brighteyes
Pooh-Bah
As often as I like - my son is an EDT 
How often do you have the dentist to see your horse...
- Thread starter Megibo
- Start date
Megibo
Well-Known Member
thanks for the replies all
StormyMoments
Well-Known Member
when i remember nahh they are done between 6 months and a year and my dentist sends us a reminder as Taz needs them done every 6 months and Rio is just looked at as he has very good teeth and if anything needs to be done it is done
nahh they are done between 6 months and a year and my dentist sends us a reminder as Taz needs them done every 6 months and Rio is just looked at as he has very good teeth and if anything needs to be done it is done indie999
Well-Known Member
I was probably lucky(what you say) ours live out 24/7 and we never had teeth problem always told "you can tell yours live out" "nice teeth etc" So had them done intitially but then when I remembered. Longest gap 3 years and got told same. "great teeth".
I was also told my very experienced horse old fashioned etc that the dentists can cause problems too?? So hey ho if new horse probably initially and there after if I think they need doing ie have any sharp edges or issues chewing etc. But no I wouldnt do every 6 months.
I was also told my very experienced horse old fashioned etc that the dentists can cause problems too?? So hey ho if new horse probably initially and there after if I think they need doing ie have any sharp edges or issues chewing etc. But no I wouldnt do every 6 months.
cindydog
Well-Known Member
Older Horse twice a year.
Merlin11
Well-Known Member
Mine are done once a year. Their teeth are good and the fact they are out24/7 helps. EDt is happy with that - in fact said I could leave them longer.
SCMSL
Well-Known Member
Mine are done once a year, but I should've scheduled for this month but I had to spend the money somewhere else, so its going to have to wait a week or two.
MillionDollar
Well-Known Member
My EDT lets me know at the last visit. Last time he said 8 months for my Welsh cob, 12 months for my HW cob.
Inchy
Well-Known Member
Mine are all done 6 monthly - whether in work or retired in the field.
LadyLuck1977
Well-Known Member
Every six months without fail.
niagaraduval
Well-Known Member
Mine comes once a year, would get him out earlier though if I thought there was a problem.
Dumbo
Well-Known Member
My horse hadn't been done for 5 years before I had him! He was done in October and will have them done again in june with his vacc
marmalade76
Well-Known Member
Ditto this.
You who have your horses done every six months - either your horse have tooth/mouth conformtion problems, they spend all their time in stable or your EDTs are telling you porkies.
A middle aged horse (ie, one that is neither young nor old) without any issues shouldn't need to see a dentist more than once every two years. I have seen a lot of these young, new EDTs (funnily enough, most seem to be girls these days) advertising on horsey FB groups telling folks their horses need to be checked evey six months, charge a fortune (cannot do it for less than £40 per horse) and even have the cheek to compare themselves to farriers!
I'll stick to my vet, thanks.
sybil
Well-Known Member
I check my horses teeth as frequently as possible (I'm an EDT in training and about to graduate from Hartpury College with a BSc (Hons) in Equine Dental Science). Interesting to see the statement about no middle aged horse needing their teeth doing more than every two years unless they have conformational defects. I would be most intrigued as to where you have found this information, as all the research I have done and carried out during my studies relates age to rate of tooth eruption which is why you get the differing times for different ages.
Young horses are erupting new teeth/ shedding caps which could potentially cause a problem- hence why these young horses need seeing much more frequently than an older horse. Once you get past around 5 years or so the shedding of caps etc stops (dependent on the horse, some shed until later due to various reasons) but the eruption rate of the teeth is much higher than that of a middle aged horse- roughly 2-3mm per year. Obviously in the wild this would be worn down by the high silicate grasses which they ate, but as we tend to feed our horses on concentrates and lush grass nowadays the rate of attrition does not always match the rate of eruption (hence those horses being out 24/7 fair better than most) and often sharp points develop- a sharp point of 2-3mm can, as I'm sure you can imagine, be quite uncomfortable- hence we perform routine work every 6 months usually on younger horses to prevent these points becoming exceptionally painful. The middle aged horse has a slower rate of eruption than the young horse- probably around 1-2mm per year- which is why we tend to say yearly for these horses as the rate of development of sharp points is much slower than in the younger horse. Older horses (15+ really) are those which are coming towards the end of their useful life span of their teeth, which leads to problems such as diastema formation, periodontal disease, expiring teeth and loose teeth. For these reasons we suggest a 6 monthly check up is beneficial so as to identify and hopefully delay any problems before they become a major issue within the mouth.
