Vickie Keam to the Rescue

Last fall Navar picked up a cough that we attributed to mulch we brought in for the shelters. He started coughing 3 days after we spread the mulch and I can tell you, the mulch came out of the shelters faster than it went in.

We thought the cough would pass but it only seemed to get worse and when I started my weekly riding sessions with Marian Stav again, it became apparent that Navar needed help. At Moore Equine he was scoped and a minor amount of mucous was detected. We made the decision to go one step further and conduct a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to determine the severity of the infection. Dr. Ashley Whitehead advised last year was particularly bad for lung problems and was likely due to the wild fires that raged throughout Western Canada last summer.

Navar was prescribed 40 shots of a steroid called dexamethasone. I was definitely not looking forward to giving him that many needles but Navar took the treatment in stride. Every morning he came in for a treat and a shot which I rotated around his entire body.

The treatment got rid of his cough but despite additional feed, he was underweight and lethargic and also had a tucked up appearance. I was going to run a blood panel on him to see what else could be wrong but instead I scheduled another treatment with Vickie Keam. She discovered his spleen was not functioning well and said it wouldn't have mattered how much extra feed he was getting, the blood flow wasn't allowing his body to process the feed well. She also found a displaced rib near his flank. Within half an hour of Vickie starting his treatment, the change in Navar's appearance was quite astounding. I sure wish I had taken before and after photos.

The following week after Vickie's ministering, I took Navar to my weekly riding session. Marian noticed the change in his physical appearance immediately but what struck us most was his improved energy level. Prior to Vickie's treatment, Navar was lethargic and completely pooped out before our hour session was over. After his treatment he moved forward willingly and energetically (keeping in mind Navar is an energy conservationist) and he had plenty of stamina to last the entire hour.

Now that the snow has finally melted and we can actually practice our "moves", Navar gets better under saddle every week.

Thank you so much Vickie for what you do!
Navar and Tovie