North Wind Equine Veterinary Dentistry

23/02/2024

Looking ahead? You can book to haul-in for appointments with Dr. Keener in Duluth, Proctor, Deer River or Brainerd here: https://www.northwindequine.com/scheduling for 2024

19/02/2024

Not seeing many frozen whiskers this winter!

Looking to get a jump start on spring since it seems to be right around the corner? Dr. Keener has openings in Deer River on Monday, March 4th (and one on March 5th).

You can sign up here: https://www.northwindequine.com/scheduling

10/01/2024

Dr Keener enjoyed teaching her niece Amelia's Daisy Troop about horse teeth. Who knows, maybe a future veterinarian was inspired tonight! The Daisies got to practice exams and extracting a premolar cap, which they then took home. They also got to practice assistant skills, as the headlamps were way too big for them!

09/01/2024

Excited to teach a Daisy Troop about veterinary equine dentistry!

08/01/2024

Dr. Keener has haul-in appointments available at Reservoir Ranch in Duluth January 22, February 16, March 15, and April 12.

Sign up here:

27/10/2023

Amazing day of lectures Veterinary Dental Forum ! It's always inspiring to learn from those with more experience and knowledge, and to exchange ideas with others passionate about helping equids with dental problems.

21/09/2023

Dr. Keener has a few open slots for her last day at the Dirt Floor Arena in Proctor for the year, and is full for farm calls. If you haven't made an appointment yet, this will likely be your last chance until 2024.

Sign up here:

11/09/2023

Dr. Keener will be at Jubilee Equine in Horace, ND October 2-5, and has some openings. Click here to sign up:

08/08/2023

Wow! Hard to believe that 10 years ago today Dr. Bowman and I signed the papers that made me owner of the practice. Much has changed in the past decade, though my passion for providing dental care to equids has not. Many thanks to all of you for the support, and thanks to your animals for the inspiration. -Dr. Keener

PS. Josh, Canzira and I celebrated by making Sour Cherry Sauce with produce gifted to us today: smells amazing! Now to find some ice cream ;)

18/05/2023

Dr. Keener will be at Jubilee Equine in Horace, ND June 20-22, and has some openings. Click here to sign up:

17/03/2023

Thank you to Teddy for his gift of the still life he created watching us work this week. He has portrayed the patient in the stocks having their teeth examined by Dr Keener (labeled "L"), who is sitting on a stool holding a handpiece and running the foot pedal. Extern senior vet student Paige ("P) sits on a bucket to see over Doc's shoulder, and assistant Canzira aka Xero ("0") us taking notes on the computer while standing up front. Keep creating Teddy: your art makes us smile ❤️

03/03/2023

While we've considered radiography (x-rays) to be an important part of the dental examination for years, the number of times we could miss a tooth problem if the mouth looked normal was unknown, but not anymore!

A study published in October 2022 revealed that 20% of horses with normal oral exams had evidence of disease on x-rays. This is the first study like this in equine dentistry. We previously knew the numbers for dogs (28%) and cats (42%), but really had no idea in horses.

It was found that older horses were more likely to have "hidden" disease. In addition, if a horse has a problem on oral examination that warrants x-rays, 21% of the time other problems would be missed if the x-ray views were limited to the tooth in question.

We are excited to incorporate this new information from Dr. Bishop’s study into our patient care!

When no known dental problems are present, Dr. Keener recommends a full set of x-rays on the following timelines:
• for equines under the age of 10, every 3 years
• for equines ages 10-20, every 2 years
• for equines ages 21 and up, every year

When a new dental problem is found and x-rays are taken, Dr. Keener will take a full set of x-rays rather than limiting the imaging to the suspected diseased tooth.

When a known dental problem is present, the recommendations for follow-up x-rays will be on a case-by-case basis.

The images here illustrate an abnormal sinus structure (green dots) noted on survey radiographs of Dr. Keener's horse, Edgar, in 2020. Annual images are performed to monitor his sinuses. If anything changes, then further diagnostics and treatment (CT) could be performed before it is so large that it causes him a noticeable problem like facial swelling, decreased air flow, bone remodeling, etc. So far, it has not increased in size (2022 image included).

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

30/09/2022

Excited for two days of learning!

