Newsletter
February 2010
Welcome to our on-line monthly newsletter. If you received a printed edition and would like to give us your e-mail address, we can send you electronic newsletters as well as other horse health-related information. Please give us a call at 559-592-4753 or drop us a line.
Horses Need Dentists Too!
Dr. Campfield performs a dental equilibration with a Power Float. The patient is sedated and an oral speculum is used to provide good access to all teeth.
Most horse owners realize that their animals have requirements to maintain health and usefulness: vaccines, deworming, hoof care and sound nutrition are usually at the top of the list of priorities when it comes to keeping your horses healthy and problem-free. Did you know that dental care is also an integral part of routine horse maintenance?
At Pacific Crest Equine we regularly educate our clients about the importance of prevention. A horse’s teeth are a prime example of the absolute need for preventive medicine. We recommend that every adult horse have a thorough oral exam performed by a veterinarian every year. The exam should be followed by an equilibration, which is the process of removing sharp enamel points and restoring balance to the horse’s mouth for optimal function. Most qualified veterinarians will use powered tools to achieve a safe, rapid and complete equilibration.
The dental exam is of utmost importance. A complete, thorough exam can only be performed with sedation and the application of an oral speculum, which affords a view of every tooth; there are up to 44 of them! During the exam, the veterinarian is looking for problems such as loose or fractured teeth, imbalances of the dental arcades, periodontal disease, diastemas collecting feed material, retained deciduous teeth (‘caps’), resorptive lesions, and many others. It takes a trained eye to identify these problems and recommend appropriate treatments.
Myth 1:
My shoer can get a float done with hand tools and without sedating my horse and he doesn’t need one of those torture devices to open his mouth. Plus he does it cheaply!
Truth: A common perception is that it is better to not sedate the horse, and a quick float with hand tools is all that’s needed. The problem here is that you can’t find problems in a horse’s mouth if you don’t look. Unfortunately our equine friends can’t tell us when something in their mouth is bothering them, so it is our responsibility to check them out thoroughly. This can ONLY be done by a properly trained professional with sedation and a speculum. Under current CA law, any person performing equine dentistry without a valid veterinary license must be supervised by licensed DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine).
Myth 2:
My horse’s front teeth look fine. He doesn’t need any work done.
Truth: Picking up a horse’s front lip to examine the front teeth (incisors) is hardly a thorough exam. The incisors are really only used to pull up grass when a horse is on pasture. In situations where a horse is fed mostly hay and grain-type feeds, the incisors are rarely used at all. The important teeth are the ‘cheek teeth’, which are 4 rows of 6 square teeth that the horse uses to grind feed material. Those are the most important for the horse’s overall health, and extend much farther back in the horse’s mouth than the incisors.
The bottom line: Don’t wait until your horse is dropping feed or losing weight before having his teeth examined. Unlike people, as horses grow older, their teeth continuously erupt (grow). As this happens, dental imbalances and problems gradually worsen. Minor problems eventually progress to a situation where the horse begins showing obvious signs of oral disease, which becomes difficult (and ultimately very expensive) to correct. You can think of a yearly dental exam as cheap insurance. As a veterinarians, we would much rather see your horse once a year and spend only 5-10 minutes performing an equilibration vs examining your horse only once when he is 16 years old with severe dental problems that will require extensive surgical procedures to manage.
As you plan your horse health strategies for 2010, keep dentistry on the list of priorities. Pacific Crest Equine now offers several comprehensive wellness programs that include dentistry as part of an overall equine health program.
Amanda Ciliax, DVM, joins Pacific Crest as 2009-2010 Intern
Dr. Ciliax radiograph’s a patient’s hoof in the PCE Imaging room.
We are excited to introduce this year’s intern, Dr. Amanda Ciliax. Dr. Ciliax hails from Las Vegas, NV. She earned her BS in Animal Science and a Master’s Degree in Physiology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Amanda then completed her DVM at Washington State University in 2009 and joined us for her internship after graduation.
Amanda has been a great addition to our hospital for the past 6 months. She is certain to be a valuable asset as we move into our busy spring schedule. Amanda, her dog Kodi and cat Mango all reside in the apartment at our hospital, so that Amanda can provide non-stop veterinary care to any patients who stay with us overnight, including Intensive Care Unit patients. This is no easy job and results in many long, stressful nights!
Unfortunately for us, Dr. Ciliax will be obligated to return to Nevada to practice after she completes her internship this summer. In the meantime, we are very fortunate to have this wonderful veterinarian as part of the Pacific Crest team.
Client/Patient Spotlight:
J-Bar Ranch Center for Experiential Learning Helps Children, Little Mabel Loses her Battle with Lung Cancer.
This month we would like to highlight the efforts of J-Bar Ranch Center for Experiential Learning, where horses are taking an active role in the future of our local youth.
Kids from the Horse & Reader program listen to Dr. Christian during a field trip to PCE.
Kayla Tilley, 9, Riding Robbie over the bridge in the obstacle course at J-Bar.
Buzz Loveless and Horse and Reader kids paint symbols on "Mija" in Native culture lesson.
Little Mabel was an important part of the J-Bar ranch Center for Experiential Learning
At J-Bar Ranch, Dr. Jan Butler Loveless and husband Sid (“Buzz”) Loveless coordinate a number of Equine-Facilitated Learning programs. The ranch currently hosts Native American and other at-risk children, 4th through 7th grades, who are not succeeding in the Visalia schools. Their participation in these equine-assisted programs is free to families, paid for by a tribal coalition called the Owens Valley Career Development Center (OVCDC). Kids who come here improve their reading comprehension and writing ability, but they also learn Native culture, socio-emotional skills, and horsemanship... and they learn to ride. You can think of J-Bar’s efforts as a tutoring program "on steroids" and the herd of horses is the draw for kids and parents alike. All participating families are clients of OVCDC, and many are on Temporary Aid to Needy Families.
OVCDC and J-Bar Ranch are exploring the possibility of expanding their learning programs to include a middle school/high school program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6 pm and two half-Saturdays per month. The program would be free to participating kids, but they must be of Native American heritage and struggling in certain school subjects and/or not passing required state tests. For more information, contact Tracy Easter, OVCDC Visalia site coordinator.
On November 5, 2009, the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Tulare County honored J-Bar Ranch Center for Experiential Learning as the 2009 Most Innovative Program for At-Risk Kids.
J-Bar Ranch would be pleased to accept any donations of saddles/tack, grooming supplies, etc. Horse-related educational material (books, models) for children would also be beneficial. You can contact Jan Loveless for donations and inquiries.
"Little Mabel" was a 18-year-old quarter horse mare that was one of the many horses cared for at J-Bar Ranch. She was a well-loved and important part of the hands-on learning programs for many years. Unfortunately, Little Mabel had to be euthanized on 12/16/2009 at UC Davis three and a half hours into a surgical procedure after surgeons determined that the tumor in her lungs was inoperable. The mare had been afforded the best care possible throughout her ordeal with pulmonary myoblastoma, an extremely rare lung tumor. The information gained during her diagnosis and postmortem exam will be valuable in the future of equine cancer patients. The veterinary care that Little Mabel received during the many months of her diagnosis and treatment is just one example of the exceptional care that J-Bar Ranch provides for their horses. Little Mabel will be greatly missed.
