Equine Sports Medicine & Surgery
On March 12, 2013 about 20 from our 4H group participated in a tour of Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery in Weatherford. Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery helps about 75 horses a day and has several doctors on staff.
We saw a very cute foal that was one-day old. Another foal we saw was about 3-days old and was walking and nursing on the mare. We found out the mare was a surrogate.
In another barn, we observed a horse dentist pulling 2 teeth on a sedated horse that was standing up. He had to put a different kind of bit in the horse's mouth to keep it open. The dentist's tools were very large!
The Equine hospital performs surgeries on horses. One horse we were observed had colic. First, the doctors put the horse to sleep (sedated it). Once the horse is asleep, they need to get it on the table. This was very cool! They lifted the horse up with a pulley — by his legs, upside down! The pulley moved it over the table and lowered the horse down slowly. The nurses shaved and cleaned his belly really well, and then they put "gloves" over all his hooves! Then the doctor's started the surgery. I saw the first cut and I saw the doctor put his hand inside. We had to leave at that point.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is offered there and they have been successful with treatments for horses.
~Zhanna
