Posted by Geoff Tucker on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 @ 12:54 PM
When a horse is hungry and stares at his food but would rather die then open his mouth and chew, it becomes an emergency call for my practice. Though rare, I have had several this year.
I was north of the farm that called. A worried voice described her horse as normally a “Hoover vacuum” but now was refusing all food. Her vet had just left and had no insight to the reason, but had suggested that it could be the teeth.
I was done and heading home to cool off from a sweltering summer day. My pants and shirt were soaked and held enough water to water a garden. The air conditioner in the truck chilled my skin to goose bumps. I looked forward to soap and water followed by dry clothes. I reminded myself that this luxury was not available to the men and women serving this country in far off lands. And it was not going to be my way for a while today.
I drove south for over an hour mulling in my mind several possibilities that would cause this horse to be hungry and WANT to eat but COULD’T eat. First on the list was a broken tooth followed by a chipped tooth. Another cause could be a tongue laceration. But the owner had not seen blood, though the horse could have bit it some time before the owner saw the change in eating.
One horse I had seen with similar symptoms had a 6 inch piece of wire embedded into the base of the tongue that was finally found days later with an ultrasound exam.
The last time I had floated this mare was almost 3 years earlier. Since that time she had one floating done with power tools, but that was about 1 year ago. The pain today in this mare’s mouth was so great that I couldn’t open her mouth without giving serious pain medication.
With the drugs in effect, I was able to do my exam. All that was found was super sharp teeth. After floating, there was immediate improvement which made us feel we were on the right track. After 2 days, she was back to normal eating everything in sight.
Once again, the threshold of pain as the determining factor for how often teeth should be floated was seen. Once again, removal of pain as our sole purpose of dental care in horses was made evident. While this was a poignant case, we get to see the results of pain removal day after day in the horses that we float.
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Posted by Geoff Tucker on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 @ 05:13 PM
A year or two ago I wrote this blog numbering the nights I spent in a hotel serving horse owners. It is not the end of August, 2010 yet and I have already exceeded this number. I am guessing that I will visit a Marriott hotel about 150 times this year.
September 11, 2001 - New London, CT - A beautiful early morning as I wait for the ferry to cross to New York
Here are the reasons I listed. They still apply today:
- Reason 1 - Because I can. I live in a country where gratefully I can freely travel with an abundant supply of fuel, food, and lodging. And I have an AWESOME truck. And there is a cell signal almost everywhere.
- Reason 2 - Because I have clients throughout the US that believe in me and the quality of my work. I am grateful for them selecting me to provide the dental needs for their horses. I know there are other dentists charging less. But my clients know that spending less doesn't mean they are saving money.
- Reason 3 - Because I am willing to do what others perceive as being too hard. That is because I don't perceive it as hard. In fact, my "work" is fun.
- Reason 4 - Because I get to see this great country. Many feel that driving 70,000 miles a year is more than they could do. I see it as a blessing. Driving through Selma, Alabama in the early hours before sun up brought me back to a point in our country's history. The town is immaculate. Or driving on the Cross Brooklyn Expressway and seeing the Statue Of Liberty lit up at night, her flame bright. Or rounding the southern tip of Manhattan painfully missing the twin towers. Running the length of beautiful states such as Tennessee or West Virginia, seeing the great expanse of Texas, or witnessing the variety in geography of Florida or New York.
- Reason 5 - Let’s not forget the thrill and excitement of driving in snow!
- Reason 6 - Because my wife knows that I am happiest when serving others through their horses. She also is a "whatever it takes" kind of person.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve you and your horses. We look forward to seeing you at your farm soon.
Posted by Geoff Tucker on Thu, Aug 12, 2010 @ 12:28 PM
A Long Day
The day had started 14 hours ago. We were sick and our heads throbbed. The temperature sat at 85 in the shed row and 10 degrees above that inside the stalls. The air was still as the unplugged fans leaned up against the far wall.
Every effort made by me to reach the sharp points in the horse’s mouth was matched with throbbing pain in my head that synchronized with my increased heart rate. I couldn’t get enough air. I leaned my head out of the stall to cool. My horse waited patiently. I wanted to go back to the hotel, darken the room, and sleep.
Mel came around the corner and she looked no better. Later she would vomit in the truck on our way to the next farm. And so it goes 1500 miles away from home. The glamourous life of a mobile equine dental practice.
We were 6 miles from a hot shower and soft bed. The black skies and unfamiliar city was no match for Lola, our in dash GPS who gently ordered us about turns and exit ramps. Then the phone rang.
I have had two emergencies this month. These are rare events in my practice. The owner is concerned that their horse suddenly stops eating and sometimes even drinking but appears hungry or thirsty.
What made tonight’s call unique was the added bizarre behavior where the horse immersed her head up to her eyeballs in her water bucket and then sloshed herself in it.
Resetting the GPS, we said we were on our way. Only 1 hour and 15 minutes to this farm. Arrival time was 10:30 pm.
