What is the status of Equine Dentists? License?

[Marty]

Last time I checked, and it's been quite a while, the Equine Dentists of the US were having to be licensed or quit doing dentistry.

If I remember correctly, the vets were saying that they were praciting veternary medicine without a license.

Does anyone know how this stands?

 

[wildoak]

Marty, it varies from state to state. Right now Texas - and Florida I think - are making it an issue. The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has decided in their great wisdom

: that equine dentists are practicing veterinary medicine, and therefore cannot legally work. I am all for licensing in some form or fashion, but to just arbitrarily take away their practice is nuts. They are working on a resolution of some sort here, and I hope they come to terms quickly - we need our dentist back!

Also on their radar are chiropractors, equine massage therapists, acupuncturists, etc...in short anyone doing anything to your horse. My big horse farrier says they are concerned about it too.

Watch what your state veterinarian boards are doing, this is not going away quietly.

Jan

 

[strass]

It seems to me that the great state of Taxes is getting awful pushy lately.

I'd trust Mitz to my horse's teeth before any "vet". The state has robbed us of our right to choose the best care for our animals. They've also robbed him of a job that he has been dedicated to for a very long time.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Is there not a way round this??

Many years ago I had a man shoe my horse who was not licensed but whose work I was satisfied with.

He shod the horse for nothing and I paid him $50.00 for bringing some feed to me, and gave him a receipt for this work done.

I am not certain of how your laws function but here, at least, you are only "practising" if you get paid for it.

 

[Al B]

The Great State of Texas, due to the overwhelming amount of angry mail received from mostly mini owners, has rescinded its "cease and desist" order against Carl Mitz. He is free to do equine dentistry in Texas.

:aktion033:

 

[mizbeth]

That is WONDERFUL news! I had not heard that the order was recinded.

B

 

[Anne]

Marty,

I think there is a lot of difference from one state to the other. In Wisconsin, my understanding is that equine dentists can work but must have a vet present to administer any sort of sedative or "meds".

Now arranging and paying for a vet AND a dentist out is almost impossible and of course double the cost.

I do not believe most folks tend to do things this way.

My local vet does not have ANY desire to do these little ones teeth.

So either I work with a dentist or the horses go without care.

hmmmm

eidted to add I've talked to three local vets, none will "work" with an equine dentist, or recommend one.

All of the vets feel it's necessary to sedate a horse for teeth, they have all refused to work on the minis.

A fourth said she hadn't ever done it, and didn't have the "right" equipment but she would "try" it.

yikes, does not instill confidence.

 

[Hosscrazy]

In California, equine dentists are required to have a vet present to administer sedation or other prescribed medications. Equine dentists are not DVM's and what if, worst case scenario, the horse has an adverse reaction to meds administered illegally by an equine dentist? Malpractice insurance sure wouldn't cover any expenses or losses to the horse owner. Any equine dentist in California who wants to administer his/her own meds to my horses would never be allowed to work with my horses!

Liz R.

 

[Al B]

Carl does not administer meds. Those that do and are not Vets are practicing illegally.

 

[Buckskin gal]

Our horse dentist is not liscened but our vet recommends him to her clients because he is soooo good. He never sedates a horse and handles them like magic with no fuss to speak of from them. The problem with sedating, that is where the vet issue comes in. Sedating should only be done by a vet according to medicine. I much prefer not having them sedated when it isn't necessary. this guy does everything from minis to drafts without sedating! Just plain good horseman!

: Mary

 

[horsehug]

Mary,

How far does your dentist travel? You are about 500 miles from me. And while I have had various vets work on teeth, I am always looking for an equine dentist in this part of the country who does not sedate and is truly an equine dentist like Carl or the one you describe!!

Susan O.

 

[Margo_C-T]

I believe that NM has the same issues with the non-DVM administering sedation--and I actually agree with this policy. There was a young man several years ago who set himself up as an equine dentist, was said to be quite good--a friend had him to her house, to do a couple of Fjords--when he used the same needle to administer sedation to both of her horses, the 'bloom was off the rose' quickly!! I dropped my plans to try him, and she never had him back!

The current area 'dental specialist' IS a DVM. I like her personally, but she uses only power equipment, is through in nothing flat, has been known to 'overdo' it (as in, flattening the tooth surfaces TOO much), has no cooling to accompany that high speed equipment(I have read more than once how careful one must be when using power dental equipment on equines; in watching her work, don't feel I've seen that kind of care...and teeth CAN be permanently damaged!) I am lucky to have a very experienced 'regular' vet who will take the time and make the effort to do a good job, and will use 'standard' equipment(non-power); he also has and uses power equipement, but will accede to the owner's wishes. He sedates those that need it, but not 'automatically'. Because I live well out of the city, I hauled two 'trailerloads' down into Albuq. to him--less expensive than the trip fees(and my time is my own). I feel fortunate to have him!!

