Mary Patterson – from a life threatening condition to being than before
Mary Patterson main mare got a devastating diagnosis right after giving birth but even after she pulled through the surgery, things weren't the same. She just wasn't recovering well and Mary needed something to give her a boost. Read on to see how Equinety kickstarted her recovery and other unexpected benefits.
John Dowdy:
Hello and welcome to this week's Equinety podcast. We're going to swing up into Iowa. We've got Mary Patterson on this week. Mary, welcome to the Equinety podcast.
Mary Patterson:
Well, thank you for having me, John. I'm excited to talk about this great product.
John Dowdy:
Well, we're excited to have you on, as well. And, as with most of these podcast, I came across one of your comments on our Facebook advertising that we do so much of and I believe the way that it was worded that this product literally saved your horse's life and I'm like, okay, we've got to dig into this one to see what's going on. Because I tell people this is not a miracle supplement but some of these stories, it really makes you wonder sometimes. But, before we get into all of that, you have a trail horse. Tell us about this mare and what she was like prior to anything going on. What was your daily activities like and what did you guys do together?
How the Trouble Started: Nephrosplenic Entrapment
Mary Patterson:
Okay, well, she is a 15-year-old quarter horse mare and have done a lot of trail riding on her. Showed her in her earlier years and then have just been riding with my friends usually three times during the week and every weekend going camping. She's been to South Dakota and just all over for me. She's my primary mare and my go-to so I put a lot of miles on her. And, because she's such a steady mare, I decided that I wanted to raise a colt out of her. So at 14 years old I got her bred and she had her first foal in May of this year at 15 years old. So, very happy that the birth and everything seemed to go well. But she did colic that night that she foaled, which is very unusual.
Mary Patterson:
This mare is just the image of health all of her life, very easy keeper, but she had just foaled and with her uterus contracting, she did colic and we were able to give her some Banamine and she came out of that and for the next couple of months didn't seem to really miss a beat. She was back to being fat and nursing that colt and he was growing good until July 30th and that day was very scary for me.
Mary Patterson:
She had been colicky the evening before and we were able to give her some Banamine and she kind of came out of it. Then that morning of the 30th she was still a little uncomfortable and not eating. So we gave her some more Banamine and then, by the time I left for work, she was [inaudible 00:03:01] a bit and had passed some piles [inaudible 00:03:04]. I was still concerned and was able to get off work a little early and come home to check on her. And when I looked in the barn about 2:00 that afternoon, it was evident that she was in distress.
Mary Patterson:
She had been rolling. She had some marks on the side of her head where she had obviously scuffed her face when she'd gotten down. I quickly got her to Iowa State University in Ames, which is about [inaudible 00:03:36] away from me. They have a great team there and they descended on her. And, as each test came in, it was just getting more and more grim. The tentative diagnosis they gave me was a nephrosplenic entrapment. This is where the gut is actually trapped over the ligament that supports the kidneys and the spleen. Not a good diagnosis.
John Dowdy:
No.
Mary Patterson:
That was my focus, just saving the mare. The surgery is probably, oh gosh, seemed like I was there for days, but a couple hours, three hours surgery where they have to remove the whole gut and bring it down and then go through each section of the intestine, which she did have a twist in her small intestine, as well, and put all that back in place. And she came out of that surgery. I've never been so scared in my life because she just looked horrible and they put her back to ICU and she had her colt at her side, as well, and they had to separate them so he could nibble on some hay, but she couldn't have any feed. And the whole time the vets were like, "She's not out of the woods. She's not out of the woods."
Mary Patterson:
She was there at the clinic for a week and every day the vet would call me twice a day and there were ups and downs. The blood work would come back and the numbers were too high or the numbers were too low. So it was kind of a roller coaster ride. But, after a week, everything started leveling out and she was able to come home. She'd have to be on stall rest for four weeks. And then after that she could be moved into a little bit larger pen and then, at eight weeks, a little bit larger pen. And then at 12 weeks she could start returning back to work at a walk and a trot.
