>>>> The equine dentist came from gainesville today and spent almost all day. >>>> Teev and Nos did not have to be sedated! yay! Janice
All I can say is WOW. Yeah, a lot of horses can have their teeth done without sedation - many of mine have been done without it. But...Tivar? When he first came here, about eight months before Janice took him, he was one of the most reactive horses about his mouth and nose that I'd ever encountered - definitely the most reactive Icelandic I've known. I was afraid that something was seriously wrong with his teeth, and with his reactivity, there was no way I'd ask anyone to even look in his mouth - we tried VERY gently a couple of times and he was very prepared to defend himself. At that point, the best way to get this halter on him was to hold it out and let him tuck his nose in - he didn't mind wearing a halter, but he didn't want his nose touched or held. He'd been here probably only a couple of weeks when I had an equine vet/dentist come out. When she sedated him, she was able to look in his mouth well. His teeth were actually in pretty good shape - they needed floating a little, but weren't past due. BUT, the surprise of surprises was the mouth ulcers. The vet said she'd never seen anything like them - deep and scarred, like he'd had them for a long, long time. We treated him for ulcers of the digestive system because of his other symptoms - the bucking, the sensitivity around his belly, the sour attitude in general - and his attitude got much better. (I don't think there is necessarily a link between mouth ulcers and stomach ulcers...? But, maybe there was in his case?) Janice, I really hoped he wouldn't have a setback when he went home with you - I was really afraid of the stress he'd go through in moving homes. I am just so thrilled to here on his ongoing and steady progress. He just keeps getting better, doesn't he? Little stories like this tell me exactly how far he's come since I first met him. :) Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.9/1295 - Release Date: 2/23/2008 9:35 PM
