May 2022 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN May 2022 Page 29 Equine Dentists, Vets Treat 35 Rescue Horses opportunity for young dentists, and for veterinarians to help out, to make sure sedation is properly done, and to learn more about dentistry,” Topeka said. Volunteer Andrea Wede King talked about how she’d brought her horse-loving niece to the rescue to volunteer, only to see it grow into a “family thing.” “Now we come every Sunday and volunteer as a family,” she said. Her sister, her niece and nephew and her parents all join her weekly. “I love the beach, but I’m going to tell you what, this is my second favorite happy place. I am a happy girl when I am here, spend- ing time with the horses,” she said. As the day wore on several horses garnered extra benefits, in- cluding some chiropractic massage. While working on a blind mare named Charlotte, equine dentist Lisa A. Wasmer asked a vet to look at the spot in her eye. Dr. Ann Marie Hancock did a thorough checkup. It looked like squamous cell carcinoma, a diagnosis that will be confirmed with a biopsy. “Seeing as the eye is begin- ning to atrophy, it is highly likely we will have our vet remove it in the fall,” Biemiller said. In addition, EOTRH was discovered in another horse. Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis is a painful progressive condi- tion of older horses that involves multiple teeth, including canines and incisors. Biemiller said the mare will be rechecked in the fall. They’re exploring supplements to support gum health. Although the Maryland Horse Rescue would have scheduled dental checks anyway, both Bie- miller and Hopton spoke of how money saved through dental day can be redirected to other needs. “Horses have about 40 teeth,” Biemiller explained. “They can develop gum disease, broken teeth and abscess. An abscess or infec- tion unattended can make a horse very sick, cause neurological issues and can lead to death. Imagine having a toothache for years.” As horses rotated in and out of the barn, Biemiller and Hopton looked on. Dentists and vets moved from stall to stall. “It’s a group of a decent peo- ple doing good things,” Hopton said. “The Maryland horse Rescue has a field of blind horses that will never be rehomed, but we reach out to other rescues, too. I’ve gone all the way to Missouri to T & D Donkey Rescue, to Hope’s Legacy down toward Charlot- tesville, Omega Horse Rescue in [Airville] Pennsylvania, and Mid- dleburg Humane. We get together groups of dentists who just want to help horses.” One blind horse named Tuck- er spearheaded this movement. “You gotta give to get and karma is a great thing,” Hopton reflected. “This helps the industry and it helps the animals, because unfortunately, some of these ani- mals don’t have a choice.” (Continued from page 13)