Horse dentist???

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moonpig1

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Hello,

Does anyone have pro's and con's when it come to a horses dental care, some people say get a horse dentist and others say use the vet.

Whos better?

Whats the difference in cost?

Look forward to hearing peoples comments and experiences.
 
There are good and bad in every profession but I prefer to use a dentist. I'd rather have someone who spent three years at University learning solely about teeth than someone who is maybe a lameness or reproduction expert but does the odd set of teeth if they are at the yard anyway.
 
I always have the vet. My vet practice send all their vets on extra dental courses as the owner is very pro maintenance and prevention being their main job. If your horse needs sedation you will need the vet anyway. Once my horse was being done by the vet and another was being done by the dentist when a tooth broke in the horse the dentist was doing. The vet had to leave my horse and go and treat the other horse as apparently the dentist wasn't allowed to treat that. I have always been very happy with the dental work done by my vet. He always explains what he has done and shows me using his head torch. It's very interesting.

In the yard where my horse lives the dentist does come and as there are lots of horses he comes and checks them one day and then the vet is booked for the following week for those that need sedation etc. This minimises vet expenses.
 
I can't comment on cost as don't know how much the dentist is. I get my mares teeth done with her jabs and then again in 6 months when someone else is having the vet so the call out is less.
 
I use a EDT, she's very good and takes her time and works wonders with my boy, who can be tricky. I get some relaquin from the vet and seems to chill him out nicely. I have him done every 8 months, costs £45, which I think is very good :) Handy seems to like the softly softly female approach, and I personally won't have anyone else.
I did have the vet to start with and found that Handy was rather difficult, and the vet seemed very rushed, and kept topping up the sedation.
So it's EDT for me :)
 
I had the dentist out on Friday and asked her the same question as I usually get the vet to do it as need sedation and she said that most vets have an hours training and then they are qualified to "do" teeth, whereas an EDT has to train for years.

The same with farriers really, would you ask your vet to shoe or trim your horses feet?
 
I look at it on the basis that I wouldn't go to the doctors to have my teeth done :D so for me it's always an EDT I've used the same lady for years and personally think she's fab. Cost wise it's usually about £45-50 depending on the work needed and if others are having theirs done. I imagine a vet would be more expensive as they would charge for call out?
 
I use a vet who is a qualified EDT. He can sedate when needed and gives a general check over at the same time. I would not use a vet who was not a specialist in teeth but a lot of equine vets are now. Also a lot of equine vets are applying a lot of what small animal vets do with cats and dogs teeth to horses.
 
wellsat said:
There are good and bad in every profession but I prefer to use a dentist. I'd rather have someone who spent three years at University learning solely about teeth than someone who is maybe a lameness or reproduction expert but does the odd set of teeth if they are at the yard anyway.
Click to expand...

^5

have had vets in the past but seeing my equine dentist at work. There is no comparison:)
 
EDT every time. Mine is excellent and, like other EDT's I've used, has a way of calming difficult horses without resorting to sedation.

Sedating gentle but worried horses drives me nuts, because although some vets are good, I've noticed that they tend to reach for the needle rather than spend a few minutes getting the horse to settle instead.

EDT training is more thorough and because that is their primary interest, they are more experienced.
 
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