For Your Horse

COMFORT, LONGEVITY, AND HEALTH

Routine dental care can dramatically improve the quality of life and, thereby, extend the life and career of your horses. This is especially important for youngsters and senior horses. We handle routine dental floats as well as problem issues, including tooth extraction. During spring vaccination, we give your horse a thorough dental check and make recommendations. Here are a few things to look out for that may mean your horse is due for a dental check-up.

• Weight loss
• Recurrent colic
• Bad breath
• Tossing head or head shy
• Dropping feed (Quidding)
• Self soaking hay
• Resisting the bit
• Behaviour problems

Our dental floats are performed with standing sedation to ensure safety and comfort for both owner and horse. We use Powerfloat technology to perform our floats which helps minimize time and discomfort in our patients.

HOW FREQUENTLY SHOULD MY HORSE GET A DENTAL EXAMINATION?

• Horses greater than 1.5 years old and less than 5 years old: every 6 months. To check for deciduous (baby) teeth that are retained (retained caps) and to ensure proper alignment of the incoming permanent teeth. The first dental should take place at 2-3 years old. Prior to starting any training, it is at this point that the wolf teeth will be removed, unless they have already been taken out during the castration procedure.
• Horses greater than 5 years old and less than 15 years old: yearly. Unless there is a known problem such as a missing tooth, fractured jaw, or over/under-bite.
• Horses greater than 15 years old: every 6 months. Check for loose or rotten teeth, as well as spaces between teeth (diastema) that are packing feed material.

HOW OFTEN DOES MY HORSE NEED THEIR TEETH DONE?
Most horses require dental work every 1-3 years depending on the use of the horse (pasture pet versus performance horse), age, diet, and any previous abnormalities that may take several dental procedures to become completely corrected.

DIGITAL IMAGING

Technology allows us to be more mobile and versatile when diagnosing specific conditions. Immediate imaging can speed treatment and recovery as well as monitor progress more effectively. We have a full range of diagnostic capabilities, including digital radiology, digital ultrasound, and endoscopy.

Digital Radiology – Portable x-ray that can be brought on-site for a fast accurate diagnosis. Used in a variety of applications from lameness to thorough dental examinations.

Digital Ultrasound – Also portable, ultrasound can be used for on-site reproductive examinations or in advanced lameness diagnosis.

Endoscopy – Allows for upper airway examination including guttural pouches.

PRE-PURCHASE EXAMINATION

Buying a horse, whether for competition or pleasure, is an important investment for now and the future. A pre-purchase examination is designed to look for any current or potential problems in a horse. Pre-purchase exams are not limited by age, and include both a history, discussion of past and future expectations of the horse, a thorough physical examination, and lameness evaluation. Depending on the initial results of the exam, further diagnostics may be warranted, such as x-rays or ultrasound. If it is a mare that is being purchased for breeding, an examination of her reproductive potential is also included. The forms below are the standards of our practice for examination and our expectations of the buyer and seller. Please contact us for equine pre-purchase buyer and seller history forms.

Surgery in horses can range from very simple to extremely complex. Diagnosing and treating a surgical condition is a trying time for both the horse and the owner, and we work with you to ensure that your companion is looked after from start to finish. The following is a list of routine and emergency procedures.

• Castrations
• Cryptorchid (retained testicle in the abdomen)
• Cuts/Traumatic injuries
• Sequestrum removal
• Cryotherapy and freeze branding
• Urethrostomies
• Sarcoid removal
• Ophthalmic procedures

We perform surgery both on-farm and in-clinic, depending on the complexity of the procedure. In certain cases or orthopedic conditions, we will refer surgeries to a specialist.

PARASITE MANAGEMENT

Deworming is important to maintaining the health and well-being of your horse from foaling to retirement. There are numerous dewormers on the market, and they are readily available in various locations from your local veterinary clinic to local hardware store. All present dewormers are orally administered and come in liquid, paste, or gel form. Dewormers can vary in their efficacy in eliminating the various parasites, the various stages of the parasite they control, and the duration of control they offer. A proper, scientific choice is best made in consultation.  A good plan incorporates judicious use of dewormers to prevent resistance and monitoring of your herd. We recommend checking fecal egg counts in Spring and Fall to accurately identify parasites and prevent the development of resistance. 

Resistance to common dewormers is becoming an issue and can have significant implications for the general horse population. 

• Spring
  • Fecal Egg Count
  • Deworming if required
• Summer
  • Additional dewormings not required until next Fecal Egg Count
• Fall
  • Fecal Egg Count
  • A deworming in the fall is key for both prevention and MUST be an Ivermectin or Moxidectin based dewormer (Eqvalan and Quest are two commercially available)