Equine Dentist

[TuffyLynn]

Hey everyone... I unfortuantely dont have carl mitz coming out . however i do have a gentlemen that has been doing this for years and years coming out to float them ...

How comfortable are you all with them giving tranqualizer... quite frankly.. i am not that comfortable with it not being a vet and wanted to know opinions....and amounts

i realize no "ace".. i have a weanling colt, a coming 2 year oldgelding and they have never had teeth work done...

of course my mare and stallion have been worked on but not while in my posession

I welcome thoughts and opinions

many thanks

 

[Matt73]

Mine are tranquilized almost as soon as the vet walks in the barn; he may open their mouths for a sec to look around. If he experiences any resistance (which is usually) he goes ahead and tranqs them. They are pretty much back to normal within an hour or less.

Edited to add: Oh, I notice you said he's not a vet, but an Equine Dentist. Well...I'd be fine with him/her giving tranquilizer. They are fully trained to do so, I'm sure.

 

[HGFarm]

If Carl can work on horses successfully with no meds, why would you feel in necessary to give the horses a tranquilizer? I do not tranquilize mine and never have, whether the horse has had dental work done before or not.

ANY TIME you give a tranquilizer, or drug, you are taking a risk that there will be a reaction- and a horse can die from it. I know someone who tranq'd one to clip it for a show and the horse almost died. They did not give it to much- that horse just couldnt take it.

Just like people being put under with medication- anyone can have a bad reaction to it, so if you are willing to risk that.... however, I am surprized that the person is willing to do this, since they are not a licensed veterinarian. Just how good IS their reputation for floating teeth and working with horses?

 

[Sandee]

Mine are tranquilized almost as soon as the vet walks in the barn; he may open their mouths for a sec to look around. If he experiences any resistance (which is usually) he goes ahead and tranqs them. They are pretty much back to normal within an hour or less.

Edited to add: Oh, I notice you said he's not a vet, but an Equine Dentist. Well...I'd be fine with him/her giving tranquilizer. They are fully trained to do so, I'm sure.

See, that's the big brew-ha-ha. Some aren't "trained" to give drugs as they don't have the license to do so. However, many people with lots of horses and experience give their horses drugs so a dentist who is experienced should be all right. I don't feel much better about the vet giving drugs than a dentist.

I just had to go to a vet because I couldn't get to Carl either. While this woman started out ok, by the 3rd horse she was getting tired and bit impatient. Drugs always affect each horse differently. The younger and tiny bit smaller mare went woozey almost immediately and was no problem. The heavier and older gelding acted like he'd just been given a psycotropic (sp) - he staggered, shook his head, and tired to pull away through the whole proceedure. The stallion who is such an easy guy - well, the vet was tired and she didn't wait long enough. Not that he fought but AFTER she was finished he got so sluggish he nearly went down and could barely walk.

OH, Carl doesn't know how much someone like him is needed!! His handling of each horse is nearly as valuable as his dental expertise. Maybe he should just start teaching - lots and LOTS of people.

 

[Mominis]

I insist that mine are tranqued for dental work. I insist that I am tranqed for dental work, so I figure it's only fair.

 

[Anne]

Working through this now here.

I need teeth looked at, however the Equine Dentist who has done a good job can't do it now without a vet present,

He did not sedate everyone only a couple that needed more than a float to make it easier on everyone.

I've tried vets here with teeth but they don't want to do minis and the ones I have had and even the vets my sister has had do her full size horses to be honest "really suck" at it.

One vet even slapped her older mare with a rasp and then proceeded to rip up her tongue with it.

What an imcompetent vet!

I hate having any local vets float teeth so will see if I can get a vet to come out while the equine dentist is here. Which of course means I pay twice.

The equine dentist tells me most vets won't "work with him" they just say they can float and do teeth why should the client have him out???

I'd tell them why but they would probably be insulted and not come out then anyway.

Honestly the vets here in this small rural community are mostly cow vets, none experienced floating teeth which amazes me.

Getting teeth done is going to be difficult this year.

I'm trying to arrange it though.

Since Wisconsin changed the laws it's difficult to impossible for everyone to have someone competent do any teeth, in this area.

Some people ignore the law and just haul to an amish man.

Some just do whatever it takes anyway but trying to do it "right" is a headache.

Anne

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I always took it for granted that horses needed to be sedated to have their teeth worked on. Every vet I've been to for floating--even a special equine care center--sedated. Floating was an ordeal for me and the horses.

Then last fall I tried a new vet. He backed the horses into the corner of a stall, opened their mouths and went to work. The horses had this rather surprised look on their faces, but didn't offer any resistance. He even had to remove loose caps and wolf teeth from one.

I was so pleased my horses did not have to be sedated! They recovered much more quickly from the dental experience. I did give banamine to the one that had the wolf teeth extracted afterward. It was a 3 hour trip, one way, to this vet and I will be going back. My local vets are wonderful guys, but floating teeth is not one of the things they do best.

I am thinking that an equine dentist, that is someone who specializes in that, will most likely not need to use much/any sedation. If you've known other horse people who have used him successfully, what else can you use as a reference????

 

[disneyhorse]

I am only comfortable with my vet doing teeth, and he does tranquilize them. That way if a tooth needs to be pulled or anything, the horse isn't aware.