The Rocky Road Ahead
Mary Patterson:
But this whole time they kept making sure to let me know that she wasn't out of the woods and to watch her closely. I had taken off work so I could watch her closely and through this time she just started losing weight, a pretty demanding foal. Granted, I could have weaned him, but I didn't want to do that just yet. I actually didn't want to cause the mare more distress by doing that. So she was on good hay, good pelleted feed. I was getting her out to grass for an hour or two a day and she just was not thriving. This mare, like I said, was an easy keeper, but I'm seeing her withers pretty well defined. I'm seeing her hip bones start to jut out. I'm seeing her rib cage.
Mary Patterson:
Even the pictures that I took when she was in that condition, someone who doesn't know the mare would probably say, "Well, she's feeding a colt, she's going to lose some weight." But I knew that wasn't this mare's normal state. I knew that what I was doing was not working and that I needed some type of supplement and that's when I found Equinety on Facebook.
John Dowdy:
All right. And I think that's important. We talk a lot about how much the Equinety product really helps horses. That's our tagline, "Helping horses worldwide." But, in this case, up until this point, you didn't even know about Equinety. You weren't on the search for anything. So this horse was under a great team of vets under their care and you're doing everything that you knew to do and you had the good nutrition and all of those components, which, I want to stress is, again, vitally important obviously to be under the vet care and everything else.
John Dowdy:
But as you got up to this point and on the road to recovery there was still just something missing. Even with the nutrition and all the recommendations from the vets and you were doing everything that you need to do, but being an easy keeper and you're seeing ribs and withers so, okay, something is not going right or you're missing something.
Mary Patterson:
Yes.
John Dowdy:
So what did you start searching for online?
Mary Patterson:
Well, I didn't even know. I just needed something. I was looking for maybe like a weight builder. I had had other products throughout my horse career that had helped with that. So I was just looking for something to give that little extra that would help her overcome this major event in her life. I knew if I didn't do something that she was just going to keep going downhill. I was very concerned for her. Like I said, I had the option of weaning the colt but I really didn't think that was even going to do what I needed it to do. I really don't think she would've recovered back to full health without something extra.
Mary Patterson:
And when I come across the Equinety, I went in and started reading about it and the thing that caught my attention was that it helped heal the body at the cellular level. And because I myself am on a product that does that and I know what it has done for my wellbeing, I thought if this product can do for my horse what the product I'm on is doing for me, then I'm going to try it. So I ordered the trial size and I was really interested in the fact that there wasn't a loading dose because almost every supplement I've ever given a horse, there was a two, three-week period of loading dose.
Mary Patterson:
So that caught my attention. That was interesting to me, and that the dose was so small. It was about the size of the end of my thumb. So I gave her the first dose that evening with her feed and she didn't even bat an eye, didn't even notice it was in her feed. About the second week, I'm watching for these changes and about the second week I had her out on grass and she's a very rule-following mare. She stays where I put her and I don't have to worry about it too much. Well, I put her out on this grass. I wasn't very far away from her and her head came up and she jumped up in the air and she took a kick out, just like a colt again, and I thought, oh, I'm not sure you're supposed to be doing that. You're still kind of on bed rest.
Equinety Kickstarts Recovery
Mary Patterson:
But that's the first thing I noticed. The light came back into her eyes and she acted like she felt good. So I actually had to start watching her a little closer when I her out so she wouldn't start bucking and playing. But the first thing I noticed, and then her weight came back on. Just amazing. And the muscles started showing. This is a mare that has a lot of muscle definition. The muscles showing back. And about four weeks into that of course I ordered the large container [inaudible 00:12:24] because I said this [inaudible 00:12:25] and I weaned the colt and they didn't miss a beat. He looked good because obviously she was getting that [inaudible 00:12:36]. He looked good and he weaned without incident. It was just kind of amazing to me.
John Dowdy:
Wow. Well, I'll take a minute here because if there's somebody tuning in for the first time and maybe you're in a situation where you're kind of at your wit's end or you're just at a sticking point and wondering, there's got to be something missing. So the Equinety Horse XL product, it's 100% pure amino acids, but they're specifically formulated and combined to stimulate the pituitary gland, which is the master gland in the body. That's what releases the necessary hormones, which help heal at a cellular level. So, so many times, just like in this scenario, this horse in particular was on the road to recovery, but there was just something lacking.
