Self-confessed dental geek, Nicky Brooks at the Barn Equine Surgery was the first to spot the tiniest signs of this in Theoden's teeth back in March and in April Amy Reynolds confirmed that she thought that Nicky was right. As a result we now have base-line x-rays taken today by which we can monitor the progress if any of the disease and I can do what I can to delay it's onset. The really great news is there are no radiological signs of the disease in that his teeth, his roots and his gums are all strong even though his bottom outer incisors have started to stick out a little. With regular cleaning I can try to keep it that way. He does have some hairline fissures on his lower teeth but these are miniscule.
By coincidence Yvonne with Kestrel were also down at the surgery waiting for his gastroscope. She has become her own expert in gastric ulcers and is now able to spot even the subtlest signs of them reoccuring. This is a pony that lives out full time with ad-lib hay and yet he seemed to get ulcers whenever his system is stressed by wormers or injections. Yvonne tries not to worm unnecessarily but did so after the vet spotted bots in his stomach during an earlier gastroscope.
Yvonne trusts Kestrel and Kestrel trusts Yvonne so that if for example he plants when led, she immediately suspects ulcers, if he doesn't come up to be caught or turns his nose up at food, she suspects ulcers. And each time she has been proved right. Moreover, she now starts treatment immediately by administering clay which she sources from www.thewildhealthshop.co.uk Between the last gastroscope where Kestrel exhibited grade 2 pyloric ulcers and today, she has been treating him with clay and nothing else. Today there were no signs of ulcers at all.
 |
