Arlene Bara - Lymes Disease - Coughing -
Pneumonia - Swelling - Allergies - Inflammation
John Dowdy:
Hello, and welcome to this week's Equinety Podcast. We're in for another exciting podcast this week. We're going to swing up into Pennsylvania and speak with Arlene Bara, who, well, let's just get right into this. An amazing story. So, without further ado, Arlene, welcome to the Equinety Podcast.
Arlene Bara:
John, good morning. I'm very excited to be a part of your podcast today. Thank you so much for inviting me.
John Dowdy:
Well, you're very welcome. It's great to have you. I believe I came across your comment on one of our Facebook ads, and I said to myself, "Oh, okay, I've got to get Arlene on this call," because, according to what you wrote, you are having some serious challenges with your 12-year-old. So let's first of all talk about this mare. What things were you dealing with prior to coming across the Equinety? So let's give a little background on her.
11 Year Old Mare, Lyme Disease, Multiple Allergies, Unknown Cough, Pnuemonia
Arlene Bara:
Okay, John. Sure. I have a 12-year-old mare here. She's a registered solid paint roan. Beautiful little mare, and I've had her for 11 years. Within the last three years, she developed a cough, and, not being too alarmed, I didn't think too much about it, but then it got progressively worse.
So, of course, I called the vet. Over the three-year period here, now I've had three different vets that I have consulted with. One said she has COPD. One says that she has allergies, which I started a series of serums for. She has so many different allergies that the serums just didn't seem to want to work. She had been tested positive for Lyme disease. We live in the mountains here, in the Poconos, and the ticks up here are pretty bad. So I guess it's inevitable, at some point. But she did test positive for Lyme, and I know that Lyme disease is one of those hidden sicknesses that can pop up in your immune system at any time and just do battle.
John Dowdy:
Sure.
Arlene Bara:
So she did come down with some pneumonia. She was treated for the pneumonia but, unfortunately, wasn't healed from it, and she carried that sickness for a couple months until, finally, the third vet that I had came and kind of knocked that out of her.
But when I saw your ad, my mare was still coughing and very lackluster. She had lost a lot of weight. Her breathing was labored, and I just was feeling very heavy-hearted. Your ad popped up as I was on Facebook, and I was reading it. I saw some of the comments, and I'm like, "Huh, that's interesting. I think that looks like maybe it's worth a try."
John Dowdy:
Sure.
Onset of Inflammation in the Legs and Finally Starting Equinety
Arlene Bara:
So I got it, and it came at a good time, because she was suffering again with some inflammation in her legs. It was so bad that I had a hard time getting her to come out of her stall. That's how bad it was. I rubbed her down, and I put liniment on her and wrapped her up. I started her on this Equinety, and I'll tell you what. After three days, that inflammation disappeared, and it hasn't come back. She's been on this Equinety now for, what we did we say, two months?
John Dowdy:
Yeah, two months. But just backing up just a little bit here, so everything's kind of hunky dory, business as usual every day. But she developed a cough. Then she tested positive for Lyme. Then she had pneumonia, and her allergy panel was everything allergic that you can think of.
Arlene Bara:
Yep.
John Dowdy:
It all just seemed to kind of hit over ... What kind of a timeframe was this?
Arlene Bara:
Well, this has gone now, I want to say, starting on the third year.
John Dowdy:
Third year, okay. So you were doing the injections with the allergy serum for a year and a half. Did you see much of a difference with that at all?
Arlene Bara:
I kind of thought maybe I did in the beginning, but after a year and a half, I was looking for a little bit more of a result, and I wasn't getting it. I mean, I would saddle her up to ride her, and, at a walk, she's fine, but as soon as I'd start to work her, she would start coughing.
So I was really, really discouraged and felt really, really bad for her. It was to the point, John, a couple of times, I'm thinking, "Winter's coming. This horse just is suffering so much. It's one thing after another. What do I do with this horse? I'm retired. My husband had a stroke. I have another horse. I can't afford to keep throwing money at this horse that's not going to get any better," and I thought seriously a couple of times, John, of putting her down.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. I mean, and it's something ... In that scenario, it's a logical thing to have to think about. So, fortunately, as you were saying, you came across the Equinety product. So you initially ordered 30 days' worth, and when you received it, so you walk out and see that her legs were just super swollen. Then she also had some stroke or Bell's palsy type of thing. Tell us about what happened there.
Arlene Bara:
Yes. Well, I brought her in from the pasture one day, and her lip was hanging down. I'm thinking, "Huh, that's a little weird." I didn't think too much more about it, because she's kind of a lazy horse as it is, and sometimes those lazy horses, their lips hang down. But this was really hanging, and then I noticed her ear was drooping, too, and I never experienced that in my lifetime of having horses.
So, of course, I called the vet, and the vet came out. He said that he thought it was botulism and that I needed to go and get this special serum for her. There is also no test for botulism, he tells me. So here I was torn again. "Oh my gosh, she's sick again. What if she does have botulism? What if she doesn't have it? Do I take a chance that it's not botulism?"
John Dowdy:
Right.
Arlene Bara:
So what do I do? At 11 o'clock at night, I pack up my husband. We drive into Jersey two hours away. One o'clock in the morning, we pick up the serum. We pay $1,000 for it. We come home and pay the vet to come the next morning and give it to her. The vet bills were crazy.
John Dowdy:
Right.
