
Regular dental examination and treatment are essential for every horse, whether it is a retired paddock pet or a successful competition or racing animal.
WestVETS offers a high level of skill together with modern dentistry equipment. Dental treatments, performed at least once a year, are recommended to prevent painful conditions of the mouth. Infrequent or inadequate dental care can lead to pathology that adversely affects health and performance. Regular dental treatment ensures that your horse can chew its food efficiently and adequately to maintain its body condition.
At WestVETS, we have veterinarians with postgraduate training in equine dentistry who stay up to date with the latest advancements in the field.
All dentistry is performed under sedation with the horse’s head elevated using a veterinary-only power float. Specially designed lights illuminate the patient’s mouth, enabling visual dentistry – we look, diagnose, and treat appropriately. We prefer to use our purpose-built crush at the clinic or our mobile crush at your property to provide a controlled and safe working environment. Every horse is provided with a complete dental record to assist with future dental workups.
The performance power float is suitable and recommended for all horses, including competition, racing, and pleasure horses, as well as broodmares and geriatric patients.
Occasionally, a tooth may require extraction. We have a full range of equipment to facilitate intraoral extractions in the standing sedated horse. Simple extractions can be performed in the field, while more complicated cases may require treatment at our purpose-built facility.