experiences with equine dentist and sedation?

[Jericho]

Hi - was hoping for some nuggets of experience / advice from those who have to have their horse sedated when they have their teeth rasped. I bought my mare a couple of weeks ago and the vet checked her teeth and said they had hooks at the back so needed doing. My horse seemed a bit nervous about the whole business - nothing too bad but the vet said she would need a sedative to do the job. I checked with previous owner bvefore I signed on the dotted line and she said she has had the horses teeth done every year as Daisy did tend to become more senstive when her teeth needed doing, so she was very careful about their maintenance and yes she did need fully sedating. I have never experienced having a horse sedated before so does anyone have any tips / advice?

Many many thanks

 

[Native Speaker]

some years ago my boy was sedated for dental work, and from what i can remember, his head dropped as the sedation took effect. luckily the yard 'hero' was on hand that morning, and held the cob's head higher so the EDT could do his work. was tough going for said 'hero', as the head and neck of a dozing horse are unbelievably heavy

anyway, my boy recovered soon enough, without any problems. another horse on the yard was also sedated that morning for dental work. the stable doors had anti-weave grilles fitted, and this horse put his head over the door, after his treatment. he was still dopey, and was resting heavily on his windpipe

- luckily he was spotted quickly, and came to no harm.

worth bearing in mind ......

 

[custard]

Yes had some treatment on Cat last week under sedation and the root of a wolf tooth from Willow whilst under sedation by the vet, dentist did the work.

It's a bit more expensive this way but well worth it imo expecially with a nervy or young horse. My two also get a proper sheath clean while we're at it!

 

[Partoow]

Most equine dentists have a 'prop' to put the head on so that they can get to the teeth. Sedation for some work is totally recomended so they can get to the very back or if they need more extensive work. Conformation of the horses jaw can also sometimes make it hard to get to the very back and sedation and a little ACP [muscle relaxant] cab help the dentist do the best job.
Dont worry it all quite straight forward and they come out of it in a couple of hours totally .
i have just had the 6 month check up on my yard, about half needed sedation , due to them not having been seen by my dentist before and them having a requirement for more than just a routine rasp all much improved and working the next day.

 

[Ludi-doodi]

I have to have Ludo sedated to have dentist work even just a check up. He's had some tramua in the mouth in the past (his lip has weird bit missing) and the EDT has said he looks like his gums are scarred a little. We have tried everything to avoid sedations, but in the end it comes down to rather than stressing Ludo and pushing him too much, to sedate and have the work done with as little stress as possible. Lude's has been sedated so many times for so many things that I think he quite likes to get a little nap!

 

[annunziata]

we use sedaline works a treat have to drug both of mine!!

 

[dianchi]

Persoanlly id try ACP / sedaline rather than full dope as full dope is A-expensive and B-can make harder work for the dentist.
Id ask the dentist for their opinion personally

 

[horsegirl]

From what I can gather, from talking to the dentist, vets want to make it law that only vets can use electric implements for dental work as they want to be able to charge for it. My EDT is very good and will only sedate if absolutely essential. I thought my boy would need sedation but he managed to do him fine. I don't think sedation helps at all as the horse never learns it is nothing to fear and does not become desensitised to it. My friend has her horse's teeth done by the vet and he sedates as standard just to make the job easier & quicker (an be able to charge lots more - cynical, moi?) Sounds to me like your vet just wants to pick up some extra cash!!

 

[Dressagebabe]

Don't know where your dentist got the info from re Vets wanting to only be allowed to use electrical rasps!! its rubbish, We have seen serious damage done to horses where an over zealous EDT has rasped so much off the teeth that the horse was unable to pick up grass for quite a few months and in another case a dentist pushed the electric rasp through the side of the horse's face!! it is a case of making sure you check references before using EDT's with motorised equipment. As for Vets wanting to charge too much for the job; a Vet can earn 3 times more money just doing routine surgery than coming out on a call for sedation and rasping at around £70, they would rather not do the job if truth be known!

 

[BenjaminBunny]

My horse needs sedating for the dentist....

(also if being shod on his back hooves but that is a whole other story)....

I tried the dentist without sedation first and he was fine with the gag and being rasped - but hated it when the dentist put his hands in his mouth....

So we stopped as he was getting stressed and dangerous... and he came back a few months later and I had my vet come and sedate him - the vet stayed an monitored him for a bit to check that he didn't over sedate him (so his head was on the floor) but just enough to keep him calm and still....

I have tried sedaline but found it didn't touch the sides - it works for some horses but not for all.... it will only work if the horse is calm in the first place.... but they can bring themselves out of sedation....

Ben has been sedated so many times - here are my tips that i've picked up....

1. Regardless of the weather put a rug on (ideally a fleece)
- usually the dentist will work inside the stable (or mine
does) so i put on a fleece - this is because they either
shiver or sweat as they cannot control their temp...

2. Do not let them eat for an hour after (your vet will tell you
this)

3. Ask the vet to stay with for awhile to monitor if the
sedation is too little or too much - too little he will come
around too quickly - and too much he will wobble and
potentially fall over - one vet i had oversedated him and
he nearly keeled over - this was also when they started
treatment without me there (again another story)...

4. You can reduce the sedation each time the dentist comes
to acclimatise a horse to the dentist and hopefully reduce.

5. Speak to your vet about the different types of sedation - at
one time i was paying £60 a time to get my horse sedated
until another vet using a different sedative which was only
£25 - for Ben this worked just as well - but as I was told in
some horses it makes them more wobbly so isn't a good
idea in some cases like sedation for the farrier.

All in all i wanted to avoid sedation - but my horse was in distress and severely so - and he needed his teeth doing - I didn't want him or the dentist or myself to get hurt so it was our best option....

I hope this helps

 

[frb]

Was told by my previous dentist that my boy needed sedating for power work, but moved yards and my currant dentist does all horses on his books without sedation, even really difficult horses have been fine. Some people say you need to sedate your horse just to be over cautious, but most horses tolerate it very well. My dentist works country wide I think, so if you need his number let me know. You could always try a calmer on your horse first, 'De-Stress' by Science With Nature is very good, and can be given an hour before a traumatic event.

 

[Booboos]

I think you should talk to your vet about this so that he can fully inform you and you can make a decision. Sedation is routinely used in horses but can, in rare cases, cause severe side-effects, such as allergic reactions and heart arrhythmia (which is why your vet will check for heart murmurs prior to sedation). These are rare, but you should know about the risk you are taking.

On the other hand, a horse that panicks during dental work can be very dangerous as the gag is really heavy and if he swings his head round he can really injure you or the dentist, so this is not a risk free option either.

I sedate most of mine as they are impossible to do otherwise, but like other people have said I keep a close eye on them for at least an hour after, make sure they can't hang their heads over the door and take away all food.