FAQ's

We have expanded our practice to include southwestern San Bernardino County, including the communities of Chino, Chino Hills, as well as northwestern Riverside County, including Norco and Mira Loma.

• First: Assess the situation. How long has this been going on? What has happened?
• Second: Asses the patient. Check the horse’s temperature, check for intestinal activity, ­­­­­­­­­­­­­and check the heart rate and respiratory rate. If you do not know how to get these “vital signs” on your horse, have your EVA veterinarian teach you how and practice before your horse gets sick. The more information you can determine on your own, the more likely your veterinarian can help you with a preliminary diagnosis over the phone and advise you on appropriate first aid.
• Third: How well-prepared are you? Do you have a first aid kit? Is it stocked? Do you know how to use it? Often clients can save expensive emergency calls if they just have a well-stocked emergency first aid kit, the knowledge, and the training in how to use it. Ask your EVA vet for advice on how to assemble and use a first aid kit.

The State of California does not recognize equine dentists, even if they went to school to get such a title. As such, they are participating in an illegal activity, have no licenses to practice dentistry, and may have no liability insurance to protect your loss if they make a mistake. The concept of letting a non-licensed, non-insured person, who attended a series of classes out of state, promote himself as an “equine dentist” is a very “hot topic” in Sacramento at this time.

If such a person is doing work on your horse or horses not owned by you but on your property, be sure to inquire about his or her liability insurance. He probably has none. This means it will be your personal homeowner’s insurance, business insurance, or your assets that will be attached if complications occur as a result of the procedures performed with your knowledge.

There are two exceptions. First, a licensed veterinarian may do equine dentistry, and some veterinarians even limit their practice exclusively to equine dentistry. Second, a non-licensed person may do dental work on a horse if a veterinarian is in attendance and supervising the procedure at all times. If complications occur, the veterinarian is present to provide medical care, and the veterinarian has legal liability for the quality of work being done. This is the law in California as it stands now.

Since this issue is currently being actively discussed in Sacramento, it is only a matter of time before attorneys will start attacking the “deep pockets” of the insurance companies and property owners for the damages caused by the “illegal malpractice” committed by unlicensed equine dentists. In a litigious society like California, it is becoming risky to promote, condone, or even allow the illegal practice of equine dentistry without exposing yourself to potentially severe financial risk.

            Make sure to shake penicillin bottles very well. To withdraw medication, inject the same amount of air into the bottle as you wish to take out. (To withdraw 20cc of penicillin, inject 20cc of air by pulling back the plunger to the 20cc mark and inject the bottle.) Then, without removing the needle from the bottle, aspirate the desired quantity.

            Find the desired location for injection. Remove needle jacket; then detach the needle from the syringe by twisting off, without touching any part of the needle except where it attaches to the syringe. Handle here:

INJECTION SITES

1.  NECK: Top 1/3 of neck (designated by triangle) in front of shoulder. Spine runs along lower portion of neck and ligament along the top or crest: stay away from these areas.           

A health certificate and Coggins test is required to transport a horse from state to state. The health certificate is valid for 30 days from date of the exam. Coggins tests are valid between six months to one year depending upon the state.

A health certificate requires an exam and a Coggins test requires a blood sample sent to the lab. We suggest a minimum of 1 week to have all results and paperwork completed.

Info necessary for Coggins test:
Name, address, and phone number for owner
Name, address, and phone number of where horse is stabled
Horses name, registered and barn names, if using both, breed, color, sex, age

Info necessary for Health Certificate:
Name, address, and phone number for owner
Name, address, and phone number of where horse is stabled
Physical address where your horse is going (No P.O. Boxes accepted as destination address)
If change in ownership, new owners name, address and phone number
If traveling to show, vacation, etc., physical address of destination

Horses name, registered and barn names, if using both, breed, color, sex, age

The canine teeth are present in male horses and erupt through the gums at about five years of age. Some female horses will have small vestigial canines present. The canines are used by the male horse for fighting and herd protection in the wild. These teeth have very long, deep roots and are not routinely extracted. When the teeth are floated in the adult male horse, the canines are often “reduced or ground down so they are not as long and sharp.

In contrast, the wolf teeth are the first premolars, and they can be present in both male and female horses. They erupt at one to two years of age and are located right in front of the upper first cheek teeth. Not all horses have wolf teeth, but when they do, they can usually be easily extracted because they have minimal roots. The wolf teeth are in a position where they can interfere with the bit (particularly a snaffle bit), and for that reason they are often extracted when the horse starts in the bridle.