A Texas veterinarian is hoping law enforcement authorities can determine who engraved an obscenity onto a horse’s front teeth and why.

Samantha Mixon, DVM, said that in June a good Samaritan alerted her to the animal’s condition after seeing the horse exhibit behaviors including gripping the bit between his teeth, violent head shaking, and body tremors, After examining the horse, Mixon discovered that someone had used power tools to remove the protective enamel from the animal’s teeth and etch letters representing an obscenity onto his front teeth.

"The engraving reached into living tissue," said Mixon, who also practices equine dentistry. "The horse might not be in pain all of the time, but when it is (in pain), the horse is dangerous and impossible to control."

After discovering the animal’s condition, Mixon asked law enforcement authorities to investigate the case