nflammatory drugs such as Banamine. (Levine, 1999) About one third of horses will respond to treatment in the first 10-14 days, however sometimes permanent damage has occurred to the Central Nervous System and the horse may not fully recover. If improvement is not noted within 4-6 weeks then the prognosis for recovery is relatively poor. (U. Missouri… 1999)Pyremethamine and Sulfdiazine may cause folic acid deficiency in treated animals and previously supplementation was recommended. New research indicates that oral folic acid supplements can actually interfere with folic acid absorption making the situation worse, especially in pregnant mares and foals. Supplementation with Folinic acid appears to be safer and is routinely administered to human patients with CNS Toxoplasmosis to prevent anemia during treatment. It should be noted that Pyremethamine cause birth defects in humans and therefore foals born to treated mares may be abnormal and often die. (U. Missouri… 1999) Vitamin E supplements have also been recommended due to its antioxidant and mild anti-inflammatory properties.There is no vaccine for EPM and treatment does not always result in success therefore prevention is the only method of management for this disease. Currently the only way to prevent EPM is to be vigilant about keeping opossums and wild birds out of the barn. Big dogs will deter the animals and barn cats are useful in keeping birds away, however dog and cat food must be minimized because that will attract the opossum. Trapping and removal of opossum is possible however the best method of prevention is to eliminate food sources. Grain should be stored in a sealed airtight container, any spills should be cleaned up immediately and excess should not accumulate in the stalls. If possible horses should not be permitted to drink from stagnant ponds or slow moving streams that may be contaminated. Mice and rats should also be minimized in the barn because they...