As for costs of EDTs I suppose it depends who you are talking about here- if you are talking about the EDTs (like myself) who are training to be qualified with BEVA/BAEDT/BVDA or already are, then it is probably appropriate that you appreciate why we charge probably £40+ for a routine rasp. As it stands (and I've not yet fully competed training) I am over £30k in debt- rather a lot of debt to be dealing with I think you will agree? And this is before we add on costs of memberships, exams, compulsory CPD, diesel, repairs, replacement blades, services to our equipment etc etc. If I were to add it all up I would frighten myself, least of all you. So if the EDTs you are referring to are BAEDT qualified EDTs then I would say that £40 for a routine rasp is exceptional value for money.
The use of a vet is your prerogative (and I'm not here to force you into any other choice) but just remember who you call when your horse needs its feet doing- and I doubt very much that you call the vet! It's a bit like us going to the GP to get our teeth done, they probably know the anatomy and more or less their way round (this doesn't apply to all vets as a lot more nowadays are taking the exam and engaging in the training) but I would rather get a filling from my dentist than my GP!
Young horses are erupting new teeth/ shedding caps which could potentially cause a problem- hence why these young horses need seeing much more frequently than an older horse. Once you get past around 5 years or so the shedding of caps etc stops (dependent on the horse, some shed until later due to various reasons) but the eruption rate of the teeth is much higher than that of a middle aged horse- roughly 2-3mm per year. Obviously in the wild this would be worn down by the high silicate grasses which they ate, but as we tend to feed our horses on concentrates and lush grass nowadays the rate of attrition does not always match the rate of eruption (hence those horses being out 24/7 fair better than most) and often sharp points develop- a sharp point of 2-3mm can, as I'm sure you can imagine, be quite uncomfortable- hence we perform routine work every 6 months usually on younger horses to prevent these points becoming exceptionally painful. The middle aged horse has a slower rate of eruption than the young horse- probably around 1-2mm per year- which is why we tend to say yearly for these horses as the rate of development of sharp points is much slower than in the younger horse. Older horses (15+ really) are those which are coming towards the end of their useful life span of their teeth, which leads to problems such as diastema formation, periodontal disease, expiring teeth and loose teeth. For these reasons we suggest a 6 monthly check up is beneficial so as to identify and hopefully delay any problems before they become a major issue within the mouth.
As for costs of EDTs I suppose it depends who you are talking about here- if you are talking about the EDTs (like myself) who are training to be qualified with BEVA/BAEDT/BVDA or already are, then it is probably appropriate that you appreciate why we charge probably £40+ for a routine rasp. As it stands (and I've not yet fully competed training) I am over £30k in debt- rather a lot of debt to be dealing with I think you will agree? And this is before we add on costs of memberships, exams, compulsory CPD, diesel, repairs, replacement blades, services to our equipment etc etc. If I were to add it all up I would frighten myself, least of all you. So if the EDTs you are referring to are BAEDT qualified EDTs then I would say that £40 for a routine rasp is exceptional value for money.
The use of a vet is your prerogative (and I'm not here to force you into any other choice) but just remember who you call when your horse needs its feet doing- and I doubt very much that you call the vet! It's a bit like us going to the GP to get our teeth done, they probably know the anatomy and more or less their way round (this doesn't apply to all vets as a lot more nowadays are taking the exam and engaging in the training) but I would rather get a filling from my dentist than my GP!
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marmalade76
Well-Known Member
I would be most intrigued as to where you have found this information, as all the research I have done and carried out during my studies relates age to rate of tooth eruption which is why you get the differing times for different ages.
An EDT, actually
As for costs of EDTs I suppose it depends who you are talking about here- if you are talking about the EDTs (like myself) who are training to be qualified with BEVA/BAEDT/BVDA or already are, then it is probably appropriate that you appreciate why we charge probably £40+ for a routine rasp. As it stands (and I've not yet fully competed training) I am over £30k in debt- rather a lot of debt to be dealing with I think you will agree? And this is before we add on costs of memberships, exams, compulsory CPD, diesel, repairs, replacement blades, services to our equipment etc etc. If I were to add it all up I would frighten myself, least of all you. So if the EDTs you are referring to are BAEDT qualified EDTs then I would say that £40 for a routine rasp is exceptional value for money.
Your depts are no business of mine nor any of your clients.
