Our little American Quarter Horse filly Surenuff has always been a little "rough and rowdy" and I found out just how rowdy she could be on Monday 11/27/07 when I went out to feed around 3:30 pm. She's always been one of the first horses to "talk to me" as I walk towards the shed. But I noticed that she was standing in a corner with her head hung low. I called her but she ignored me which was really unusual for her. Normally she's all over anyone who wants to give her time and attention cause she loves people! But not today....
A closer inspection revealed blood dripping from her mouth. As I looked around, I suddenly discovered there was blood everywhere! On her feed and water barrels, on the sand in her corral and all over the pipe corrals. I couldn't believe there was so much blood around.
I called Brenda and told her that Surenuff was bleeding and she ran down her to give me some assistance. Thank God my sister was a vet assistant all those years back in California! I panic and she is always calm and collected. We got the halter and lead rope on Surenuff and brought her out of her corral and closer inspection revealed that she had pulled several teeth loose and her gums were bleeding pretty badly. I called the doctor to let him know we were on our way just as Don arrived home from work.
He hitched up our brand new trailer that we had just bought from a dealer in Flagstaff just the weekend before. (Up til this point, I'd been borrowing my sister's trailer to transport my horses)
We got Surenuff loaded into the trailer and headed for Prescott to the equine hospital. I couldn't believe it... We had just had an expensive vet bill last month and now this. I wailed that it wasn't fair and that this was one of the reason's I hadn't owned horses for nearly 20 years because it's so expensive... and we'd just spent over $4,000.00 for a new trailer and well you get the idea of where my head was at the moment!
Three hours and two equine doctors later (yep, it took 2 doctors, 1 vet tech and both Don and I to hold her during her dental procedure!) we were loaded up and heading back home with Surenuff, missing two of her front teeth. Thankfully these were her "baby teeth" and her adult teeth should grow in just fine. But she sure endured some trials and tribulations as they drilled and pulled and prodded and yanked on her teeth, gums and mouth to resolve her medical issue!
Whew, I never want to go through an ordeal like that one ever again. But after the first few days, she was back to her old self, playing and nipping and having fun being a filly! The missing teeth hasn't affected her eating cause she still eats "like a horse"!
But all these vet bills sure has affected our savings account! I keep expecting Don to say something about the cost of my horse operation but he hasn't... yet.... anyways.
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