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Comments: DraftResourceMeister

Updated: 2000-11-03 - bk  

One of the ongoing discussions about keeping Draft Horses and horses in general is whether the condition known as Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (EPSM) is the result of new understanding, or misunderstanding. Many of us are convinced that the therapy for EPSM, a change in the horse's diet to reduce or eliminate grain, and add fats to maintain needed calories, results in happier and healthier horses even in the absence of EPSM symptoms. But what is the truth?

The New England Institute of Animal Health (NEAHI) publishes the
New England Journal of Large Animal Health (NEJLAH)
This journal is a periodic, international journal for large animal owners and veterinarians.

• The Journal covers a variety of large animal species including horses, sheep, cattle, and goats.
• Special attention is given to those species which do not receive sufficient attention, i.e., llamas, alpacas, donkeys, mules and draft horses.
• NEJLAH is the official journal of the New England Animal Health Institute of Chester, Vermont
  and of the International Camelid Institute at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

PSSM, EPSM, EPSSM -- What's in a name? Equine polysaccharide storage myopathy has been given two different acronyms by two different groups... and more recently some publications have used EPSSM as a compromise.

Unfortunately, having two different acronyms has lead one group to separate these into two distinct disorders. It has been suggested that PSSM is a disorder causing tying up in Quarter-horse related breeds, and that EPSM is a disorder causing wasting, weakness, and/or abnormal gait in draft-related breeds. ... At this point in time it makes more sense to assume that both disorders are the same or at least very closely related.

The EPSM article covers how the disorder was approached, identified, and various lines of contributing and ongoing research, as well as discussing therapies. This research article is written for the veterinarian and for the horse owner. Subscription to the Journal is $25 annually. A free subscription is also included with membership in the New England Animal Health Institute. Membership levels range:

• $50 -- Individual
• $100 -- Farm
• $250 -- Patron
• $500 -- (One time only) Founder