A Dentist who makes house calls?

It's the HORSE dentist! I was very lucky that I could get Dr. Julie Eihl to come to our farm and take care of our horse's dental needs. Some are getting older and some just need to be checked to make sure there are no sharp points digging into their cheeks. I became convinced of the necessity of good equine dental care many years ago when I saw a wonderful equine dentist literally save the lives of several older horses at the barn where I boarded. Since then, I make sure that they get seen on a regular (every one or two year) basis.


First we tackled what we knew was going to be the hardest: Miss Lily. Donkeys are notoriously bad with sedation (you give them a lot and they STILL are not as docile as you want and need!) and Lily was no exception. This picture was taken after the fact, because frankly, it was a donkey rodeo. Even under as much sedation as we could safely give her, twice she took a head-full of equipment with her out of the stall and down the aisle. We were smart enough to have closed the barn doors or she would have been GONE. Dr. Eihl was a trooper though, and hung in there to help poor Lily, who really did have some problems that needed addressing. She was getting a 'smile' where her front teeth didn't meet straight across, so that caused her sideways grinding motion to be messed up and thus messing up all her back teeth as well. She got as much of that fixed as possible, and we should be almost back to what should be normal next time in about a year. This picture is Daisy getting a tying lesson while poor Lily sleeps off her sedation.


OK, on to the easy guys. Maddie is always so sweet and this time was no exception. She had lost a tooth last time so this time was important to make sure the opposing tooth wasn't growing too long. The good news was that it wasn't, but that means that because of her age (19), her teeth aren't growing any more. I'll have to watch and make sure that she is able to deal with her hay, and if not, begin supplementing with equine senior and more beet pulp.


Yakki was next and he didn't need much other than just removing the sharp points all horses inevitably get because of the way they chew. These points gouge into their cheeks and make eating painful. Dr. Eihl said that her work on Yak would make his utilization of food more efficient as well. Great...just what we need on Mr. Tubby!!


Little Bit lived up to his 'easy keeper' status by not needing any dental attention at all. Luckily, he doesn't have a problem with people putting their hands way in his mouth even when not sedated, so she was able to reach in and feel everything and was surprised to recommend that he be skipped this year. She said that sure doesn't happen very often!


We saved the biggest, and easiest mouth for last. Dr. Eihl was happy to have so much room to move around in finally! Bailey had the usual sharp points, as well as two big cavities in the same upper 'molar' on each side (sorry, I don't know what they're called in horses). We had an interesting discussion about this, with Dr. Julie pointing out that these almost always are a result of a defect in the tooth (hence it in the PAIR of teeth) and can be filled, but it's not always successful and not necessary unless the tooth looks to be heading toward an abcess. Not treating will eventually result in the loss of the tooth. She felt that at his age (17), by the time he would lose the tooth, he probably would be pretty worn down in all the other teeth and on senior food anyway. Luckily, their cavities are not like our and don't hurt. And I would know, because Bailey is a big WIMP and tells me whenever there is something that hurts on him.


So all in all it was a good visit. Dr. Eihl consented to coming back again, even after experiencing the donkey rodeo. Our checkbook is considerably lighter, but it is a good feeling to know that no one has sharp teeth jabbing them in the cheeks and they are aging as well as can be expected as far as their teeth go. Have you had YOUR teeth checked lately!!??