May 15, 2017 | Dentals
Tuesdays with Tony – Dentals
My usual Saturday solitude was disturbed this past weekend by Dr. Lacher. I had planned on a day of lying on the counter, watching the world through the front window, but instead I watched her do three dentals. I digress momentarily to point out that these three horses are part of our amazing Wellness Program. Click here to find out more about this money, time, and, even, life saving program here at Springhill Equine! Anyway, back to my story. I noticed some things (as a cat, it’s what I do) while watching Dr. Lacher perform these dentals that I would like to share with you.
Good Drugs
The first thing I noticed was a nice dose of sedation for each horse. I thought this was very considerate of Dr. Lacher. I, personally, get full-on anesthesia for dentistry, and I know many humans who would like a nice dose of sedative at the dentist. Dr. Lacher explained to me that this wasn’t just for fun. Sedation allows her to place something called a full-mouth speculum. Turns out, much like me, horses simply will not stand there with their mouth wide open while you work on their teeth. A speculum holds the mouth open so Dr. Lacher can do what is probably the most important part of the dental: a full oral exam.
What’s in there???
Holy teeth, Batman! With the speculum on, a bright light shining in there, and the help of a really, really big dental mirror, I was able to see that horse teeth go WAY back. I’m pretty sure they went back at least 5, maybe even 6 feet. That may be an exaggeration, but they go way back there. It was at this point that Dr. Lacher told me some people don’t even use sedation, or a full mouth speculum, or a bright light when they work on horse teeth. I realize I am a cat, and therefore of superior intelligence, but I don’t understand how anyone thinks they can see all the way to the back of the mouth without sedation, a full mouth speculum, and a really bright light. Humans. They do concern me with their decisions sometimes!
OK, but power tools?
After doing an incredibly thorough exam of the mouth, Dr. Lacher pulled out two different power tools. “Whoa!” I said, “just what do you think you’re doing with those?”
“Floating teeth,” was her reply. By the way, in case you are wondering why we call it floating, as I was, it is an older woodworking term for filing wood down until it is smooth.
Dr. Lacher explained that power tools allow her to do a better, more thorough job, in less time with less wear and tear on the horse, and much less wear and tear on her. It allows her to the same job on the first horse she does on the 10th horse of the day. Just like any power tool, it’s not the tool, it’s how you use it. Dr. Lacher further explained that it’s why our Docs go through extensive dentistry training on a very regular basis. They keep up on the latest and greatest in information and treatments for all kinds of dentistry. Power tools get all kinds of bad press, but how many people do you know who saw wood by hand? Same concept.
By the end of the morning, I had learned a good deal more than I ever cared to know about equine dentistry. I learned doing less is way better than doing more, I learned about sharp points and excess transverse ridges, and I even got to see a tooth extraction. Luckily for Dr. Lacher, she was out of the Clinic by noon so I could return to my regularly scheduled Saturday activity. I am pleased to report that seven cars, one dog, and 27 birds were seen out the front window between noon and 3pm at which time I was needed in the cat bed in the back office. Until next week: Happy Napping!
Nov 8, 2016 | Dentals, Events, Foals, Pet Pigs
First of all, don’t forget to get out there and VOTE today! I would, but they have this weird policy against cats voting…
Boy did I have a busy week here at the clinic! First, I had to share my favorite cat bed with a pig named Tank, who was boarding here for the week. Then, early Sunday morning I had to supervise the foaling of a mare with Dr. Lacher, and later help teach her colt to nurse for the first time. He’s lucky he’s cute, because usually I sleep until at least 11 hours on Sundays. Thank goodness we got an “extra hour” with the time change this past weekend, or my delicate sleep schedule would be all out of whack!
The doctors were running all over the area this past week, from Lake City to Ocala. Dr. Lacher stopped by Lynn Palm’s Open House on Saturday to demonstrate our awesome FES machine. If you haven’t tried it on your horse yet, you really have to! At $65 per treatment, it’s way less expensive than a chiropractor, masseuse, joint injections, or other treatments for performance horses. FES has helped dozens of our patients to run faster, jump higher, and move more comfortably than ever before. I have even used it on myself, and let me tell you, it feels awesome.
In addition to lameness exams, foal watch, and routine appointments, Dr. Vurgason and Dr. Lacher treated a nasty, infected corneal ulcer in a horse’s eye. It’s amazing what a difference the right medications, administered effectively, can do for a horse!