John Dowdy:
We have plenty of stories going into high performance barns where these horses get the creme de la creme and you wouldn't think that they're missing anything. But when they add the Equinety product to their program, they see these horses continue to blossom, soft tissue repair, recovery, stamina, focus. It is just an amazing product. We're blessed because we had no idea it was going to take off like it has in the horse industry. Now, what's interesting, as you and I were speaking prior to recording the podcast here, what was the horse's demeanor and attitude and everything prior to all of this? I mean prior to the injury and the surgery and everything, what was she typically like out on the trail?
Mary Patterson:
Well, you had mentioned focus. This mare's broke and I can ride her through a fire, but if there is ever a trigger, say, a turkey flies through the timber or a deer jumps up, she would be very reactive to that and it would then be very hard for me to get her focus back. It was like from that point on she was very looky and just anxious and jig-joggy, just very hard to get that focus back. I've been riding her this winter. Luckily the weather here in Iowa hasn't been too bad and I have been able to ride her out in the fields. I rode her past the terraced area and had two pheasant jump up out of the terraced area and she just pointed her ears at them and went on. And then another one flew out.
Mary Patterson:
Now, in the past, after those first two flew out, I would be on a different horse. Because [crosstalk 00:15:26] the fire-breathing dragon just jumped up in front of her and it would be so hard to get her back. I was just so, I don't know, amazed that she pretty much just pointed her ears towards them. We walked on, she didn't even halt in her step. And then that next one flew up and it was just like an everyday occurrence and we continued to walk.
Mary Patterson:
There was just no anxiety in her, I guess is the word I was looking for. And we just continued on with our ride and that, after being off two seasons of riding, and now I think this is probably the fourth time I've ridden her since she was okayed and cleared to go. I've got the mare back that I would start a trail ride with and not necessarily end the trail ride with. It was amazing to me. She just has that focus. She's clear eyed. She has the energy, but it's not that nervous energy.
John Dowdy:
Yes. And I would say, too, so many times we hear horses that had a lot of stress, nervousness, they're anxious, we've had reports of complete demeanor changes in as little as three days. But what I find amazing with this story is, prior to all of this happening, this is a horse that you ride and ride a lot so you know her little quirks, she's kind of, as you say, very reactive to things, anxious and, if something happens, forget about getting her attention and focus back. So you take a horse like that and then all of the trauma and almost very day-to-day prognosis here of possibly losing her. Then you don't get to ride her for two seasons and she's got a foal on the ground and then you started giving her the Equinety and it like she's not stressed, she's very focused. It's like, "Okay, this is weird."
Mary Patterson:
Yeah. And she's out with three other younger horses and I rode out into pasture and they came running. If you've ever been on a horse when a few other horses go running past you, even that didn't faze her. I turned her around and I followed them up to the buildings and she was just all business.
John Dowdy:
That's something.
Mary Patterson:
Yes. That's something to say for her, at least.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, for sure. Well, I tell you, if you're tuning in listening to this and you've got a horse that's a little hard to stay focused, this is one of the most common things that we hear over and over and over. I would say probably the best way I can describe it is, because we're helping the body heal at a cellular level, then the horses seem to be more balanced from the inside out and they're more comfortable in their skin.
Mary Patterson:
I agree, yeah.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. So things just don't bother them as much. Now, one of the things, and you don't have updated x-rays or anything like that, but what have you noticed? And you had mentioned this during the podcast, but prior to when we were chatting about her hooves.
Mary Patterson:
Yes. My husband's a farrier and he's always talked to me about my horses' crap feet. His term. So there is only one supplement that he would recommend to his clients and I got her on that and she's been on it for, oh my gosh, probably six, seven years. When I got my Equinety, I was running out of that product, so I did not reorder it because I had seen different testimonies on Facebook of how this is helping their horses' feet. So I thought, well, this will be great if this one product can do not only what I need it to do right now, but help those feet.