My vet also uses power tools for the majority of the work, and hand tools for the details, which must echo like crazy in their skulls.

I do desensitize my horses to most things such as farrier work and clipping, but dental work is something only done once a year and it isn't fair to expect them to be good all the time. And if I were a vet, I wouldn't want to risk the horse moving around or something, they do have tools that can nick a gum or cheek.

I dunno, my vet does a good job.

Andrea

 

[JWC sr.]

First off in all states that I know of it is illegal to administer drugs to someones horse without being a licensed Vet to do so.

In using Carl for many years, he has NEVER had a situation where he needed to use drugs to get the job done properly for us. (he has looked at over 1200 mouths for us during that time) Additionally, He has all the right sized tools for mini's and it helps immensely to use them. Most Vets try to use floats etc that are big horse sizes and they do a terrible job on mini's. Resulting in a lot of discomfort etc for the horse in question.

According to Carl, drugs are just not needed in most cases with horses, but if he does run into one that does, he has the horse taken to Vet for the drugs to be administered and then he does the procedure as needed. Which keeps everything legal and above board.

Personally I would keep looking for someone that is talented and experienced enough to do the job properly and not break the law in the process!!! It is people that are willing to do these type things that have caused part of the problem here in Texas. In most cases it seems they do not have the experience to know how to properly do the procedures needed and when to get the help of a licensed Vet in the first place

To me anyone willing to break the drug laws and that does not have the proper training to administer them is not someone I want to trust my horses to for their dental care if drugs are needed. Improper dosage and use of drugs can have really devastating effects on your horse up to and including death.

 

[kareng]

I use both a vet and equine dentist. The dentist does tranquilize to a point. My old gelding wouldn't cooperate with the amount the dentist was comfortable using so we set up another appointment with the vet present to tranquilize and dentist to do the work. I am amazed at the amount or lack of training that vet's receive in school which is understandable. They can't specialize in all areas. My vet does use power tools but many do not. I feel fortunate to have both available in my area.

kareng

 

[wingnut]

The equine dentist we use did NOT use any tranquilizers on our horses. He did NOT pull any teeth or do any work beyond floating.

He DID use a speculum (sp?) on our oldest mare when he floated her teeth. He was gentle. He took his time. The horse did not complain much and was fairly calm throughout the process (2 hours). When he returned to take a look at the younger three (one 2 yr old and two yearlings), he didn't bother with the speculum at all. He did do some floating though not much due to their ages and there not being much that needed done. He was pleased that a couple of them came back to "watch" and check things out while their "sister" was getting her teeth done. He said if they were stressed by him and what he had done, they would stay FAR away and not be such nosey Nellies.

So, based on our experience, for a standard floating job, I'd say OUR horses don't require sedation. When it comes time to pull wolf teeth or should there be any major issues that need to be dealt with? Will consult our vet and go from there.

P.S. Our vet does not do dental work.

 

[mizbeth]

I agree with two things I have heard here. One - take the time to find someone who has the proper equipment, tools and expertize to work on these small horses and also find one that does not need to tranquilize on the spot. I had a new Vet when I first moved to Texas some years back, nearly killed my show mare by giving her too much tranq, she fell between the stall gate and his truck and nearly broke her neck trying to get back up. A few weeks later, when I first met Carl, he looked at this same mare and her back teeth were not floated at all and one tooth needed pulling.

It does not cost much more to find the best, and even if you have to wait to get someone, it is worth it. Yes, you could lose a horse over a teeth floating, I nearly did.

B

 

[Dream]

It is illegal for an equine dentist to administer sedation regardless of whether or not they are "trained" to do it. They are not insured to do so and you have no recourse if there is problem as a result. They also have no license to lose. If you have your horses insured and they are hurt or killed while in the care of a lay dentist your insurance will be null and void. I absolutely would not let an equine dentist (non-DVM) sedate your horses.

I believe in sedation for dentistry. Used properly it reduces the stress on the animal and allows placement of a speculum (also critical) for a complete exam. Removing teeth without sedation is dangerous and inhumane IMHO. I have taken a lot of extra training in dentistry and love doing it. Not all vets feel that way and hopefully the ones who don't like it won't do it (I know that's not always the case). I have worked with some good equine dentists who recognize the scope of their skills and work with veterinarians as required.

 

[TuffyLynn]

carl mitz

................ i wish you were on here

...boy would i love to have you work on my 4 ....

love and smiles Lynn

..................I can only hope and pray..

 

[Tony]

In forty plus years of raising minis and twenty years of Shetlands before that I have NEVER had a need to sedate one while anyone, vet or equine dentist was working on them.

 

[bevann]

In forty plus years of raising minis and twenty years of Shetlands before that I have NEVER had a need to sedate one while anyone, vet or equine dentist was working on them.

I have had 2 different equine dentists work on my Minis.The first guy was excellent and used full sized floats and no tranquilizers.He charged only $25 per horse and nothing if nothing was needed.Unfortunatley he died of cancer a few years ago.My next equine dentist was quite good and she also used no tranquilizers.She would not pull teeth-only float and would not give meds if needed-she required me to have the vet present.I bought my own Mini size speculum and floats and also a small tube for colic emergencies.Some vets in this area do not have small equipment and in an emergency I don't often know who is on call.