The horse hung her head over the stall gate. Depression filled her face as drool extended from her lips to a small puddle on the floor. I placed her halter on and she didn’t move. I slid my hand inside her mouth and felt every tooth as well as all the soft tissue of her mouth. There were a few very sharp points but not enough to cause her to suddenly stop eating. No broken teeth or cuts of the tongue or cheeks. There was a faint foul odor from the left side and her mouth was too warm indicating a fever.
Now what? The thought that this horse might have rabies (a fatal brain disease) went through my mind. She had not been vaccinated for rabies but thankfully I had. She showed unexplained behavior and the one time she whinnied it was a high pitched squeal. While colic is the number one sign of rabies in the horse, other species show altered vocalization, unusual behavior, an affinity for water, depression - all things this mare showed.
I floated the sharp points, administered Banamine (a pain reliever and fever reducer), and prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic. The mare started to eat her hay and swallow water, but she had a way to go before we could say she was back to normal. We packed up and drove to the hotel. Lights out about 1:30 in the morning. Wheels up at 7.
We live for this. See ya’ll later, Doc T
PS - A few days later the mare appears to be improving. Endoscopic exam has revealed a mass in the pharynx which is most likely an abscess. It presented like a sudden onset tooth problem.
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Posted by Geoff Tucker on Thu, Aug 05, 2010 @ 07:21 PM
Every once in a while you need to get back to your roots and give thanks to those who helped to shape your life. You need to do this before the opportunity to do so is lost.
I started to work with horses full time in 1973. During the first years I met a great veterinarian in New York named John Steiner. Many events with him will never leave my memory. Like the time I called him for a stuck foal. During the wait I reached in to try to untangle things with no success. Dr Steiner showed up and quickly assessed the situation. Then he stood next to me, shoulder to shoulder, and proclaimed that my arm was longer. So he sent me back into the mare with an obstetrical chain and together we extracted the live foal.
Dr Steiner was the one who encouraged me to apply to Cornell. Without him, I never would have seen the fun of veterinary medicine. I spent several years of spare time at his surgery center in Mahopac, NY. A few years later he went to Kentucky and became a world expert in equine reproduction.
In 2008 he returned to New York in semi retirement and worked at Rhinebeck Equine in Rhinebeck, NY. I had plans to meet up with him again in June and go over old times. It would be the first time I had seen him in decades. First on my list was to thank him for all that he had done to start me off.
It was Memorial Day and our meeting was never to occur. While working on a horse that day he was knocked to the ground splitting open his head. He died 3 days later.
Dr Steiner was not my only mentor and inspiration for equine veterinary medicine. Two other mentors include Dr Paul Mountan of Rhinebeck Equine and Dr Jack Lowe formally of Cornell University. I have been sure to thank these men several times since then. A few weeks ago I ran into Dr Lowe in Lake Placid, NY where for 40 years he has been the horse show vet. Here is a picture of us.
So, my friends, take a moment to drop a line and say thanks to those who have helped you along your path. And do it often.
See y’all later, Doc T
Posted by Geoff Tucker on Mon, Jul 05, 2010 @ 08:10 PM
Please remember National Helmet Awareness Day is July 10th - check your tack store for helmet discounts. Go to http://www.riders4helmets.com/?page_id=854
Wow! 4 days off in a row so today we jumped right in it with 5 barns all here in south Florida. What a range of horses as far as size and age: Minis to a Belgian and 2 1/2 years to 30 years or so.
I told this to 2 separate farms today so I thought it was worth repeating. A friend and professor Emeritus at Cornell’s Veterinary College studied how many times a horse chews in a day. She determined that depending on whether the horse was turned out all day or if it was stabled, the horse chews between 10,000 and 40,000 times a day. To split it down the middle, lets say 25,000 chews per day. Out of the 86,400 seconds in a day, the horse spends a little less than a third of a day chewing. In 10 days he chews a quarter of a million times. In a year it is over 9 million chews.
While the tooth continually erupts, it is now easy to see why we come back to smooth out the sharp edges every 6 months.
That’s all for the day’s events. Pass this along to your friends.
Doc T
Posted by Geoff Tucker on Sun, May 02, 2010 @ 08:01 AM
A follow up with the 32 year old pictured 10 days ago. This is his current photo which many of you may consider as no improvement.
What the picture does not show is that he is eating everything in sight with no difficulties. His attitude is positive as can be seen in his interest in me taking his picture.
We have been working on his mild diarrhea so we have not been too aggressive with changes. This weekend the owner will be working on shedding his coat and keeping him cool in the hot Florida sun. The parasites will also be addressed.
Bottom line is this. Should he die today, he will have died with love, care, and respect - and a full belly.
Thanks everyone for all the silent prayers for him. Today we are floating 30 horses that were rescued from a slaughter house. These horses are looking for a good home so if you need to adopt one please contact me.
See y'all later, Doc T
Posted by Geoff Tucker on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 06:19 PM
This is a picture of a 32 year old horse. I went to see him last night as an emergency because although he was hungry, he was unable to eat. He had been attended to by two other veterinarians during the last week for this problem as well as the associated diarrhea.