I invited almost-Dr. Chloe here for an externship last week, and she was great. She let me in the front door whenever I asked, even if I had just asked to go out 30 seconds prior. She hasn’t decided if she wants to be a horse-vet or a cat-vet yet. Personally, I don’t understand why everybody doesn’t want to be a cat vet…we are all so cute and soft and cuddly! Amongst other things, Chloe helped Dr. Vurgason extract 2 teeth from an aged gelding with a painful condition called Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH). Say that 5 times fast! We don’t know why this happens to certain horses, but we know it causes the body to attack its own teeth, dissolving bone in some spots, and thickening the tooth in others. Unlike infections of the molars in the back of the mouth, EOTRH affects the incisors, and often causes horses to go off their feed due to pain. The gelding, Fortune, is able to eat much more comfortably now.
In addition to Tank who was as healthy as, well…a pig, Dr. Vurgason treated 3 sick piglets this week. I like the pig patients, because they usually come to the clinic to see me. Although I must say, they can be pretty loud! There is nothing pigs hate more than being restrained. This makes things like taking a temperature, listening to heart and lung sounds, and giving any medication quite a challenge. With pigs, veterinarians rely heavily on observation and asking their owners questions to determine the correct diagnosis.
Between horses, pigs, and the docs, my managerial duties have been in full force! I think I need a nap. And anyway, with the time change and the days getting shorter, 5:00 feels more like 8:00, which is my bedtime. I’ll catch you cats next week!
-Tony
Jul 12, 2016 | Competition Horses, Dentals, Events, Feed, Pet Pigs
When Pigs Fly
I thought I had seen just about everything in my 9 lives. While I didn’t actually spot any pigs flying on Saturday, I did see several swimming in Kiddie Pools, walking on leashes, and eating watermelon during our first annual Piggy Ice Cream Social! It was quite the spectacle. I chose to park myself at a safe distance in front of the fans and speakers that the humans set up for me, and I waited for everyone to come give me attention. It worked.
In case you humans needed yet another reason to come and adore me at the clinic, this month we are offering $35 off in-house dentals! I didn’t quite understand why horses require so much dental care, so I asked the docs about it after Saturday’s social, and this is what I learned:
Unlike the superior feline species, horse teeth continue to grow throughout their lives. The fancy doctor word for this is hypsodont dentition. As the teeth erupt from the gum line, they are gradually ground down by forage in the horse’s diet. Humans have done a few things to fowl up this natural process of wear and tear, including feeding horses large grain meals to replace grazing on the prairie, and breeding horses to have extra long or short heads, which often means their teeth no longer line up.
In an ideal situation, the top rows of cheek teeth line up with the bottom rows of cheek teeth, and when the horse grinds it’s food in a circular motion, all of the teeth wear down evenly. (We are talking about molars and premolars now, not the incisors, which you see when you lift up the lips.) In reality, it is common for the top rows of teeth to stick out farther in the front, and the bottom rows of teeth to stick out farther in the back. This causes sharp hooks and ramps, respectively, to form.
In addition, the horse’s upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw. Over time this causes sharp enamel points to form on the cheek side of the upper teeth, and the tongue side of the lower teeth. Sharp points lead to ulcerations, which lead to pain, which lead to difficulty eating, which leads to weight loss…
Moral of the story: bring your horse in for a dental float, and the docs will be able to identify and quickly correct any and all of these issues. A healthy horse with an average mouth should have his teeth filed down, or “floated” at least once a year. If your horse has dental problems, such as missing or broken teeth, a wave mouth, a step mouth, or a long history of inadequate dental care, he may need more frequent dental exams.
The only way to thoroughly and safely examine all of a horse’s teeth is with sed
ation, a good light source, and a speculum (that’s the contraption that holds the horse’s mouth open and prevents the doc’s arm from being crushed). Honestly I still wouldn’t be caught dead sticking my paw inside the mouth of a 1000 lb animal with 42 teeth, but then again I’m not a vet!
Now, thanks to my cat wisdom, you are an expert on horse teeth. Feel free to go out and impress your friends with your new knowledge. I won’t even ask for credit, just give me a scratch behind the ears when you bring your horse in for his discounted dental this month!
-Tony
Oct 13, 2015 | Dentals, Events, Leg issues
Tuesdays with Tony
Holy busy week Bat Cat!! This has been one really busy week around here. Not only did the Docs stay super busy but also I had to make sure everything was ready to go for our annual See Tony event the humans call Open House. I have included some pictures for those of you who didn’t make it. Just know that I know who you are and I am judging you for not stopping by to see me.
Let’s start with cases.
