Managing Acute Myopathies

Acute myopathies may be induced by exertion or be independent of exercise. Horses with exertional myopathies (EM) may present with recurrent episodes of (acute) rhabdomyolysis whereas sporadic EM results from excessive exercise (Foreman 1998; Valberg 2009) with the rhabdomyolysis being one of its complications. As opposed to EM, atypical myopathy (AM) is not induced by exercise. Independently of the cause, general recommendations may be applied for all these critical clinical conditions.

General recommendations
The main guidelines for treating acute myopathies aim at 1) limiting further muscle damage; 2) restoring the circulating volume; 3) correcting acid–base and electrolyte disturbances; 4) alleviating pain; and 5) relieving muscle spasms if present.

Limit muscle damage
Physical effort, stress and transport should all be avoided. Horses suffering from acute myopathy, in particular AM cases, can quickly become recumbent (Votion et al. 2007) and therefore they should be placed in a well bedded stable while they are still capable of walking. Regular turning of recumbent patients avoids aggravation of myopathy and reduces development of decubital ulcers. […]