Update on Denistry Problem!!!

[JWC sr.]

As usual it is all about the mighty dollar and not what is best for the horses or their owners. I was sent the following as an FYI in the continuing saga of this fight, needless to say the fight will continue in the courts till they get it right.

Everyone should note the part about employee’s(which most large farms will simply make their equine dentist an employee) being able to perform all the tasking needed, so the big farms will not be effected like the small farms will.

Everyone needs to make their senators and congress people aware of the problem we all have with this approach. Choice is by far the best approach as versus increasing costs and gaining nothing for the owners or the horses themselves.

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On Monday, March 22, 2010 the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners voted against the proposed new rule that "would allow non-licensees to float the teeth of a horse without veterinary supervision if the procedure was done with hand tools and without sedation," according to a letter from Chris Copeland, JD, executive director of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA).

In an earlier note, Mr. Copeland wrote: "As you know, for the last few years TVMA has been embroiled in a dispute with individuals who are practicing equine dentistry without a license. During the most recent session of the Texas legislature, TVMA helped defeat a bill that would have allowed lay people to perform equine teeth floating without special education, training or the oversight of a licensed veterinarian. Teeth floating would have become an accepted livestock management practice and would no longer have been considered the practice of veterinary medicine."

At the Monday meeting, the TBVME heard testimony from the TVMA's Equine Committee, including chairman Dr. Peter Rakestraw (a TEVA member) and several others who expressed reasons, including the welfare of the horse, as to why such a proposal was "a bad idea."

The TVMA Equine Committee's current position is to support the practice act as it is currently written:

1. Employee can float teeth with veterinary supervision

2. Employee can sedate with veterinary supervision

At the TVMA Equine Committee's latest meeting on March 5, its members also voted to continue to follow the equine dentistry statement sanctioned by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).

"All in all," said Copeland, "it was a good day for both veterinarians and horses in Texas."

Brief Overview of Equine Dentistry in Texas

2003 - TBVME sent letter to lay dentists telling them filing teeth with hand floats and no sedation is acceptable and not a practice of veterinary medicine

2004 - TBVME creates committee to look at issue in detail

2007 - New TBVME sends "cease and desist" letters to lay dentists

2007 - Lay dentists file lawsuit and lose in District Court

2008 - Lay dentist win appeal

2009 - State Representative Sid Miller files bill to remove floating from veterinary practice act

2009 - Federal Trade Commission investigates TBVME

2009 - Lawsuit against lay dentists on hold

2010 - TBVME proposes new rule as stated above

2010 - TBVME votes against new rule and sends issue back to Rules Committee.

With several states looking at lay equine dentistry issues, and the good chance it will again come before the state legislature in Texas, this remains an ongoing issue important to both TVMA and TEVA, with the health and welfare of our state's horses our ultimate concern.

Marian Carpenter

Executive Director

Texas Equine Veterinary Association

P.O. Box 1038

Canyon, TX 79015

(806) 655-2244

[email protected]

 

[HGFarm]

Oh man, the TBVME needs to just drop this and move on with life.... I dont know what the big issue here is, except perhaps an abnormally distended noggin, that they can't just let this drop and let life get back to normal.

I have seen horses with HUGE sores in their mouth where a vet told the owner the horse was FINE, and the teeth were so bad, the horse could barely eat at all. This is to the horse's advantage in health care? Actually, the owner had three horses, and all needed work and the vet said just one did.

ETA: Dont even get me started on this subject!!

 

[MindyLee]

Im glad I dont live in Texas...

I float my horses teeth myself and have been for yrs. (my horses only)

Sorry but I dont trust no one else nor do my minis. They are very trustful with me and me only ith no sedation needed!

 

[~Amanda~]

Geeze, what a mess.

 

[Julie/Azariah]

Let me just say... this REALLY frustrates me!

I have a wonderful International Certified Equine Dentist...he has had training specifically for dentistry and he has undergone extensive testing to be certified...He looks at much more than the mouth... and I will insert a few things from his web site....

"I am a Certified Equine Dental Technician. I received the IAED International Certification! In September of 2007, I traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to take the written, verbal, and clinical IAED International Certification test. A total of 23 experienced dental technicians attempted this test and only 8 certifications and 1 advanced certification were given. I credit my clients for encouraging me to this level of education."

"Our Services

I believe that the horses' mouth is the key part of the body. A horse spends a lot of time eating and chewing. Over time horses have been removed from there nature habitat and they do not have the natural ability to wear down there teeth to allow proper digestion. Horses grind there food and if they do not have the proper tooth wear if can be difficult if not impossible for a horse to eat and digest food.

Each horse gets a full exam of the head, neck and mouth.

During the exam we look for the following items:

Overall Behavior Malnourishment or Obesity Muscle Overgrowth or Deterioration

Injuries/Limps or Lameness Bleeding of the mouth Overbite or Underbite

Jaw Alignment Wolf Teeth Hooks, Ramps, Etc...

