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Remedy, which is part homeopathy and part
flower essence. This was selected to help with her
emotional and physical health. The label reads –
“soothing relief from minor pain and associated
mild emotional distress.” This was a perfect
remedy to begin with and I continued to add
this to her water bucket for the first week.
Her fecal check showed coccidia and a small
count of whipworms. Consulting with our veteri-
narian, Dr. Ben Buchanan at Brazos Valley Equine
Clinic, we used Safeguard to get rid of the whip-
worms and Paravac (herbal blend liquid) for
the coccidia. Both took care of these parasite
problems within the normal time frame.
We washed and scrubbed her back end using
water, organic soap, and a cattle groomer glove
to get the mess off. I also used the cattle groomer
glove, which has rubber bumps on it, to gently
dry-brush her fiber all over the rest of her body.
This was not easy since she was so bony.
As a massage therapist, I know dry-brushing is
very good for the skin and would also be good for
her fiber, too. Dry-brushing brings circulation to
the skin and helps get rid of toxins in the body.
Annie was tender, so we did this procedure very
gently and only as much as she could tolerate. She
responded to the clean up job very well and you
could sense a sigh of relief from her and see
“thank you” in her eyes. Even though she still had
runny diarrhea, she was clean and felt better.
The next day I did some cranial massage and
auricular therapy work. Cranial massage work is a
great technique to help relax and balance the animal
– massaging gently, with a soft touch, all around the
head and upper neck area. She enjoyed it.
Auricular therapy is reflexology on the ears where
you gently massage the ears starting at the base of
the ear and with a soft touch, moving up each side
of the ear in small circular massage movements
between your finger tips. By stimulating certain
reflexes on the ears, energy is released and block-
ages are removed. All the nerve endings or reflex
points relate to every organ and system of the body.
This can improve function and balance of organs
and the results is a total relaxation of the nervous
system and improved nerve to blood supply to all
areas. Auricular therapy is used to restore and
maintain the body’s natural sense of balance and to
encourage healing. I would do this type of massage
work when needed, according to how Annie pro-
gressed. Sometimes she would come and stand by
me, as if to say, “Do that ear work on me, please.”
Next on the list, Annie needed some extra
nutrients to help her gain weight and we needed
to get rid of that diarrhea! Annie grazed in the
pasture, ate hay, and was fed twice daily. The feed
was alpaca/llama pellets that are milled locally
at our cooperative. Several times a week, I would
give her moistened beet pulp, which she loved.
I soaked the beet pulp in water until it plumped
up, drained the water off and put it in her bowl.
In addition to her feed, I gave her an herbal
mixture that I mixed with filtered water. This
was given orally with a dosing syringe.
Photos courtesy of Candace Wingo
Spring 2010
63
Rehab begins – needing some love and care.
Annie, the day she arrived at our ranch.