Told my bosses I would be in around noon today because the vet was coming out at 10 AM. Well, she got there at 10 all right, but she didn't finish up until 2:30! Needless to say, I didn't make it in to work.
I wanted the vet to check Bug's teeth. She lost weight over the winter -- something she has NEVER done in the past. The challenge has always been to keep extra weight OFF. Anyway, she checked her out and said yes, it probably wouldn't hurt to file her teeth because there were some sharp edges. Well, when she got the speculum in her mouth so she could see all the way to the back it turned out she had all kinds of problems. First, she had several sores on the inside of her cheek on one side where some sharp edges had rubbed her check, then she had a really long scratch under her tongue on the other side of her mouth from several sharp teeth. But those were the least of it. She had a loose molar, but when the vet began trying to pull it out, blood and pus began to ooze out around it. Turned out she had a bad abscess around the root of that tooth. Poor girl!
Here she is waiting for the medication to take effect before her dental work. She looks like she's considering just laying down on the ground!
It took a good hour and a half or more, but Dr. C. did get all those sharp edges and points smoothed out, the loose infected tooth pulled, and her abscess cleaned out.
Can you believe the size of that tooth??? I mean, I knew horses had big teeth, but somehow holding one in your hand really brings that home!
The vet said that when they get to her age (mid-20's), the teeth have been worn so far down and erupted from the gums so far, that there isn't much root left at all - which is why they get loose at this age. So she's going to need dental exams every six months now - poor darling.
Anyway, she's on two kinds of antibiotics, and a probiotic for the next week. (Hope once that gum heals that her behavior in the bit will improve -- AND her disposition. We'll see.)
Lizzie got her teeth floated as well, but there was nothing nearly as bad in her case. And her legs and general health were much better this time. Yeaaaa!
Duke has a lot of bumps from bites or allergies or something. We need to bathe him and keep him fly sprayed to see if bites have caused the problem. He also got his sheath cleaned. She was going to sedate him, but I told her he wouldn't mind - and he didn't. Such a good boy.
So everybody is in decent shape for now. Next visit - July, for yearly vaccinations. (Bug got a tetanus shot today, but their regular shots aren't due yet so we put that off for now.)
It poured down rain again last night, but by the time Dr. C. got over to the barn it had cleared up completely and the sun was shining. All that rain will no doubt have everything blooming in another week. A lot of things are blooming around here already -- like this honeysuckle next to the garage.
Well, time for an early bedtime. When I told John I wouldn't be in today, I promised I'd go in early tomorrow, so . . . good night, all.
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