A story on dentistry for horses
Plus some new reads to try!
Hi Dear Reader,
How are you doing? Have you had a good week? Have you read anything good? I am in the middle of the the audiobook of The Monuments Men. I’m finding it really good. The narrator does different accents of the different men. It is based on the real lives of the monuments men. I also recommend the movie. That was really good.
Things have been trucking along. I have been busy at work. I had an interesting case a while ago. It was an older horse that my client had purchased a few months ago and she wasn’t gaining weight. They had her on pasture and were feeding her tons of equine senior feed. Equine senior is a pelleted feed that is formulated for old horses, hard keepers, and sick horses. When it was first developed, it was made to feed to hospitalized horses that had major abdominal surgery. It is easy to chew and digest; plus, it has a ton of calories.
The horse was the sweetest thing. She hung her head over her stall wall while I talked to the owner. She was thin and had lost a lot of muscle tone over her neck, back, and hips.
I sedated her as most horses don’t enjoy having their mouths looked at and their teeth go really far back. It is the only way to see the back cheek teeth. Horses have 6 molars on the top and bottom of each side. Plus they have 6 incisiors on the top and bottom at the front of their mouth.
Her incisors looked normal. But when I shown my light into her mouth, it was obvious the poor girl never received dental care. She had teeth missing. Since horses’ teeth grow continuously until they run out of root, some of the teeth were long if they had no corresponding tooth to grind against when she ate. The worst part was she had several teeth that were loose and infected.
I looked at Hubby who was holding the horse and we shared a look. “This is bad.”
The owner hovered behind me. “Do what you can.”
A few of the loose teeth were so rotted, that I pulled them out with my fingertips. A malodorous bloody pus oozed up out of the socket where the teeth had been. There was one tooth I had to use equipment to extract it. The owner ended up with a handful of teeth that she was going to give to the grandkids.
Then, I used my powerfloat (it is a diamond bit on a long shaft attached to a drill) to smooth out the rough edges of the remaining teeth. She was instructed to eat a soft mash, take pain relievers, and get antibiotics for a bit.
A couple of month’s later, the client sent me a picture of the horse fat and happily grazing on pasture. Removing the bad teeth helped that horse.
Dentistry in horses is really cool as their teeth are very important to their health. Most of my patients get their teeth checked once a year. Some horses need dental work more than that others less. It also changes as they age.
I try to incorporate some of my daily life into my stories. In the following excerpt from Second Chance with My Bull Rider. Delilah is having the veterinarian out to float her therapy horses’ teeth. I hope you enjoy it.
A drill sounded next to my ear as I held Jasper’s head for Doc, the local veterinarian. Jasper’s sleepy head rested heavily on my shoulder as my back ached and my head pounded in time with the drill.
“He has some bad points in there,” Doc said. He looked at me, his headlamp blinding me.
“Yah, he has been dropping a lot of feed lately.” My eyes scrunched closed and I shifted his heavy head.
“Almost done.” He finished with the power tool, rinsed Jasper’s mouth, and did one final check. The mouth speculum clicked close and he slipped it of off Jasper’s head so he could check Jasper’s front teeth. “He’s all good, now. He should be able to eat much better with those sharp points taken off.” I nodded as I wiped my hands on my jeans. He proceeded to fill out his notes and handed me an invoice. It was higher than I expected, but Kaleb had advanced more than enough to cover it. I sighed as I handed him the cash. Horses were expensive.
“You have a nice group of horses.” He folded the cash into his back pocket. “When you get the therapeutic riding stable up and running, let me know. I’d love to help you out.”
“Thanks, that means a lot. Horses are always trying to injure themselves.” I shook his weathered hand.
“Don’t I know it.” He laughed. “My wife keeps rescuing more from the kill pens every weekend. We now have more horses than cows on the place.” He grabbed his equipment and headed out to the vet truck.
I closed Jasper into a stall so he could wake up without hurting himself and rubbed his forehead. “Well, old boy, you’ll be able to eat better.” His head hung to his knees as he slept off his sedation.
Whistling, Pete strode into the barn, throwing some hay to the horses that were awake from their procedures. He paused to rub his horse, Gaston, on the nose and whisper in his ear. Melanie found herself a good one in that man. He was kind and gentle, and he was good to Melanie. A pang pushed through my heart. I wish I had that, but the one man that was able to hold my interest was unavailable. Oh how, I wish things were different. He was at the Kisment house with Veronica; while, I was out here, perpetually single.
If you want to read more, check out the ebook or paperback. It is also available in serialized form on my Substack.
The paperback book is an affiliate link. I earn a small commission on the sale of the paperback with no additional cost to you.
Also for your reading pleasure I have a couple of reads for you to check out. The first one is $0.99 to buy or in KU.
Book Blurb:
Hopelessness can sometimes lead to fate's surprises.
Terry and Noah have been inseparable since forever. They stuck together through high school and college, attended each other’s weddings… But when tragedy hits Terry, Noah is nowhere to be found.
Dawn, Terry’s sister-in-law, is struggling with her marriage with Milo. Will their daughter be their only reason for unity, or could they find their way back to each other?
Viola, Terry’s best friend, is suddenly tasked to take care of her brother David who suffered a severe spinal injury while surfing. As they face the uncertainty of his recovery, their sibling bond is put to the ultimate test.
Will they be able to overcome the obstacles that threaten to tear them apart, or will their friendship, family, and love be lost forever?
Follow the journeys of these interconnected characters as they experience the ups and downs of life, love, and friendship in this heartwarming story.
The other is a free read.
Book Blurb:
They called themselves the "Mad Mothers" of Middleton, partly because the PTA drove them crazy, partly because heartbreak had pushed them to their edge. Sarah was cheated on. Lila was ghosted by a workaholic husband. Mia's ex came out. Emily, Rachel, and Tessa? Different disasters, same result. No more men. So they made a pact, wine nights over date nights, chaos over codependence, and absolutely zero romantic entanglements. Then a hot teacher smiles at Sarah. Lila's boss actively listens.and when Tessa catches feelings at a school fundraiser?The pact starts cracking like a dropped casserole dish at a bake sale. Now these women must ask themselves: Was the pact about avoiding love... or finally learning to choose it on their terms? Packed with laugh-out-loud moments, heart squeezing twists and friendships that feel like family, The Mad Mothers of Middleton, New beginnings is your next binge worthy escape!
The only other thing to watch for next week is that my books will be in the Smashwords summer sale. I will have more details then!
I hope you have a wonderful week!
Hugs,
Allie