We will also check the age of the horse. Not only will we check all these things but we will teach you how to check them too! Your horse can not tell you when it hurts and you have to learn to read the signs of his behavior.

We will discuss with you the reasons for proper dental work signs that your horse needs dental attention and explain to you what the results could be if the dental work is properly done and maintained."

I have had horses big and small for years...and for years my vets floated my horses teeth.

But when this man came to our farm and began floating teeth for us some wonderful things happened.

He has made a huge difference in the comfort of my horses. Their teeth all look absolutely wonderful. And a "simple floating" by him corrected some problems that would have otherwise turned into a life long issue for my horses.

He has taken some very UGLY looking mouths and done some extensive work on them and today.... they are maintained with a simple annual check up, sometimes even going 2 years between floats.

He has been able to tell me where my horse is hurting... why I am having trouble getting leads or having my horse bend... his floats have corrected "behavior problems".

I know there are vets out there who can do this work... but why does the "government" want to make a law that can't I have the choice to hire a man who goes to this trouble to have a quality education, educate others and who has the passion to help horses feel better.

Makes no sense to me...

 

[JWC sr.]

Julie,

that is exactly why I have been supporting our equine dentist through this entire ordeal. Whom as I am sure you know is one of the best in the business bar none even the vets that can do the work.

He sees our herd twice a year and looks at every horses mouth for us and has for a number of years. He is reasonable, competent and great with the horses!!!

The really pitiful part of the situation is that folks with a small herd or without the means to add him or folks like him on as an employee will not be allowed to use him under the current proposed structure.

While the larger farms will merely add him as an employee of the farm, give a W2 form at the end of the year and it will work for them.

Not fair, but in my opinion this is just a money grab by the vets in an economy where everyone is looking for any new stream of income they can find.

Choice is a precious thing and I think after this is fought out in the courts it will be allowed once and for all. Unless the legislature steps in and fixes it before then. If not we can expect to see other attempts to regulate current lay things such as farriers etc.

I will keep you informed till it is over!!!

 

[Marty]

Hello Mr. Cherry.

I would LOVE to video my big Quarter Horse being floated without sedation and submit it to these jokers. But then of course, that would be making a movie of a horse trying to kill someone. There is no way he could be floated without sedation.

I have seen horses with HUGE sores in their mouth where a vet told the owner the horse was FINE, and the teeth were so bad, the horse could barely eat at all.

Exactly right Laurie! A vet made a disaster of floating my mare's teeth last year. And this is what happened to her exactly and I ended up having to take her to the hospital to another vet to fix the mess this first one made.

Then it happened yet again. I had my Quarter Horse done by yet another vet in the fall so going into winter, he'd have no problems. But dang it Mr. Cherry, here we were in the dead of winter freezing to death up here, and there was Sonny having a hard time chewing his hay and dripping his food all over the place when he needed every single morsal of it to keep his old bones covered. You want to talk about being PO'D?

Not all vets are created equal and can get the job done right.

 

[JWC sr.]

Marty,

you are exactly right in that all vets or equine denist are NOT created alike.

In our area we have one joker that illegally uses drugs to work on customers horses teeth. He has killed one horse that I know of. In my opinion it is people like him that have caused the problem and given the Vets the chance to make this power grab. I almost wish it had been a horse in my control that had died, so I could sue him out of business. (almost) Additionally I hope he is procecuted to the full extent of the law when he is finally caught using drugs Illegally.

There will always be people that do things illegally and also folks that are not qualified to do the jobs we want them to do, Vets and lay people alike. I am sure everyone here has changed farriers over the years to get what they considered was a better option, I personally refuse to accept anything but the best, most cost effective care I can get my horses. The State of Texas wants to deprive horse owners of that right, I am going to help make sure they do not get that right to deny my horses the best equine denist in this part of the country which happens to be a highly qualified, experienced individual in Carl Mitz.

The worst part of it is that while I will be able to employ my equine dentist and continue to use him, many of my friends with small herds do not have that option. Additionally there are at least 5 other state vet groups that I know of that are waiting on the outcome of the Texas litigation to decide if they want to try and put the same type rules on the books.

Stay tuned, I do not expect themto give up easily.

 

[Sandee]

John, you are SO RIGHT. With only 3 minis I cannot afford to "employee" Carl. However, he is the one person that I have found in over 6 years of working with these little guys that hasn't botched the job or had to sedated them into drunkenness to work on them. He has worked on all of mine except for the old man that doesn't make it to shows. That old boy has had one dentist admit that s/he over guessed his weight another that barely took time to look in his mouth and one that tried to work on him that shouldn't have been allowed near horses. My "old" man tried to take that guy "out" ( and I don't mean to dinner).

Carl has always been caring and gentle even though he's had to pull wolf teeth and broken baby teeth (at a show, no less). My horses were calm enough to continue showing. My home vet didn't even know that minis often retain baby caps to the point of ruining the permanent ones.