Mary Patterson:
And her feet look great. The new growth looks really good. She had always had a crack in her foot and that is growing out with no crack in it. The feet just look good. They're not that dry look to them. They look healthy. And in Iowa in mid-winter, that's, that's kind of saying something, too. They look like they have moisture to them, if that's even possible.
John Dowdy:
Yes, yes. So, you had been using this other hoof supplement product for six, seven years?
Mary Patterson:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
John Dowdy:
And then how long have you been using the Equinety now?
Mary Patterson:
Since, let's see, the end of August.
John Dowdy:
So the end of August. And at the time of this recording will be published... Well, we're recording this in January so, what, five months? Four months?
Mary Patterson:
Yes. Yep. Yep. And I'm already seeing that.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. So four months in seeing massive changes versus the other product, which we don't name names. I'm sure there's some great products out there, but six, seven years and you haven't seen this kind of improvement like you've seen in the last four months?
Mary Patterson:
That's correct. Yes.
John Dowdy:
Wow. Well, maybe we can sweet talk your husband into referring the Equinety product now.
Mary Patterson:
I'm working on that, believe me.
John Dowdy:
Awesome. Yeah. Well, I tell you what-
Mary Patterson:
It's just a great product that kind of does everything. When you're on a budget you can go out and use them by several different products to target maybe the things that you're needing to tweak a little bit, but when you can find one product at a reasonable price that you're getting amazing results with, it's pretty easy to tell your friends more about it.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, it really is, at a dollar a day. And I tell people this all the time. We have a lot of phone calls that come in and people asking, because it's like they see all the different stories and like, "Okay, wait a minute, you're telling me that one product, how can it do all this stuff? Because now this is just sounding like a snake oil tincture." Which, it's a powder, so technically it would be a snake powder. "It sounds too good to be true," all these types of things.
John Dowdy:
But when you really understand what's going on in the body, we're giving the body what it needs to release its own hormones, therefore the body is helping to repair itself. So, the example I give, you could have 12 horses with 12 different things going on and throw in a high performance horse that really doesn't have any issues. But because we're giving the body what it needs to heal itself, in this case, you first started off looking for a weight gainer-type product and this product is not a weight gain product.
John Dowdy:
It is a product that's giving the body what it needs to release its own hormones and then therefore the body is determining what needs to happen. In your case, you were needing weight gain, but not only did you get the weight gain, but you're having great hoof growth, stronger, plus not to mention the better focus and non-nervousness and all these types of things. So that's pretty phenomenal and very, very common with this.
Mary Patterson:
When you consider horses are very amazing creatures and, if they are given the tools that they need, can heal wonderfully. So that's what I consider this as is just a tool that she needed and I'm not feeding her very much. She's out in the pasture now and she is only getting two pounds of grain in the evening with this supplement and she looks great. It's amazing.
John Dowdy:
And back to riding and doing... Well, you said four times. You've been on her four times now since this?
Mary Patterson:
Right. Four or five times, but yeah. And hopping on her bareback and just with a loping martingale on and going.
John Dowdy:
Wow, that's great.
Mary Patterson:
It's been great, yes.
John Dowdy:
Well, Mary, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your story here on the Equinety podcast and, for anybody tuning in, maybe they're on the fence a little bit, maybe they're a little bit skeptical, even though they've listened now to another great success story, is there anything that you might want to tell them to say, "Hey, come on over. The water's warm"?
Mary Patterson:
Well, yes. I would encourage them to find you on Facebook because the stories there are from real people. I just thank Equinety for bringing my mare back to good health and I am definitely going to get it on auto ship so I don't have to worry about running out and she'll be on it for life, as well as the colt.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Which, by the way, I didn't mention this before, but we have a lot of people, "Is it safe for pregnant mares or for foals?" Yes, it is. It's 100% pure amino acids and it actually helps with the development of those young ones. But 100% safe and awesome. Well, Mary Patterson out of Iowa, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story here on the Equinety podcast.
Mary Patterson:
Yes, thank you for talking with me.
John Dowdy:
Oh, you bet. Thank you. Bye-bye.
Mary Patterson:
Bye-bye.
