ON MY TACKBOX
The download on equine dentistry How do you know if you’re getting value from your equine dental service provider? DR OLIVER LIYOU, from EVDS in Grafton, runs his professional eye over what’s involved.
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alue for money is one of the key parts of choosing any product or service, and this article is done to help you, the horse owner or
trainer, decide whether you are getting value or not from your service provider. Let’s break down every step of what is involved in having your horse’s ‘teeth done’ by a professional person.
1 • They turn up to do your horse, and they inform you if they’re running late etc. This is part of any professional service, and the cost to any business of running a schedule requires significant time and investment, so let’s give this $10 value. Total so far = $10.
2 • They have clean, well-organised, modern equipment that will allow them to do the job properly (PIC 1). The equipment will allow them to show you what is going
Pic 1: Clean, well organised equipment.
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on in your horse’s mouth. Failure to have good quality and clean equipment may result in them spreading viruses and bacteria between horses, and could also result in injury to your horse, you or the dentist. Investment in good equipment is an essential part of the science of equine dentistry, so this value could vary from $2 – $50/horse – depending on the number of horses they do and the level of equipment they will use for the range of conditions they encounter. So let’s give this an average of $10 value. Total so far = $20.
3 • They examine the horse holistically for you prior to looking at the teeth. This could involve them asking how the horse has been going, has it had any problems, do you have any queries that need specifically investigating. It could even involve a brief clinical examination if the practitioner is also a veterinarian, perhaps looking at the eyes, nose, skin, listening to the heart and lungs, assessing hydration and more if desired. Maybe they check out a problem with the horse that has been worrying you for a while. Obviously there is a large range in skill and qualification levels here, ranging from no examination before putting the gag on (zero value), to a proper clinical examination by a skilled and University Degree qualified equine veterinarian (value of $99). So on average, let’s give this an average of $30. Total so far = $50.
HORSEVIBES MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2019
4 • They sedate the horse so that they can thoroughly and safely examine ALL of the teeth and mouth structures (gums, cheeks, palate & tongue). With sedation, the horse will be less stressed about it, have little or no memory of any painful experience encountered during the procedure, and most importantly will co-operate with a thorough examination process. Most mouth pathologies are painful, and need to be addressed to investigate them and treat them, so pain is an inevitable part of dentistry in humans and horses. Allowing the patient to experience and remember the painful experience is the choice of the owner/trainer, so choose wisely!
5 • Remember that it is a criminal act for a non-vet to be providing and sedating your horse, and if you choose to ignore this law, any adverse effects or accidents/injuries incurred in this illegal dental service will not be covered by insurance, and veterinary treatment (essential in an insurance and public liability claim) may not be available. The value of a qualified, insured and licensed veterinarian sedating and doing nerve blocks if necessary to your horse, so all of the mouth can be properly examined, demonstrated and treatments offered is in the range of $30-90, so let’s give it an average of $40. wwwTotal so far = $90.
6 • Some veterinarians use mobile crushes, and some of these have scales on them. Accurate weighing of your horse carries various benefits, including allowing for accurate deworming, monitoring and comparing weights from year to year, monitoring growth of young stock etc. Maybe a height stick is available as well. Value of horse being weighed on digital scales – $5-15, so let’s average it at $10. Total so far = $100.
7 • The mouth is properly examined through both feeling and looking, after the dentist has flushed the mouth out with clean water. Some problems like sharp teeth are best detected by feel. But others, like a diseased and discoloured tooth, or an exposed pulp/nerve chamber, cannot be felt by fingers, so the horse’s head must be very still, and a bright light and angled mirrors should be placed right to the back of the mouth, so that every surface of every tooth can be examined (PIC 2). If a problem
