To all involved at VibraLung, Inc., THANK YOU for saving Augie Bear.
Augie Bear is an eight year old mustang. He was born in the wild around Twin Peaks, California in 2000. After he was captured in 2002, he was adopted through the BLM by a man in Wyoming who could not gentle him. Then he was sold illegally to a man in Texas who also could not gentle him. He was taken to Beltex slaughter plant for destruction. Neither of the previous owners had title to him so the BLM picked him up and he was again put up for adoption at Fort Smith, Arkansas where I adopted him on June 18, 2005, fulfilling a dream I'd had since I was a teenager.
By September 2005 he was successfully under saddle. Since then he has been trail ridden all over Arkansas and parts of Tennessee. He is now teaching children to ride, and assisting adults who haven't ridden in years to regain their confidence. He particularly likes people (children or adults) who have disabilities. He just loves to take care of them all.
Augie Bear came down with COPD the first of July 2008. He was heaving badly, and severely coughing, so badly he could hardly catch his breath. Watching this wonderful horse deteriorate was so hard. Medications prescribed by our veterinarian were not helping his symptoms. As well as medications twice a day, we were keeping him as cool as possible with a water mister and fan. Within two weeks I had thought about having him euthanized.
He had gone off his food, not even eating half of his usual amount. I didn't realize how much weight he had lost until I got on him bareback one day. I was just so upset with what was happening. It would mean my dream would come to an end and it broke my heart to even think about it, but I couldn't bear to watch him suffer and deteriorate.
Our veterinarian and my Mother asked me to give him more time. In the third week a friend told me about VibraVM she had seen on a "The Horse Show with Rick Lamb" on RFD TV.
So I gave VibraLung, Inc., in Parker, Colo. a call. They are seeing excellent results with heaving horses and thought their product would help Augie Bear's condition. The 60-day money back guarantee was too good to pass up. Immediately after his first treatment August 10, 2008, he coughed out a small amount of black gunk; it was sort of like throwing mud into a high speed fan. Two days later his nose was draining thick white secretions which looked like liquid vanilla yogurt. His coughing and heaving were immediately greatly diminished. Secretions are now little to none. Within three weeks, he was rideable again. Truly amazing. Augie Bear was back taking care of people who love him nearly as much as I do.
August 29, 2008 he was taken to Loretta Lynn's fall trail ride in the Tennessee hills. He did great all week, and impressed a lot of people how a COPD horse could still be this active. He was able to climb those steep hills with plenty of energy, and ready to do more at the end of each ride.
During the week at Loretta's ranch the wife of one of our trail guides asked me to treat her husband's horse. Choo had been coughing for a few days. She received three treatments. We did not get her coughing completely stopped, but many people noticed how much better she was doing.
Augie Bear has COPD, but thanks to VibraVM COPD no longer has Augie Bear.
Written by: Margaret Mays Sept. 15, 2008