Equine Dentistry Without Drama™ Blog, Articles, Videos, and Interviews (use the categories on the left to narrow your search)

     Before getting to the meat of this e-letter, I just want to say THANKS on this month of Thanksgiving.  It has been 11 years since I limited my practice to equine dentistry.  26 1/2 years and over 42,000 floats since I placed my hand inside a horse's mouth I find myself more energized than ever before.  This energy comes from both positive and negative sources.

I really want to stay positive.  My wife really, really helps me with that.

So the positive notes (I know this will not be as interesting as the negative stuff, but I need to keep you in the mood) - 

1. I am healthy - On August 30th I had a horse try to run out of it's stall.  My attempt to stop it was successful but I ruptured the tendon that helps to lift my right arm.  While I was unable to float for 2 weeks, there is now little pain and I have compensated using all the surrounding muscles.  I have retained the ability to effectively float any horse.  I have consequently postponed the surgery until a date WAY in the future.  Why??? Because of you guys.  This brings me to number 2.

2. I have surrounded myself with talented people to support me - Brandon Gager came to my rescue with his extensive experience floating teeth to help me when I could not use my arm.  Click on his name to find out more about him.  Then along came Melissa Buday, a gifted horseman.  Click on her name to read about her.  Because of these two extraordinary horsemen and talented floaters YOU can rest easier tonight.  In the future when you call me for help and my arm is in a sling, Brandon and Melissa are equal in their abilities to work on your horses.  This is a far better solution than calling an unknown dentist or worse yet, forced into a power tool situation.

3. We have been blessed with a whole lot of really great horse owners.  Your confidence in us, your belief in our style and our philosophy, and your willingness to share us by your word of mouth recommendations are humbling and we are so grateful for it.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  I know my prayer of thanks will be stronger than ever.

Now for the juicy negative stuff.  The past 2 weeks have been filled with stories from you about dental issues that reminds me that there is a lot more work to do in spreading the message.

1. I was surprised when a client said that her own mouth was jacked open for 3 hours causing a stretched ligament that has altered her own bite - hopefully not permanently.  Thankfully her head was not suspended from the ceiling!  But she had once left me to try a power tool guy with a mouth speculum.  A week later when the horse could not eat and her vet called me in, I discovered that the power float had injured the back of the jaw.  The infection was painful with a bad smell.  Antibiotics and time resolved it completely

2. A veterinarian examined an older horse that I have floated for several years.  In his general physical, he mentioned that the teeth needed extensive work and he was willing to do it.  Keep in mind that this horse is eating just fine and maintaining his own weight.  He is retired and not ridden.  But what really hurt was that he mentioned that it would take 4 hours if I did the work and that he could do it much faster.  My exam indicated a touch up was all that was necessary.  BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!  Melissa was also at the farm in another barn and was unaware of my conversation with this owner.  So we set her up.  I went to another stall and the owner asked Melissa to check the horse.  No preamble.  Melissa examined the horse and reported that the mouth felt really good and might need a few spots touched up.  It is one thing when a charlatan comes to your barn, but when he has a DVM after his name, then we all as horse owners need to be better advocates of our horses.

3. Two people have approached me to learn how to float teeth, but they also have looked at other schools.  One was from Australia and she spent $7000 and a month of her time.  Her name is Wendy and afterwards, she spent a week with me.  I blogged about it here (have you signed up for my blog?  Do it here) .  She was taught all the new science that I counter argued easily.  But all my arguments no matter how logical could not compare to an event which summed up EVERYTHING.  I floated a horse that I have floated for years.  The rider/trainer was present and when asked if there were any issues to tell me about him, she not only said that all was OK on the bit, but she reminded me that he was NUMBER ONE IN ALL OF NORTH AMERICA in her sport.  So I asked Wendy to evaluate my finished float.  She tested the lateral excursion of the jaw as well as the incisors and proceeded to use a complex mathematical formula to advise me on how to cut the incisors so that the horse could chew better.  The fit, athletic, perfectly maintained horse that is number one in North America with no bit issues from the trainer/rider gave me a look that said, "Is she serious?"  I stopped Wendy but I wished I hadn't.  For days she told me that my simplistic approach to equine dentistry using horsemanship and real science had made mush of her brain.  I feel guilty and I hope her brain solidifies.  But again, who is your horse's advocate?  These dentists are being cranked out not just from these non-accredited schools (no over-site) but also from the vet schools.

So what am I doing to counter this? 

• I use social media.  Twitter and Facebook.  Please click to join my Fan Page on Facebook.  You do not have to join to leave a comment there on the review page.

• I blog several times a month.  Subscribe here and get notified every time I post.

• I write a monthly e-letter.  Please pass this on and for those of you being forwarded to, sign up directly here.

• I maintain a web site that is chock full of information.  If you want something added, just click here and tell me what it is.

• I talk to any group that asks me to.  I love to pass along what I know.  So if you have a group, click here.

• I write articles for anyone.  Check out the ones I have already written here.

• I give interviews on the internet.  Check them all out here.

So there you have it - the scrubbed and modified edition of my e-letter - perfectly balanced between positive and negative.  But if you get me at the barn and push the right button, I will let loose with my anger and frustration calm and assertive position on the issue of people ripping you off advising you with bogus advice that may not be in your best interest.

WHO IS YOUR HORSE'S ADVOCATE?  

Have a great Thanksgiving - the best holiday ever created.