Monte’s Thanksgiving Episode that could have been catastrophic! (Monte is a 6 yo Shire)

The EPSM vegetable oil diet saved my Shire’s life. This is how…
10/10/07 start high fat, low starch diet because of EPSM like symptoms
11/8/07 Muscle biopsy – came back negative
Continue diet anyway.
Some improvement, then decline.
Can no longer hold hind legs up at all, must be drugged to trim hooves.
Seemed more like Shivers symptoms.
10/08 Consulted with a National Shivers veterinarian expert regarding diet, suggested switching to Purina Ultium so wouldn’t have to mess with vegetable oil and all the other supplements, etc.
Monte current diet was :
2x/day 1.3lbs Triple Crown Low Starch
4oz Omega Horseshine
2 oz magnesium
1 ½- 2 cups vegetable oil
1x/day scoop selenium & Vit. E
Grass turnout (Bermuda grass)
2nd cutting alfalfa

Over 7-8 days changed to 2quarts of Purina Ultium 2x/day.
Wednesday, November 26th was 1st day of no oil and only Ultium.
Thursday, November 27th (Thanksgiving Day) when leading Monte out to his pasture, his nose was to the ground. When let him in pasture he pawed and attempted to lie down. I wouldn’t let him lay down
and drug him back to pasture in front of house. Legs looked like they were attempting to crumble underneath him. No interest in grazing.
His nose to the ground and in obvious discomfort and pain.
Because of recent feed change, immediately thought he was colicing.
I check other vitals, which were normal, except gum color and respiration. Administered Banamine, called vet, over the phone, he concurred colic and suggested I up the Banamine.
Monte improved for a couple of hours.
Then around 4pm he went downhill. Actually laid down. This horse only lays down at night, never during the day EVER. Managed to get him back up only to have him go back down.
For some reason I thought to look at my Draft Horse Owner’s Manual book by Dr. Beth Valentine. Where I read the most common underlying cause of down draft horses is EPSM. And even though his biopsy came back negative, I began to suspect that EPSM was
more the cause than colic. The book also states that it can look like colic. Seemed that his new feed just was not giving him enough fat.
The book also said that if you suspect EPSM and can get 4 cups or more of vegetable oil in them the fat will provide enough energy for the horse to stand within a day or 2.
Because Monte’s feed regime just recent included about 4 cups of oil a day he gobbled it up and didn’t have to use stomach tube or iv fat solution.
Monte laid there eating his vegetable oil mash. He got up within 2 hours. He did go back down later that evening and we got more vegetable oil into him.
Friday, November 28th Monte was back to his normal (his nose in everyone’s business) self as far as attitude. His original EPSM symptoms came back, but I hope with getting back on the EPSM diet will help eleviate some over time.

Prior to the scary incident, I really wasn’t sure if the EPSM diet was doing anything, much less helping anything. Especially since his biopsy came back negative.
This diet and this book saved his life. I am not one to be dramatic or overly enthusiastic about much. However, if you own a draft or know someone who does, this is worth remembering. Most like your vet will not know what is going on because typically they don’t deal with many drafts in their practice. (Esp. where I am)
I know there is a lot of controversy over the EPSM, high fat diet and I was one of them that was becoming skeptical. Because of this, I almost killed my horse. Thank God for the thought in the back of my head to consult this book. Or I would be writing a different note today.
I really had something to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Kim, I am also hoping that you have found the solution to Monte's problems. The fact that he was so willing to eat while lying down is a good indication that this was not a colic episode. But, be sure to keep a close eye on him (silly of me to say this, because I know you will!) and keep your veterinarian in the loop.

NO, IT WAS NOT a colic episode. (I may not have made it clear in my post)
It was the change in his diet and the lack of fat- veg. oil that brought on this EPSM event.
Because of his neg. biopsy, I wasn't sure how much he actually needed the 4 cups of veg oil. Now I know.

Kim ; When I bought my Belgian I had never owned a horse before , so I fed him like everyone else , 2 gal. bucket of sweet feed twice a day. I subscribed to all magazines about drafts and came upon Dr, Valentine's book , I bought it , read it three times and still, to this day, consult it , but what I noticed more than any thing , at least to me , was that we should feed based on calories not volume , the way to do this is with extra fat.I changed right away and have never looked back . I'm lucky , my horse has never shown signs of EPSM , and I want to make sure that he doesn't . We now have 6 horses , 2 Qtr. horses, a Haflinger , 3 Belgians . and they all are fed according to calories not by volume ,we weight everything so if they get fat or seem too thin we can change the amount and they do great , friends always ask what and how we feed and when they're told they can't believe it, I agree that Dr. Valentine's book is a life saver , and her dedication to this web site is beyond praise , finding a vet that doesn't have preconceived notions and will listen to you is rare . I'm glad you're back on the right track . Good luck . You can't be a Draft horse .