"I wanted to share my experience with owning a horse with EOTRH to raise awareness and to help others in the same situation who have their doubts about extraction. Also, to say a massive thank you to Alex and the team.

It actually all started years ago when my now 24 year old gelding began loosing his teeth. I’d known he’d randomly lost one before but never thought anything of it. But this time there was quite a lot of blood. So naturally I called a vet out. This was when I first heard about EOTRH. My mind whirled when I was informed that all his front teeth, top and bottom, needed to come out. I had questions like how could he possibly eat and survive and how stressful will it be for him. So needless to say, I left it for another two years. I regularly rinsed his teeth with water to try to keep infection at bay. But I soon started to see his teeth drop out one by one…

Last year when Alex came out to do my horse’s annual dental check. I was hit with the news that they NEED to come out. His seven remaining front teeth were causing him terrible pain and creating a hole in his tongue. Actually the condition is one of the most painful things a horse can go through. My worry and concern for my horse that I’ve owned for 14 years made me book and cancel the procedure. I just couldn’t understand that complete extraction was the best thing. He’s pulling hay from his haynet and he’s pulling up grass like there’s no tomorrow. He never stopped eating…

But I was wrong, so wrong.

So I rebooked and extraction day came. It was done at the yard so that made it less stressful for both the horse and me. Alex was absolutely brilliant. He explained everything as he did it, which certainly made me feel more at ease. He also explained the after care, what could happen, the risks and what to expect. It became apparent that my gelding’s mouth was riddled with infection. The poor lad must have felt so ill. The journey to recovery wasn’t the easiest and it was a worrying time. Again, I have to thank Alex and Henry for getting him through the first few days. But only a week or so after that the 24 year was back to his old self. He’s now got the twinkle back in his eye, he stuffing his face like he’s making up for lost time and he’s got his energy and mischief back. He just looks so happy and full of life.

Looking back it’s clear just how miserable my horse was and it wasn’t just because he was getting on in his years. He was poorly and in pain. I’ll admit I had my doubts but honestly it has all been worth it. It was the best thing for him and however long he’s got left, he’s happy and healthy now. They say they are like a different horse when the teeth are gone. They’re not wrong.

A massive thank you to Alex and the rest of the team at Green’s Vets. It really was the best thing to do"