July 11, 2010

I guess it was a few weeks ago that the vet was out to take a look at Patrick’s teeth. He had begun to have troubles chewing (grinding) his hay because his back teeth had become worn and uneven. This is pretty typical for horses, as they take in sand and other abrasives from hay and grasses that over time naturally, and eventually, cause their teeth to wear unevenly.

So Dr. Beth came out to “float his teeth”, or in other words, use a specially made rasp to even out the irregularities and make Patrick’s back teeth flat again.

Although it looks a bit masochistic, its not so bad on the horse. Patrick got a sedative that put him in “la- la land”. Dr. Beth fitted him with a jaw brace to keep his mouth open, and quickly went to work flushing and cleaning his teeth, feeling for the uneven areas, and finally, rasping, or floating his teeth until they were smooth once more. In all, it took a half hour or so. When Patrick came out of his happy daze, he had a perfect smile again!

The ironic part of this whole story is that Dr. Beth, after repairing his teeth so that he could eat again, put him on a weight loss program, which means that even though she restored him to be an efficient eating machine, he wasn’t going to be allowed to be one!

Patrick needed to lose about 200 lbs! If you ever tried to lose even 5 lbs, you can easily appreciate the challenge Patrick was given!

So Kath has put Patrick on a diet and exercise program – cutting back his intake, and putting him to work each evening in the paddock. Its working – Patrick is adjusting to the light menu and beginning to enjoy the extra time with Kath, running this way and that, and being ridden more often. Although we haven’t measured him yet, he has begun losing weight and seems to feel a lot better!

The whole series of events reminds me of the times I have gone to the doctor with some typical complaint, yet he finds a much bigger problem in me that I had no idea was there! And so it is with Patrick, and for the best! It’s always nice to know that someone is looking out for you in the long run…and I think that poor ‘ol Patrick understands that, even when his stomach is growling! At least he can smile about it.