15/09/2022

Reminder: Dr. Keener will be at Dirt Floor Arena, Proctor MN on October 3rd. Follow the link to sign up for an appointment:

Schedule an appointment

14/09/2022

Attention Fargo area: Dr. Keener will be at Jubilee Equine in Horace, ND the week of October 17th. To make an appointment, follow this link to sign up:

Schedule an appointment

09/09/2022

Dr. Keener will be at Dirt Floor Arena, Proctor MN on Monday, October 3rd. If you would like an appointment, sign up here:

Schedule an appointment

01/07/2022

Dr. Keener has openings at the Dirt Floor Arena, Proctor MN on Friday, August 5th and Friday, August 19th. If you'd like an appointment, you can book it here:
https://northwindequine.zohobookings.com/ #/customer/northwind

Schedule an appointment

26/05/2022

Dr. Keener will be at Jubilee Equine in Horace, ND for dental appointments the week of June 27th. Haul-in appointments are welcome. If you would like an appointment, just fill in your name and your horse's name in the sign-up sheet here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lJ8aJJm_kUQd5CQTN_slIiA9rKmIas9YIDeCJTp5l9Q/

North Wind Equine Dental Appointments at Jubilee Equine Please fill in your name below to reserve an appointment slot. Reserve one slot per horse. Please fill out our Consent for Treatment form here if you have not previously filled it out for this horse. Monday, June 27th Time Owner’s Name...

30/03/2022

Come to Miller Hill Mall this Saturday to celebrate equids! Dr. Keener is one of several excellent speakers, and there will be tack swaps, vendors, horses on site, etc!

https://www.beyondthebarnduluth.com/service/the-northland-horse-fair/

The Northland Horse Fair is a horse expo event held in Duluth, MN and hosted by Beyond the Barn (Diamond Royal Tack, LLC). It features demonstrations, guest speakers, vendors, sales, and horses.

29/03/2022

Dental appointments at Heart & Hooves Horsemanship in Deer River for this year are available. Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I_kupDdgAY8mLlLb-TcG_Gh9ZR-c-96p4fkMX1S7tuc/edit?usp=sharing

North Wind Equine dental appointments @ Heart & Hooves Please fill in your name and your horse’s name below for an appointment slot (first-come, first-served). Appointments are approximately one hour long, and if possible, you should give your horse the rest of the day off from work after sedati.....

11/02/2022

Dear Clients of North Wind Equine,

Thank you for your support of North Wind Equine, LLC (formerly Dr. Bowman’s equine dental practice) over the past nearly 25 years. Equine veterinary dentistry has grown significantly during that time, and continues to do so at an extraordinary rate. When this practice began circa 1998, a good float was hard to come by; now x-rays, complicated extractions, periodontal and even endodontic treatments are becoming not only possible, but the standard of care. Many of you have had front-row seats to that evolution. In fact, your dedication to the care of your equine partners and education of family and friends has driven the scope of this practice for over two decades, and we greatly appreciate that contribution.

Thus, it is with a heavy heart that I write to you today.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said it best over two millennia ago: “The only thing that is constant is change”. I am saddened to inform you that Dr. Alli Delheimer’s medical concerns have forced her to abandon her dream of practicing equine dentistry; in fact, she is completely withdrawing from equine practice. Her recruitment to North Wind began with a trip to Dr. Bowman’s ranch during her first year of veterinary school, and was realized over five years later when we were able to welcome her to the team as an associate in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Between the overall shortage of veterinarians, the additional challenge of identifying individuals interested in pursuing the physically demanding practice of equine dentistry, and the increasingly unsustainable size of our region, I do not anticipate filling her vacated position. We wish her the best of luck as she navigates her evolving future in veterinary medicine.

It grieves me to simultaneously announce that North Wind Equine’s practice area is dramatically decreasing. Everyone told me that the business model is impossible to sustain: business consultants, accountants, lawyers, veterinarians, family, friends, over-the-road truckers, even you: my clients! Despite this advice, since purchasing the practice in 2013 I’ve fought this inevitability with every tool at my disposal: educating students/technicians/veterinarians about equine dentistry, hiring associates, building and outfitting new dental rigs, and giving up sleep, mental health, and time with my family (human, canine, and equine). However, it turns out that everyone was correct. Effective immediately, as the sole veterinarian at North Wind Equine, I will no longer be traveling more than two hours from Duluth (per Google Maps drive-time to “Duluth, MN”). In addition, I will not drive to new or inactive clients more than 1.5 hours from Duluth. We will be offering haul-ins at one facility outside this two-hour radius (Jubilee Equine in Horace, ND approximately three weeks a year: keep an eye on the North Wind Equine website/Facebook for those dates), as well as a few other locations within our practice range (currently this will include Deer River and Brainerd; stay tuned to the website/Facebook for other options within our practice area).

