Day 57-58 Time Flies

    Yesterday was the last official day of my Equine Medicine Rotation. Just as with each rotation that goes by the last day is always a bit sad. It takes a couple weeks before getting comfortable with not only the daily routine of that particular segment of the hospital but also with the students and doctors. By week three you consider these people friends and almost family as you spend many hours of the day, everyday with them.
    On my last day, I completed my rotation with a very interesting case! I had a horse come in with weakness and stumbling in the hind end. After a very long lameness and neurological exam our tentative diagnosis was EPM, Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. This is a "bug" they get from wild animals, most commonly Possums who poop in their feed, water, or hay. The bug migrates to the brain or spinal cord causing a variety of neurological signs. Most horses do not survive the disease unless caught early, which hopefully we did!