It’s Thanksgiving and we have so many things and people to be thankful for! Today we want to highlight one person who has done so, so much for Mercy Spring Ranch. Our veterinarian, Dr. Kami Vickerman from Pioneer Equine Hospital has donated so much of her time and skill to help keep our ponies healthy and happy over the years. This year, for example, when our boy Mr. Conner was diagnosed with Shaking Head Syndrome (SHS) Dr. Kami came to the rescue with a new experimental treatment. Shaking Head Syndrome is caused when a nerve in the neck that runs over the top of the head and down the front of the face to the muzzle of the horse short-circuits and sends a “shock” to the muzzle, causing the horse to toss his head violently, rub his lips and often over-react to touch. Mr. Connor developed the condition after he cracked his molar and had a very difficult extraction in 2020. At first, we weren’t certain what was happening with Connor, as he developed swelling on the right side of his head and sores on his lips from continual rubbing. Though he once used to love having his face scratched, now he couldn’t stand to have it touched. He held his head up with his nose out, with a continual snort and hard toss straight up every few minutes. Nothing we tried seemed to help.
When we contacted Dr. Kami for advice, she suggested an antihistamine that helps some horses with SHS. In Connor’s case, it did help reduce his symptoms by about 60%, but he was far from cured. That’s when Dr. Kami offered to administer electro-acupuncture treatments based on a recent study in the UK that showed promise for horses with SHS. It would require Connor to be sedated for each treatment while needles got placed near the nerve in his neck and electric currents were sent through the placed needles. Dr. Kami offered to donate the treatments if we would cover the sedations.
With his chin resting comfortably on a big pillow, Connor took a little nap while his neck and lip twitched with every pulse of the machine. It was rather fascinating to watch! Dr. Kami explained the protocols of the treatments, that Connor could have up to six, with each treatment being spaced apart based on how quickly the symptoms returned. After the first treatment, no real difference was observed. Second treatment, a slight improvement for about a week, then he was back to the usual head tossing, snorting, and rubbing sores on his nose. We all prayed, asking the Lord to touch our sweet boy and make him better so he could get back to his session kiddos! Third treatment…….. One week passed, then two, then three and no symptoms! Not only that, but he began asking for his face to be rubbed again! Five months later and Mr. Connor is still symptom free! We even took him off his antihistamines three weeks ago and he’s still doing great!
As you can imagine, we could not have tried this treatment without Dr. Kami’s generous donations. Mr. Connor would not be the happy guy he now is if she hadn’t have taken the time out of her busy schedule to try something different. Every child that got to have session time with Mr. Connor this year can attest to his contentment and tell of how happy they are to have him back.
This is just one of the MANY times Dr. Kami has discounted, donated, and gone out of her way to make sure all our ponies stay healthy. This Thanksgiving Day we say THANK YOU to Dr. Kami for ALL you do for the horses of MSR! Thank you, Jesus, for your provision!
If you’d like to support MSR during Giving Tuesday, by volunteering, supporting one of our horses, or financially supporting our program, click here for more information.
