23/04/2025
HORSE OWNERS
A recent post in a local horse group asked for recommendations on getting a horseās teeth done.
What shocked me was the number of people recommending āgentleā non-sedating, no-light, no-look ātooth raspersāāpraised not for their skill or thoroughness, but simply for being āniceā to the horse.š¤·āāļø
Letās be clear:
No sedation = no proper oral exam.
No still head, wide open mouth, lights & mirrors = no way to identify & show to the owner painful disease.
No records = no accountability.
And most of allāno idea whatās really going on inside that horseās mouth.š„“
Common and painful issues like :
āperiodontal disease,
āfractured teeth,
āexposed pulp,
āinfundibular or peripheral caries affect up to 80% of domestic horsesābut they go unnoticed and untreated because these so-called ādentalsā are just quick showmanship raspings . š¢
Even worse? These āgentle & kind āoperators learn how to actively avoid working on the painful areas⦠because the horse reacts, and that would make them look āless wonderfulā š„“ Thatās not gentleāitās cruel. š” And ineffective. I hear of these cases of chronic suffering by the horse being exposed when a proper exam in done on these horses - Australia wide - on a weekly basis! š¢
Meanwhile, excellent equine vets are being overlooked by many horse owners when it comes to dental care. These vets are trained, equipped, qualified, insured, skilled professionals whoāve invested heavily to provide quality dental careāoften continuing education in equine dentistry on a monthly basis, yet too many horse owners still think vets are only needed for emergencies.š¤·āāļø
Hereās the truth:
š© World wide , equine vets are leaving the profession faster than theyāre entering it!
Something has to change - AND FAST!
Emergency work makes up 5% of vet practice profit⦠and 90% of the stress.š”
What keeps equine vet clinics sustainable is routine care work - like annual dentistry, vaccines, health checks, musculo-skeletal and podiatry work, chronic disease medical investigations, faecal egg counts, & other preventative health care.
In successful small animal veterinary practices , dentistry is 20-30% of their workload.
If we donāt support our local equine vets, theyāll close their doors.
Weāve already seen it happen in Murwillumbah, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, and Longford, Tasmania. These have been the leading equine clinics in their areas. And there was recently one famous large equine clinic in Sydney almost closed due to how much money it was LOSING every year! š©
Hereās some perspective: Proper dental care costs the same as 1 to 1.5 cups of coffee per week, per horse.
If thatās too much to ask for your horseās health and comfortāwhat does that say?
Support your local equine vet.
Not just in emergencies, but for the care your horse actually needs.
Because if you donāt?
Youāll lose them.
But while thereās such an abundance of lay persons out there illegally performing acts of veterinary science on horses, with gullible owners believing them, it is near impossible!