Our equine vet, Dr. Bill Brown, came out to the ranch this afternoon to do procedures on four of our blind horses. On the roster was Guadalupe, an old blind mare who arrived several weeks ago from Washington state. We already knew her mouth was a mess and had scheduled a dental for her today.
But it wasn't until Bill got her sedated and her mouth opened up that we realized just how bad her teeth were. He said it was clear she hadn't received any dental care in her entire life, and Bill estimated her age at the mid- to late-twenties. Ouch. She even had cuts and abrasions inside her cheeks and on the roof of her mouth. It's amazing she could eat as well as she did.
I took this photo of Bill and his vet tech Lynn L. while Bill was using the power grinder on Guadalupe's bottom left row of teeth. Bill's headgear holds the lamp that illuminates the inside of her mouth as he works. Bill and Linda are wearing earmuffs because that power grinder makes a lot of noise!
(Click on photo for larger image.)
Why didn't poor Guadalupe get any earmuffs? Poor girl, that must have been tough for her. It's so sad that she's never had any care for her teeth! I guess she was able to eat because she's gotten used to her mouth & teeth being a wreck. I hope this helps her.
ginger & Tobias
Posted by: ginger & Tobias (the greythound) | August 31, 2006 at 07:11 AM