A month ago, I attended another informative session from my amazing vet.  You can read about my first session here: Munchausen By Proxy.

Once a year, my vet sets up these informative and informal meetings, with the sole purpose of educating his clients.  It's open to non-clients, but I don't think they'd remain non for long.  He doesn't charge anything, he doesn't ask for anything back, and there's no pressure.

This year, he tried to organize each meeting with a topic, so you could attend the barn hosting your chosen topic (and theoretically network within our tiny equestrian community) or attend all the meetings and learn something new each time.

Because of my trip to Houston/Austin in January, I missed the meeting that was hosted at my barn.  I would have gladly offered Grandpa up as a guinea pig.  So I went to the meeting on the 2nd at my friend's barn and learned about dental care.


Here's some notes and a video I took after working my way through the best bottle of red wine I've ever had:

• Eruption cyst - the non-painful, non-hot, non-infected bumps that 3-4 year olds get as their grown-up teeth come in.  No treatment really necessary.
• External symptoms of crappy teeth (please note:  dropping feed isn't one of them!):
• slow chewing
• excessive salivation
• stinky mouth
• making tobacco wads out of grass and hay
• turning 90 degrees while chewing
• Vet also notes that dropping concentrated feeds is normal
• The "bit seat" (I knew nothing about):
• Aggressively go after the leading edge of the premolar to sit the bit
• Is not a procedure that anyone who knows anything would do
• "Equine Dentists" - I specifically asked about this
• Not a legal practice in my area
• No certifying body - I could buy the supplies and become one tomorrow.
• Material of Bit (asked about this, too, since leather):
• material doesn't matter in regards to dental health
• low palate isn't as common as everyone seems to think