For those of you outside the two hour range from Duluth, at this time, we unfortunately cannot recommend anyone for you to contact for equine dental care. If you need copies of your records (our dental charts go back to 1998, our radiographs to 2015), we will be happy to share those with you or forward them to another practice, if you contact us to do so. In an effort to fully inform clients of this change, you will be receiving this information in the form of a letter in addition to this email.

For those of you within the two hour range of Duluth, nothing is changing and there's nothing you need to do.

As North Wind Equine shifts gears yet again, no one knows exactly what the future holds. May we all continue to weather the changes that life throws at us with resiliency and flexibility. Happy trails!

Sincerely,
Laurelyn Keener DVM
North Wind Equine, LLC

11/02/2022

18/08/2021

For Dr. Delheimer's clients in Central Minnesota, we have a day scheduled for haul-in appointments at Diamond Ranch (formerly Legacy Stables) in Brainerd on October 12th. Sign up for an appointment here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FPcz3PGB37xPYhkcvMM2ac9cXx6xZDWZiAdiRcuW_g0/edit?usp=sharing

North Wind Equine Fall 2021 in Central MN Please fill in your name below to reserve a haul-in appointment slot. Reserve one slot per horse you’d like to bring. Your horse will be ready to haul home about half an hour to an hour after the end of their appointment. Please fill out our Consent for T....

14/08/2021

From Dr. Delheimer:
To our clients in the Northwestern MN and Eastern ND region,

It is with great sadness that I report that I am taking a step back from dentistry beginning in September due to progressive pain in many of my joints, especially in my hands and feet. I have been experiencing pain, stiffness, and swelling in these areas for the last several months. It has come to the point where day to day tasks, such as opening a water bottle or syringe case, walking barefoot, or lifting my daughter result in pain. I am working with my medical team to try to find a diagnosis and hope that I can return sometime this winter or next year.

All currently scheduled appointments will be moving forward as previously arranged. I will also be working through the September reservation list and intend to honor these reservations as well. Adam will be in touch soon to schedule. Finally, I will be available for urgent dental needs (facial swelling, draining tracts, new abnormal eating behaviors, sudden weight loss, etc) through at least August and September. For urgent type appointments, please contact the office via email at [email protected] or text at 218-343-3474 and we will determine the best course of action.

For all other clients, if you are in need of routine dental work this fall, please continue to contact us via email at [email protected] or text us at 218-343-3474. We are working on scheduling a couple of haul in days in various parts of the practice for Dr. Keener to take care of as many of you as we can while I am away.

We will update you with more information when we are able. Thank you in advance for your understanding and grace as I work through this difficult and unexpected situation.

Dr. Alli Delheimer

12/04/2021

Fractured Incisor!

The first photo shows a fractured incisor tooth in a young horse. The probe is inserted into the pulp chamber, which is the live part of the tooth where nerves and blood vessels run. Whenever we see something like this, we recommend radiographs to assess the health of the tooth under the gum line.

This horse is *trying* to create a dentinal bridge. This is where the body lays down dental tissue across the exposed pulp horn to seal the chamber in an attempt to keep the tooth healthy and vital. You can see in the circled area of the radiograph the narrowing of the pulp chamber (the black line in the middle of the tooth) where dental tissue is being laid down. This tooth isn't out of the woods but we are giving it time to see if the dentinal bridge will be successful. Repeat radiographs will need to be taken in 6 months to reassess.

24/03/2021

North Wind Equine now has an Instagram account! Head over and follow us to keep up with all the adventures of your favorite veterinarians and assistants!

Our Instagram page will be for more lighthearted content, where we will keep our page updated with interesting educational content.

22/03/2021

Happy Monday! It's time for another question gathering post! What dentistry questions do you have?

Drop a comment below and we'll make a facebook post just to answer YOUR question!

16/03/2021

And last but certainly not least, our final client question we recently received was, "Why do horses need to be floated?"

There are many reasons why oral examinations are important, but from a purely "floating" standpoint, horses form sharp enamel points on their cheek teeth due to the way they chew their food. These sharp points can cause soft tissue damage on the cheeks, tongue, and palate. In our ridden and driven horses, this damage can be exacerbated by the ways we ask them to hold and move their head and body, as well as the tack we ask them to wear.

Floating, or removing the sharp points from the edges of the cheek teeth, helps prevent soft tissue damage and the associated discomfort.

02/03/2021

This is another great example for why a thorough oral examination yearly is important, even if a horse isn't dropping grain or fussy in the bridle!

This gelding was eating great, in good weight, and being trail ridden multiple times per week - no issues. We found this fractured tooth on his oral exam! This tooth was not fractured just the year before. No doubt this was uncomfortable!