Equine dentist-would you use her?

becdubie · Equine dentist-would you use her?

Hey..this gal from OK is traveling through MT doing dental work for horses...she looks legit.
anyone hear of her, used her? What concerns would you have?

I've emailed her and asked her for some local references.

http://www.okequinedentistry.com/aboutus.html

bit

Well, she's expensive! She has a face book page, so you can check that out.
The gentleman I use said that only 10 percent of equine dentist grads are practicing in two years. They just don't know horsemanship. It's hard to do teeth when the horse is fighting the dentist, and drugs are not an option. My guy came highly recommended by several people, and I know he does a lot of teeth. He's written books, done dvd's and k state likes him, too. References, skill, and horsemanship is a hard one to put together in one package. Does she use hand tools or power tools? Sedates or not? I'm not real keen on the power tools, and some folks insist on them. I like that my guy doesn't use drugs, some rather have their horses in la la land. Guess I've asked more questions than answered.
I'd try talking to her, and having good questions in mind before you call.

PasoBaby_CarolU

I have a vet/dentist do my horses. I want them sedated for it. He uses power tools or not, depending on the horse and need. He doesn't charge extra for ??just does whatever is needed. Open-ended bills are scary to me. I also think every six months is excessive for most horses.

ErinR76

it says on her website 6 mos on horses two to five years old. I guess because their mouths are changing so much that you want to catch problems early, not necessarily that you will grind a lot down.

on her website she shows two pics of sedated horses and says that if the horse needs sedation she can and will give it.

She also uses power tools on occasion. It's in the FAQs.

I don't know this lady but she seems legit. I'd ask for references though!

becdubie

I think I'll opt for a local guy who is also a vet.... I want my horses sedated for this as well. And I worry about how someone who is NOT avet would handle it if there was some kind of reaction to the sedation.

I once asked a vet who does teeth if he ever does it w/out sedation.
He looked at me and said..."Why would you want to? Watch me do this it can be very scary to a horse and they don't understand why you're doing it." I observed him working on the horse..he uses power tools, starts with low dose of sedation then gives more if the horse is antsy. The horse seemed just fine after he came out of the sedation....like nothing happened. That's what I want for my horses. I definatly need to have everyone done over th course of the next year...

Deb you say it's expensive....what would you consider reasonable?

PasoBaby_CarolU

It is illegal for a dentist to sedate a horse. Some states may allow it, but I know in past discussions I've read on other forums, I am unaware of any. If your horse needs sedation you will also be charged for your vet to come sedate it. In some states, even horse dentistry is illegal - all medical procedures must be done by veterinarians.

I have no problem checking a horse's mouth every six months, but paying a minimum of $95 for a dentist to do so, is excessive to me. I certainly couldn't afford it. My vet checks mouths at no additional cost during check-up vaccination visits. If a horse needs dental work, I schedule it separately.

misstux

Out here, a vet is scheduled to be with the dentist so that they can provide sedation as needed. This year I used a vet who does teeth, other years I have used an equine dentist scheduled with a vet. Living in the area that I do, $95 is cheap!

bit

My guy keeps it very affordable because he'd rather see it done, than not. Kind of a poor economy here, and most folks don't do it because it's expensive. He doesn't do it for the money, he does it for the horse. He's through, and the horses are calm and quite happy during the whole process. He's one of those horsemen, that horses just trust. He charges 25.00 per horse, and asks that there be a minimum of four horses if he comes out to work, although he had no problem coming out and doing just Shaun. Even Kelsey's mare loved him. You'd have to know that horse to understand what a dang miracle that was. No power tools, takes his time and spends a lot of time rechecking and balancing the mouth.