We had a few older horses that needed some teeth removed. Unlike cats, horse’s teeth continue to erupt as they age. This means when they get older they have a really short tooth with no root holding it in. This week the Docs saw three horses for routine dentistry that had loose teeth. Luckily these teeth are very easy to extract and it doesn’t seem to bother the horses much. They still get a local Novocain block, and some pain medication but usually once the teeth are out they feel much better.
The horse we cut all that nasty Pythium stuff off of is doing pretty darn well. I got to do a brief cat scan on her when she came by for a checkup. The Docs are using some really cool silver impregnated socks on her legs to help cover the wounds while letting them air out but not exposing them to flies. So far they are feeling pretty good about the socks. Personally I think the horse looks rather silly wearing them and I would never tolerate that as a cool cat.
On Friday while I was trying my best to supervise See Tony 2015, I mean Open House; the Docs were in my way all afternoon working on putting this funny camera thing they called an endoscope up the nose of a horse to see inside a thing they called the guttural pouches. I asked why horses have this crazy pouch in the back of their throat and the answer was no one really knows but they think it works to cool blood on its way to the brain during high speed exercise. That explains why cats don’t work that way: no high speed exercise here thank you very much. Turns out guttural pouches like to get infected and it can be hard to fix. The endoscope let them get a sample directly from the pouch and test it for different bacteria and fungus so they could treat exactly what the problem was. Then Dr. Lacher was busy working on lameness. This horse had a tear in the check ligament. I asked what she was checking the ligament for and she said no it’s called the Check Ligament. I knew that all along; I was just messing with her. It’s what a cat does. Dr. Lacher told me this injury is usually one of the easier ones to manage in horses. A bit of rest and some rehabilitation and off they go. Unfortunately, this horse has re-injured his check ligament. Good news is this ligament isn’t 100% necessary so a little bit of surgery, a little bit of rest, and a little bit of rehab and he should be fine.
Finally, on to the most important day of the week: See Tony Saturday. I kept the humans here late in to the night on Friday and got them here early in the day on Saturday so that all would be perfect for my day. I was so happy to see you all and I trust you learned lots from my minions, I mean humans. I also have to give a big shout out to Bross Hogg’s Lunch Wagon for some seriously good food!
Aug 27, 2015 | Castration, Cryptorchid, Dentals
Waiting for RJ to wake up
They sure do require a lot of supervision around here. The doctors have been busy with all kinds of stuff this week. There have been lameness exams, dentals, ultrasounds of tendons and ligaments, necks, and backs. Dr. Vurgason ultra-sounded a 14 day pregnancy which was pretty cool. Monday I supervised a rare bilateral crypt-orchid surgery. That is fancy doctor speak for both testicles were in the abdomen instead of down where they are supposed to be. According to Dr. Lacher it’s usually only one that stays where it’s not supposed to and the other is normal. That is him in the background sleeping like a baby after surgery.
We have also seen some routine care this week at the office. I enjoy these visits since it gives me a chance to really connect with my fans. I get to spend some quality time visiting with them, chatting about what they are up to with their horses, getting my ears scratched, talking about how great I am, marveling at my beautiful yellow eyes, shiny black coat, and wonderful athletic physique. Dentals are my favorite routine appointment since this is often when I get the best ear and chin scratches while the docs and techs are busy with the horses in the stocks. I also feel that I do my best supervising with dentals. I watch as the doctors examine the horse, then administer sedation, place the big thing in their mouth that holds it open, and put a funny looking light on their heads. From there they carefully examine every tooth before performing the dental float.
There has been lots of discussion around the office about management of Coby’s wounds. In case you haven’t been checking in with me regularly, Coby has some very serious wounds to his hind legs that the docs are intensively managing. I am learning that these wounds go through many different phases and require different things at different times. Right now they are figuring out which pieces of skin aren’t going to make it and how best to cover the wounds as they heal. Coby’s body is beginning to move from the clean up phase to the wound healing phase. The start of that is called contracture. The tissue around the edges will slowly constrict around the wound as it grows until the wound is covered. Out in front of that contracture is granulation tissue. Little baby skin cells will then start migrating across the granulation tissue. Skin cells are very particular about how and where they travel. They like flat, moist areas. So the docs have to work on keep the wound wet but not too wet, covered but not too tight, clean but not scrubbed too hard, all while keeping infection in the surrounding tissue under control. In a wound like this the docs also have to make sure the bone stays wet or it will dry out and be VERY unhappy. Tomorrow we are going to do a lot of work on Coby so I’m off to rest up for a long, tough day of supervising Springhill Equine.
