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La Peciosa Ball – Success Story

La Preciosa is Spanish for “precious”, a word which perfectly describes this young filly. La Preciosa’s family first noticed Preciosa was not feeling well in early July when she was only about 3 weeks old. They immediately scheduled an appointment with their primary vet, who put Preciosa on a round of antibiotics.

“At this point she was feeling down but was still very spirited. I remember it was a struggle trying to get her blood draw done as she was jumping all around,” owner, Kaitlyn, shared.

However, Preciosa’s health suddenly declined. She had a fever of unknown origin and she was losing weight. She started to spend most of her time laying down, and she wasn’t eating, which is very unusual for such a young filly. Preciosa had no fight in her at that point. That’s when Preciosa’s primary veterinarian referred her to the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital for more tests. Kaityn was able to get both Preciosa and her mom, Aundi, loaded in the trailer and off to the UGA that same night.

“When we arrived at the hospital there was a team waiting for us. Everyone was so kind and concerned for our girl,” said Kaitlyn, “We worked primarily with Dr. Folmar who was a literal life saver. She immediately set to work and treated Preciosa as if she were her own. We received multiple calls a day with updates and visited her every evening.”

On day four of hospitalization, things took a turn for the better. After rounds of tests and biopsies, results concluded a diagnosis for Preciosa. The young filly had parasites, a fungal infection, and mild pneumonia. The large animal care team at the UGA VTH started Preciosa on medication immediately, and she quickly started to feel better. After 10 days in the hospital, Preciosa was finally ready to go home.

Preciosa has continued to improve since then and is now a thriving, sassy six-month-old filly who is full of life and spends her days frolicking around the field, splashing in the pond and napping in the sun.

“We are so grateful for UGA and all the help they were able to provide. Dr. Folmar and her team were determined to get Preciosa well again and they did not back down from the challenges her case presented. We will be forever thankful to UGA and Dr. Folmar for the exemplary care they provided for our girl. We hope her story can inspire others and serve as proof that the doctors and staff at UGA push the limits of veterinary medicine on a daily basis to provide the best care as possible for their patients,” shared Kaitlyn.

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