Geriatric: Ruby's Story

Ruby is my dearest friend. We've been together for 17 years. She's been there for me through all the rough times in my life. Now that she's a senior I wanted to give her the extra care that would keep her comfortable. Conventional veterinary treatment would be to give her Bute, and chiropractic treatment seemed too harsh for what I sensed she needed. Van and I crossed paths by chance, and I questioned him about the services that he offered. Guess what Van and I've done together this past year?

Today, Ruby's back has less soreness by applying the Myofascial Release, Acupressure and Massage. From the assessment, we've adjusted her shoeing to shift her weight off the front left dropped fetlock to manage her intermittent lameness. Van has set parameters in riding that help to prevent injury to the arthritis and the various tendon injuries that Ruby has had over the years.

Recently, when she coliced with enormous volumes of gas, Van was on the phone with me ‘till 2 am (2 hours!) for support, helping me apply acupressure, and met with my vet later that morning to share his detailed records. As her health declined to where she was eating only fruit (peaches, melons, apples) for two weeks she was losing significant weight and it seemed there was no end in sight. It was frightening. Some days Ruby would mentally detach. Her spirit seemed to be diminishing and did not connect with me. Van was supportive: available by phone and he'd stop by to visit Ruby and me.

As I searched for medical assistance Van supported me as I sought various unconventional healthcare and healing methods. I sincerely appreciate his non-judgmental beliefs, compassion and team approach as I tried many different avenues. That support was reassuring as I tried various things. My kinesiologist later diagnosed that the colic, enormous gas and abnormal appetite were due to a candida infestation in the entire GI tract. The herb treatments he prescribed started to show results in a few days. As she continues to recover, the bodywork helps to lessen her discomfort. I love Ruby, and appreciate Van's services to help support and guide me through Ruby's senior years.

Navicular: Charlie's Story

Charlie is our family horse. He's a 10-year-old POA gelding that our 9-year-old daughter rides. He does some jumping and trails. My husband and I were sensing Charlie had some discomfort and he was bucking periodically. We'd had the vet examine him in the past and he was not lame, but we couldn't put our finger on it. Van's assessment indicated that Charlie had some asymmetrical muscle development, muscle tightness and a gait abnormality which lead Van to suspect there might be something 'unhealthy going on' in the front left foot. We followed his recommendation to have x-rays. Guess what we found?

Van hit the nail on the head Charlie has Navicular disease in that foot and it has been part of the cause of the discomfort. Charlie had been compensating to shift some weight off of the foot and that is why certain parts of his body was sore and stiff at the time of Van's assessment. John's applied the supportive shoeing prescribed by the vet and we implemented the exercises, stretching and a special saddle pad specified by Van. Now, Charlie is doing GREAT! He has stopped the bucking and his athletic performance has advanced. Our vet stated that with this early intervention of the Navicular disease we've greatly reduced the disease progression rate, we'll be able to manage it and can expect to have Charlie comfortable and in service for a longer period of time. We have Van to thank for the prompt intervention.