Equine Dental Clinic

McKuster Ranch Equine Dental Clinic

McKuster Ranch, LLC hosted our first Equine Dental Clinic October 16, 2005 with equine dentist, Dr. Sarah Metcalf, DVM.

This year we conducted another equine dental clinic on November 7th through the 10th.

Photo to the left is Dr. Sarah giving Nugget plenty of TLC as he goes under sedation to make his "office visit" a nearly painless experience.

Nugget is our 9 year old palomino quarter horse.

Below you will see some of the work Dr. Sarah had to do on Nugget. Upon his 2005 exam we found that he had not lost his lower deciduous "baby" incisors which created a double row of lower incisors which in turn could have lead to major dental problems in a few years and the lost of many/ all of his lower incisors. A very unhealthy condition for a horse that needs to be able to graze, to survive a long life here at the ranch. Just like all beloved member of our family ~ your family, it is recommended that your horse should have annual dental checkups. Would you send your child to a regular general practice MD for their dental needs? We don't call our regular vets for our horses dental needs, we call Dr. Sarah. Your call... it for the life of your horse, your pleasure and peace of mind.

We truly enjoy working with Dr. Sarah and the TLC treatment she gives our horses.

The 2005 dental exam.

The 2005 proceedure for Nugget's dental needs/ corrections.
Equine dentistry is not just floating a horse's teeth.

Too many deciduous incisors in the lower arcade,
a breeding area for tooth decay and tooth lose.

Floating Nugget's teeth for sharp point and misalignment

PLEASE BEWARE: the following pictures are real life and bloody photos of Nugget's dental work in progress.

This was the first time Dr. Sarah had encountered a set of teeth like Nugget's.
Such a dental condition as Nugget had is not totally rare, as documented by the Ag-Info Centre,
Alberta Government and W. Leon Scrutchfield, DVM - Texas A&M University.

With deciduous teeth extracted

Flossing Nugget's teeth after extractions to reduce bacteria trapped in
the double row of his "baby" and permanent teeth. Several days thereafter we washed these dental wounds with saltwater.
He came through this procedure in great form and now
has much sweeter breath.

The above proceedure was followed up and completed in 2006 - see below

Below are photos of Nugget's healthy smile that we found during his dental exam of November 2007.
~ Please never tell Nugget that you have seen him in this condition ~

With proper veterinary health and dental care Kittee expects to be riding Nugget for the next twenty-five plus years with smiles on their faces around area parades, our backyard, our neighborhood's back country harvest roads, into the mountains and Walla Walla River trails.

Our other eight equines had good teeth structure and only needed to have their sharp teeth points floated, Justice did have his canine teeth reduced.


Dr. Sarah accepts Visa and MasterCard for her services

The cost for most equine dental exams: sedation, floating, cleaning proceedure is $155 - $195 (minimum fee is $125) due at the time of service.

2009 Minimum Service Fees

Minimum dentistry cost: $125
Details:
Sedation/exam....$35
Floating/balancing....$90
This includes:
Bit seat/Reduction of Canines
Analgesics/Reversal

Click here for expanded details of services and pricing

Kittee and Dale are appalled at what some people will pay for a fake horse's tail, and feel a thorough professional equine dental exam is a high price to pay... for their horse's good health - life.

Please call 541-938-6271 or email us for your horse's 2009 appointment schedule with Dr. Sarah Metcalf, DVM.

McKuster Ranch, LLC is an Equine Facility
All activities on these grounds are subject to the Oregon Equine Inherent Risk Law
Oregon ORS 30.687 - 30.697

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