Something To Chew On: A Dental Check-up For Sage

I had my veterinarian out yesterday to give Sage a dental check-up, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear him say after his exam that she actually did not need a float or dental work. I had been feeling guilty for a while about not having an equine dentist out since she was seemingly overdue (according to the last vet who had worked on her – one year ago). I ended up paying for a call and a general exam, less than half the cost of a full-blown dental, so my checkbook was pleasantly surprised as well. And I could feel good about keeping up with preventive care for her.

Not as bad as root canals, but still stressful

Mostly, though, I was relieved because vet work on horses tends to be stressful – and Sage is definitely not the exception to that. She is very wary of people working on her, partly due to her past and partly due to her sensitive nature. I had to pull her away from the herd to which she has become extremely attached, she would have had to have the needle injection of sedation medication (she is very wary of needles after having had acupuncture once), then after the procedure she would be restricted to her stall with no feed for a few hours while coming out of the sedation. Additionally, the last dental work which she had done on her probably left her jaw sore, and she was unwilling to take a bit for an exceedingly long time. Having just gone through a particularly challenging root canal myself, with my jaw held open for two hours and resulting soreness and headache, I completely understand her aversion to having something put in her mouth again! (Fortunately, I am able and willing and more inclined to just ride her with a rope halter and now usually the bosal; next up is the bitless bridle.)

Moving forward

The plan now is to re-check her again anywhere in six to 12 months or if she starts exhibiting any signs of having issues with her mouth and teeth. Based upon the fact that she is a young horse, not ridden with a bit, does not eat grain or processed pellets with mollasses, and grazes much of the day with hay as the bulk of her diet, he did not see much reason for extra dental vigilance at this time. This particular vet said he is more conservative on dentistry than some vets, although he does promote the equine dentistry portion of his business and is highly trained and experienced (about 30 years worth…). I really appreciated his honesty and willingness to NOT do a procedure which he felt was unnecessary. A conservative stance on dentistry (or anything else medical for that matter) is something which at this point I am quite, quite comfortable with; I do not want or need unnecessary procedures on my horse. She has been through a lot already, and I really would like her to just spend her time now enjoying herself and being a happy, healthy horse as nature intended.

Its important to be a concerned and watchful owner, but at the same time I do not want to spend my nights fretfully grinding my teeth with worry over the health of my horse.