The use of a vet is your prerogative (and I'm not here to force you into any other choice) but just remember who you call when your horse needs its feet doing- and I doubt very much that you call the vet! It's a bit like us going to the GP to get our teeth done, they probably know the anatomy and more or less their way round (this doesn't apply to all vets as a lot more nowadays are taking the exam and engaging in the training) but I would rather get a filling from my dentist than my GP!
I will continue to use my vet, thanks, I'd trust his many years of experience as an quine vet (and yes, he has treated one of my horses alongside my farrier only recently) over any young Hartpury student any day, and at £25 per horse (I have three) he's a bargain!
sybil
Well-Known Member
Ahh the old "someone told me" justification for "stuff" you know- I can direct you to the research I am using if that helps make my point clearer?
Well like I said- I'm not here to force you into anything you are refusing to do based solely on cost. I do what's best for my horses and use the most qualified professionals for the job (which, in the case of teeth, your standard equine vets with no specific dental training aren't unfortunately- regardless of experience). My debt may well be none of your concern, but it is the justification for why we charge what we charge- whether you are interested or not! If I don't charge what I charge then I would be out of pocket and, I'm sure you will agree, that is no way to run any business- big or small! Vets are able to charge less because of the profit they generate from other lines of business which they have as a practice. Unfortunately an EDT cannot just absorb these costs in other parts of their business as their business IS being an EDT.
I might be a "young Hartpury student" but previous graduates, my classmates and I have far more training and education (which we still feel isn't enough, hence why we undertake further training and take further exams) than the average equine vet. Like I said, some vets are now taking the exam and undertaking the training (and kudos to you if you use one of these vets) but the majority aren't. It worries me that someone who- ask your vet if you think this isn't true- has done a 3 hour lecture on the horse's head and teeth will always be more qualified to carry out dentistry than me (regardless of further training and exams) purely because they are a vet. We need vets in equine dentistry- no one will disagree with that- but we need those who have taken the exam (or are willing to undertake the training for it) and appreciate how much work we put in to doing the best job we can for every horse we come across- not just doing the quickest, cheapest job. Cheap doesnt always represent best value and expensive doesnt always mean poor value- it's all relevant to the quality of the service you get and the knowledge and qualifications behind the person doing it. Unfortunately though many owners go for cheap vets who trump us simply by being a vet- regardless of training (or lack thereof).
Well like I said- I'm not here to force you into anything you are refusing to do based solely on cost. I do what's best for my horses and use the most qualified professionals for the job (which, in the case of teeth, your standard equine vets with no specific dental training aren't unfortunately- regardless of experience). My debt may well be none of your concern, but it is the justification for why we charge what we charge- whether you are interested or not! If I don't charge what I charge then I would be out of pocket and, I'm sure you will agree, that is no way to run any business- big or small! Vets are able to charge less because of the profit they generate from other lines of business which they have as a practice. Unfortunately an EDT cannot just absorb these costs in other parts of their business as their business IS being an EDT.
I might be a "young Hartpury student" but previous graduates, my classmates and I have far more training and education (which we still feel isn't enough, hence why we undertake further training and take further exams) than the average equine vet. Like I said, some vets are now taking the exam and undertaking the training (and kudos to you if you use one of these vets) but the majority aren't. It worries me that someone who- ask your vet if you think this isn't true- has done a 3 hour lecture on the horse's head and teeth will always be more qualified to carry out dentistry than me (regardless of further training and exams) purely because they are a vet. We need vets in equine dentistry- no one will disagree with that- but we need those who have taken the exam (or are willing to undertake the training for it) and appreciate how much work we put in to doing the best job we can for every horse we come across- not just doing the quickest, cheapest job. Cheap doesnt always represent best value and expensive doesnt always mean poor value- it's all relevant to the quality of the service you get and the knowledge and qualifications behind the person doing it. Unfortunately though many owners go for cheap vets who trump us simply by being a vet- regardless of training (or lack thereof).
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chestnut cob
Well-Known Member
For my last horse (who was 18 when retired), he was done every 12 months by my vet at the same time as his jabs. New horse is young and has some tooth problems we are trying to resolve so he's needing to be done every 6 months ATM.
JenHunt
Well-Known Member
6-9 months. Ron seems to rarely need anything doing fortunately, but the dentist is coming out to see Tom every 6-9months anyway as Tom has an interesting mouth! so the dentist checks Ron at the same time.