About Equine Dentistry
The provision of equine health care is a branch of the horse industry that is occupied not only by medical professionals but also by an ever-broadening variety of non-medical practitioners, specialists in therapies that involve aspects of nutrition, physical manipulation, psychological assistance and more. Equine dentistry is one therapeutic niche that is occupied by both veterinary professionals and non-veterinary technicians (i.e. experts in the practical application of the science). In Alberta, this sharing of the field has brought to light some controversial questions about the way equine dentistry is practiced in the province.
While veterinarians are recognized and respected for their vital role in horse health care, in general they have not traditionally tended to devote a significant part of their practice to equine dentistry. In fact, throughout much of the world, horse owners have long used the services of fellow horsemen to address equine tooth problems. In the past decade as technology has made equine dentistry easier to perform, more veterinarians have taken up the practice. Their reason is pragmatic - the new dental technologies afford a huge increase in the potential for profit in proportion to effort required in providing dental services.
In the perception of non-veterinary technicians who make a living helping horses with dental problems, equine dentistry is becoming a contested field. In many countries, including Great Britain, the United States and Canada, non-veterinary equine dentists have begun to encounter roadblocks - thrown up by the veterinary profession - that challenge their practice of the craft.
In response to the initiation of a court challenge to the practice of an equine dentist in central Alberta, a group of the province's non-veterinary horse dentists drew up and have been circulating since October 2001 an "Animal Owner Rights" petition. The petition asserts the need to protect the commonly held right of animal owners to make choices about how to treat their animals' health problems. This right extends not only to dentistry but also to alternative methodologies such as physiotherapy, herbology and nutritional therapy. The petition's purpose is to alert animal owners to the possibility of legislation being enacted that would restrict them to relying on veterinarians exclusively as animal health care providers. Read more...