not be reaching your horse’s Vitamin E and Selenium requirements. Some pastures will be better than others but since we live in the North East, pasture is not available 6 months out of the year. Most grains are well balanced but only at certain feeding levels. This does not mean we need to feed pounds and pounds of grain, there a lot of mineral based supplements that will fulfill the Vitamin E/Selenium requirement without increasing the concentrate load.

I like to supplement Vitamin E/Selenium for horses that have certain diseases and lameness. Any muscular disorder is a definite, this would include tie-up horses, EPSM horses, white muscle disease, Shivers, and horses prone to mild cramping. I also like to use Vitamin E/Selenium when I am trying to give the immune system a boost, like chronic respiratory disease, skin conditions, or my geriatric challenged immune systems. As far as discipline is concerned, you may be feeding an adequate amount but the stresses on the body may demand more.

There are many excellent over the counter supplements. Vitamin E and selenium are very safe products. You should discuss with your veterinarian or nutritionist whether a supplement is warranted and what supplement is right for your horse.

Yes, I saw the salt blocks at the feed store, but was wondering if they would get a correct dose. I lived most of my life in an area in California where we had to worry about too much selenium (even in the public water supply), so it’s hard to get used to the idea of it being something you actually want to add.

Jean — thanks for posting the article!