Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Niederman.
Caroline, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school, I knew I was more comfortable working with larger animals and that I leaned towards preventative medicine. I did some post graduate training in nutrition and after attending a continuing education seminar by Dr. Scrutchfield, a veterinary dentist at Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine, I knew I wanted to add dentistry to my focus. Thanks to Dr. Scrutchfield, I met Dr. Clay Stubbs, almost 20 years ago, who was a tremendous mentor of mine until his death last fall. I purchased one of Dr. Stubbs’ portable stocks and then started traveling to see clients in and around Houston.
From that point my practice has grown through word of mouth and I have a wide variety of patients: from the backyard pasture ornament originally bought for children whom have long since left home, performance horses (dressage, barrel racing, hunter jumpers) and even the Houston Mounted Patrol horses. Roughly a third of my patients are now over 20 yrs. old so an important part of my work is to educate owners about the age related changes occurring in the horse’s mouth which can lead to choke, impaction colic and weight loss if not addressed through diet changes.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have been very fortunate with both the consistency and growth of my practice over the years. I have worked hard to continually educate my clients and have an active website and social media (FB) presence.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Complete Equine Dental Maintenance – what should we know?
My business is Complete Equine Dental Maintenance. Complete Equine Dental Maintenance is a mobile veterinary practice owned and operated by Dr. Carrie Niederman. The practice provides 1) complete dental care 2) nutritional education and 3) nutritional consultations for horses, donkeys and miniatures of all ages.
I am very proud that this company has been able to both maintain and grow over the past 20 years. I love to teach and I feel like this sets me apart from others. The mouth is a foreign place that owners can not readily or safely see so it is my job to educate them about any issues present that will influence the health of their horse. I am a visual learner so I have lots of pictures and charts in the truck to show to clients.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I was very lucky to have two mentors: Dr. Leon Scrutchfield and Dr. Clay Stubbs:
Dr. Scrutchfield’s passion about dentistry got me started after I attended his continuing education lecture and he then introduced me to Dr. Stubbs.
Dr. Stubbs was extremely generous with his time and knowledge. I did an initial two day training with him and then went back for yearly visits to brush up on new techniques. Clay was a mechanical wizard in his development of the portable stock I have used for the past 20 yrs. It has made life so much easier for me and my patients.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1021 Arlington Street
Houston. Tx 77008 - Website: txequinedentist.com
- Phone: 7138647353
- Email: thedoc@txequinedentist.com
- Facebook: Complete Equine Dental Maintenance
Image Credit:
SAGA Lifestyle Photography: Sallie A. Gillispie
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