NEW EQUINE MOBILE CLINIC OFFERS HORSE SENSE

She also checks the horse's sole of the horse for sole absesses and bruising.

When Shelly Daume of Friedheim was a little girl growing up in Southeast Missouri she was constantly around the horses that her parents and grandparents owned.

That probably had something to do with her decision to make horse doctoring her career.

Since April, Daume, a doctor of veterinary medicine, has been operating a mobile clinic for horses, Equine Medical Services of Southeast Missouri.

"Well, I always loved animals," Daume said of her career choice. "And I always enjoyed science. That just kind of lead me to this field."

She also confesses to an early love of marine biology, but says working with sea life would have taken her too far away from home.

Daume graduated from Jackson High School in 1987. She has a bachelor of science in animal science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She then underwent its rigorous four-year graduate program attaining a doctorate in veterinary medicine.

Many people in the outlying areas own horses, whether they're for pleasure or work. And where there are horses, there is a need for a horse doctor.

That's where Sherry Daume hopes to comes in. Her mobile clinic offers many services to those with horses.

People looking for equine medicines, horse surgery, pregnancy diagnosis, breeding, vaccinations, deworming and much more can find it at Daume's clinic, which she brings to their stables. Preventive health care is also available through her clinic.

The clinic is mobile -- Daume works from her truck -- and mobility is surely beneficial to those with horses.

Daume says that some people don't have a trailer to take their horses to a stationary clinic. Others don't have the time. These are the people Daume hopes to appeal to.

"My business caters to horses," she said, adding that she also works with other animals. "I work part-time as an animal surgeon at Cox Small Animal Clinic performing surgeries on dogs or cats." These surgeries most often involve spaying or neutering the animals.

While she enjoys working with all animals, its obvious she has a special affinity for her horse career.

"I enjoy meeting the people and meeting the horses," Daume said. "I like getting out and seeing the different farms."

There are some disadvantages to working with horses she admits.

"Well, horses are dangerous," Daume said, quickly adding that she had never been hurt by a horse. "They've been known to kick and bite. They're pretty unpredictable."

But she says knowing what you're doing helps to prevent accidents from happening. Using proper forms of restraint like various holds and sedation also reduce injuries.

And Daume hopes there will be a lot of business for her.

"There's a lot of farms around here and I think it's a growing industry in this area."

While these days Daume must content herself to working from a mobile clinic she hopes to someday have a traditional one.

"I'd like to someday have a clinic on the outskirts of Jackson somewhere," Daume said. "All of our family and friends are from around here and we'd like to stay."

Daume and her husband, Stephen, have two children, Joshua, 5 months, and Danielle, 1.

Daume says she takes her job very seriously.

"I really care about the horses," she says. "I treat them with a gentle touch."