Arlene Bara:
Did all of that go away? No. So I don't know. It was just another thing for this poor horse to go through, and, in my own research and whatnot, I'm thinking maybe it wasn't botulism, it was Bell's palsy or she had a stroke or something.
John Dowdy:
So with all of this going on, you saw the add with our stuff on Facebook. You ordered the product, and it just so happened the legs were swollen. So you gave her the product. Three days, the swelling, completely gone.
Arlene Bara:
Completely gone.
John Dowdy:
The swelling hasn't come back in ... Well, it's been 60 days now, a little over.
Arlene Bara:
It has not. It has not come back. She is gaining weight. Her attitude is better. She's eating her food better. Her ear's coming back up. She seems to have better balance. She is running in the pasture now.
John Dowdy:
How long has it been since you've seen her do that?
Arlene Bara:
Months.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Since before.
Arlene Bara:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Wow.
Arlene Bara:
Yeah. I mean, she would try to run, but it was sideways.
John Dowdy:
Oh, goodness. Yeah, that is heartbreaking.
Arlene Bara:
Yeah, it was very sad and very, very hard, emotionally, to watch, because she's relatively still young.
What Equinety is and How It Works
John Dowdy:
Sure. Well, and I think it's important to point out, for those tuning in for the first time, I mean, here we have a situation where you've had this horse for 11 years. You are doing every possible thing that you knew to do. Went through three different vets. Going up a big hill here, and it doesn't seem like a whole lot is working in your favor, or her favor, rather. Needless say, you're probably at your wit's end.
We hear stories like this very, very often, and we're blessed in the fact that we have a product that works so well, but I think it's important. The Equinety product, it's 100% pure amino acids. There's no fillers, no sugars, no starches, and there's no loading dose. A serving size is 5.2 grams, which is not quite a tablespoon. Just use it as a top dressing, and what these amino acids are specifically formulated to do is give the body what it needs to help heal itself at a cellular level by stimulating the pituitary gland. That's what releases the hormones, and the body knows exactly where to send those hormones for the healing.
So is it a cure-all? Is it a miracle thing? No, it's not any of those things. Used in combination with other things that you're doing, it's a dynamite combination. In this case, you were pretty much at your wit's end. You had tried everything that was recommended to you by three different vets. Fortunately, you came across this product, and it did exactly what you were looking for. The horse is now well on its way to recovery. Have you been able to do any riding at this point, now that she's coming back? Are you still ...
Back to Arlene
Arlene Bara:
Well, I think that she is rideable. I mean, I've been lunging her. My problem is the weather right now. We have almost a foot of snow, and I do not have an indoor arena. I have an outdoor arena. So the footing isn't conducive to me riding her.
John Dowdy:
Sure.
Arlene Bara:
I mean, I wouldn't want her to slip or ...
John Dowdy:
Right.
Arlene Bara:
... have any kind of a setback. But yes, I think that a moderate level of riding is quite possible.
John Dowdy:
Sure. Now, I know with Lyme, and you were telling me a little bit more about this, because since she has it, you've done your research on it, and it's kind of one of those hidden things that can pop up here or there. It attacks the immune system, and that's what you believe was causing the swelling, maybe not 100%, but that's what you think that it was. Has there been any other things that have popped up from the Lyme that you know of?
Arlene Bara:
No, she seems like she's on the road to recovery, and it's just a pleasure to see her, first thing in the morning, pop her head up and say good morning. It's heartwarming.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. That's great. Well, and I know we've had quite a few questions with people that have asked how this helps with Lyme. So I'm glad that we have you on here. Again, this is one situation. Not all situations might be the same. But from the few people that we have had feedback with with Lyme, this seems to really support and benefit that nasty disease, again.
Arlene Bara:
Well, it attacks the immune system. So your product helps battle that.
John Dowdy:
Yep. It definitely helps the immune system.
Arlene Bara:
Yes. If the horse has a healthy immune system, when the Lyme comes out of dormacy and it wants to attack, it's going to have a harder time, because the antibodies are there and ready to fight it.
John Dowdy:
Right. Yep, absolutely. So, well, I tell you, I think the people tuning into this podcast, Arlene, are going to really appreciate your time on here, and maybe if they're in a similar situation, that might give them some encouragement to give the product to try as well. If there's anybody tuning in that might be a little bit still on the fence about whether they should try it or not, what advice would you have for them?
Arlene Bara:
I would say give it a try. You've got nothing to lose. It's so much less expensive than vet bills, and it's all natural. You can't go wrong.
John Dowdy:
Yep. Again, we stress make sure you seek the advice of vets and all that kind of stuff. But, at the same time, this can be used along with any medications or anything that's shown. I mean, they're amino acids, building blocks of protein, so there's no negative side effects, in that manner.
Arlene Bara:
John, can I just add that the third vet that I consulted with was here after I started the Equinety, and I told her about the product. She was very receptive. She looked at the bottle. She wrote items down, and that impressed me, because not all vets are gung-ho to be receptive with certain supplements.
John Dowdy:
Yes, I would agree with that. They're sometimes a tough nut to crack, but we do have quite a few veterinarians that carry our product and carry it in their practice. So yeah, I guess it depends on their background and how open they are to things. So, well, Arlene from Pennsylvania, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story here on the Equinety podcast.
Arlene Bara:
Oh, you're very welcome, and thank you, again, for the invite. I'm going to continue using your product.
John Dowdy:
Awesome. Great. Well, thank you so much. Bye-bye.
Arlene Bara:
All right. Bye-bye.