This horse had teeth as sharp as a rip saw with several uneven teeth (waves) and the first lower cheek teeth on the bottom right were worn to the gum with sharp edges.
THESE ARE THE FASCINATING FACTS:
1) This horse was floated 3 months ago.
2) None of the vets attending checked the teeth but did give mounds of nutritional advice as well as draw blood. One person said that she was basically on his last legs.
3) All I did was remove ALL the sharp edges. No incisor reduction, bit seat, balancing, wave reduction, or lateral excursion test.
NOTHING BUT REMOVE THE SOURCES OF PAIN.
After floating the horse started to eat again. Seriously. This afternoon I called the owner who reported that he has not stopped eating or drinking everything placed in front of him. We are going slow and steady so don't worry.
But the point is this. All I did was remove pain. Simple.
I have submitted a paper to the AAEP on how to examine the mouth. I think EVERY vet needs to know this simple procedure.
OK, I will follow up on this. We are not out of the woods. But if he dies tonight he will die a happy horse with a full belly. That was better than last night.
See y'all later, Doc T
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Posted by Geoff Tucker on Tue, Apr 20, 2010 @ 08:45 AM
Where am I? Let's see, last Friday I worked in the eastern tip of Long Island, NY, Saturday and Sunday I was in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with the Canadian Rockies in the background. Monday I worked in Princeton, NJ and today I am near Atlanta, GA. I'll be home Thursday night in time for jury duty on Friday.
So what drives me? My passion for applying horsemanship to veterinary medicine. We walked onto the Long Island Farm and the Canada farm and received the same reaction from these new clients. All the people had heard of our style and were a little skeptical. When we left, the man in NY had a hugh smile on his face that must have hurt the smile muscles for a week. And in Canada we made another client cry tears of joy.
Here is another reason. I love to teach and I am humbled when an unexpected student appears. This is a picture of Dr Harvey Cole who will be celebrating his 89th birthday this year (I had originally said he was 78, an error). This man was a book of experiences I could not stop listening to. But what really humbled me was when he said, "I came to learn."
He stayed all day and as you can see here, he got some hands on experience. If I ever get to the day when I say I think I know it all, I will think of Dr Cole and this picture. God bless him.
See y'all later, Doc T
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Posted by Geoff Tucker on Wed, Apr 14, 2010 @ 09:55 PM
Today Melissa, Brandon, and I worked in the Hamptons of New York - way out near the end of Long Island - about 20 miles from the point where there is nothing but ocean between NY and Europe. It is the land of famous people. Martha Stewart meeting someone at the diner early one morning, Steven Speilburg with armed guards at his gate. Ponies owned by Paul McCartney and Cheryl Tiegs.
Today we saw a horse with parrot mouth. This is easier to show than describe.
Pictures like these can be seen in every text book and magazine article on equine dentistry. Big whoop. They incite emotions in horse owners who demand that something be done. Surgery is available but the question of ethics arise. Most believe it is genetic and heritable. I add that it may be teratogenic (look it up) caused by deworming within the 1st 60 days of pregnancy.
What I never hear or see are the associated pictures of how a parrot mouth never causes any weight problems. In fact, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A SKINNY PARROT MOUTHED HORSE.
The bay horse in this picture is the yearling with the mouth seen in the above photo. Obviously there is no weight problem. This filly is fed the same as all the other yearlings in the barn, like the chestnut seen here.
Think about it. If your horse has a parrot mouth it is only a blemish that may prevent him from being a halter horse, but it is NOT life threatening. It is not necessary to perform surgery or do anything with the teeth other than routine floating starting from about year one.
Just my thoughts after 27 years doing horse teeth. See y'all later, Doc T
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Posted by Geoff Tucker on Mon, Apr 12, 2010 @ 11:01 PM
Worked all last week, mostly in Wellington, FL. Friday, Sat, and Sunday I attended continuing education (CE) in Tampa, FL. I needed the credits to maintain my FL license.
In NY they don't require me to have CE. At first look this seems backwards. Shouldn't I attend meetings to learn the latest and greatest? The answer is simply NO! I am living proof of this because of my beliefs based on 27 years of practice and floating 43,000 horses during this time.
What if all the "new stuff" is wrong? What if what they teach me at these meetings actually hurts your horse? If what I do has NEVER hurt a horse and what they teach today has hurt horses, should I start to do those new things? I don't think so.
In addition they have not once asked me to talk about my experience as an equine dentist. I have submitted a neutral paper to one of the horse vet organizations. We will see if it is accepted and if I am asked to give a talk.
In the meantime I continue to teach horse owners throughout the US and Canada or style of Equine Dentistry Without Drama™. Once in a while I "do my time" by learning about flea control in dogs. I see that has changed once again.
This is Melissa today floating a Mini in Cocoa, FL. She was the lecturer for the continuing education of these kids. Now they really learned something.
See y'all later, Doc T
Travels With Doc T™ by
Geoff Tucker, DVM is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.