Margo

 

[wildoak]

Woo, I'm tickled to know that Carl is "legal" again in Texas. He has worked on a filly for me that needed sedation - we met at the vet's for that one and she was sedated by the vet, then Carl did the dental work while the vets watched and learned.

Jan

 

[Lisa Strass]

The Great State of Texas, due to the overwhelming amount of angry mail received from mostly mini owners, has rescinded its "cease and desist" order against Carl Mtiz. He is free to do equine dentistry in Texas.

:aktion033:

I hadn't heard this either, but this is GREAT NEWS!!!

 

[txminipinto]

The problem with any state regulating equine dentists, farriers, chiropractors, etc is enforcement. There are too many and too many clients who don't care if their equine dentist is licensed as long as they do a good ethical job. They would have to find clients who are disgruntled to turn those individuals in.

Personally, I'm not worried about it. It's like the livestock identification issue here in TX. They can't enforce it due to the ratio of livestock owners to government officials. We out number them!

 

[Jean_B]

Hallelujah!! See, the "squeaky wheel" does get the grease!! And in this case, the squeaky wheel was a lot of ticked off mini owners.

And any vet that decides to get snotty with a client that decides to use an equine dentist instead of them for dental work should count on losing a LOT of customers!! Remember, the dollar talks, BS walks.

 

[HGFarm]

We fly Carl out here to Arizona every year, and have been for quite a while now. He does not use any medications and I have never seen him even have to think of doing that. I trust him 200% with my Minis and would not want anyone else working on them. In fact, our vet will not do teeth. She used to, but prefers to recommend a 'specialist' and just quit doing them period.

Susan, your state club or someone there may see if Carl would fly out to WY or something, but you would have to have enough folks to bring all their horses and make a couple of days of nothing but dental work.

When he is here, he will go to a different farm each day- sometimes two, depending on where they are located and how many he has to do. All the other places in that area haul their horses to that farm that day and he goes through them all. Then the next day, he may be at a farm on the south side of the valley, so all the folks in that area can meet there and he can just go to work.

It is always so interesting, and I feel much better after their annual checkup!!

I dont know if Carl is taking on new places or customers, but he is WELL WORTH the price to fly him out (we all pitch in a bit to cover the ticket - we used to add $5.00 onto the horses that needed work. If they dont need any work on teeth - floating or what have you- there is no charge!)

And he is such a nice person and we always enjoy visiting with him!

 

[Reijel's Mom]

I went to a Horse Owner's Workshop last night where they featured an equine dentist, he did power floating and had to have the vet there to do the sedation (this is in Iowa).

I noticed many posters said their dentists did not use sedation - I assume the dentists weren't doing power floating?! That's probably a dumb question, but I wasn't sure.

 

[lucyem]

I do have a serious issue with the vets trying to stop all non vets from working on horses. Come on, lets be real. How many vets specialized in equine teeth in vet school? One of the most pitifull equine floating experiences I ever had was with a vet. I used to have a vet who did specialize in it and he was great. I personally though want to see some sort of certification, something. Not only for the dentists but the farriers, chiros, massage therapists etc. I think that there should be a nurse practitioner type of program they could take at a veterinary college. You know you see a doctor for real issues but can see a nurse practitioner for the basics. A nurse practitioner can prescribe drugs and administer shots. I think all these professions should have some sort of similar requirement. I think it would go a long way to weed out a lot of wackos, like the very popular dentist in our area who "specializes in minis" and has no idea what he is doing. My friend's horse was never the same again after he left. Other reputable dentists are trying to get him stopped before he hurts a horse permanently. But they have no way to stop him. No board to oversee and mabe take away a license.

A few wackos will still get through and maybe a few good ones will get some education that will help them in the long run. Even just training them to use a sedative properly. Maybe more people will get involved in the industry without fear their job will be taken away from them based on the whim of the state. (Maybe that farrier I used a few years ago would find a new job or actually learn the parts of the horses hoof) And that would only be to the horseowners benefit not to mention the health of their horses.

 

[JWC sr.]

Carl Mitz has been doing our teeth for many years and is a great guy. He does all phases of denistry including floating & tooth extraction without sedation. So far we have never had a reason for sedation, but if we did our vet would administer it and then Carl would be the denist. Facts is his specialized tools, experience with miniatures and methods make him one of the best in the business.

The main function of keeping the teeth unhooked in the back so as to allow proper growth and alignment is his neatest job in his aresenal. It never ceases to amaze me how often a horses mouth trues itself up merely by keeping them free to move as needed naturally.

One other note Carl belongs to a national group of equine denists that require experience and licensing to be part of which adds credibility to him and the others of his ilk.

You can't beat him and we will continue to use him in the future.

:aktion033: