I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day about teeth floating in general, equine dentistry and how I am considering going back to school for EqDT. They told me that they think it is crock or a waste of money when you can buy a bag o' cracked corn and throw the horses a "handful a day to keep the dentist away."

Their argument was that the grinding of the corn will keep points rounded off. Claims he has never had a horse that needed a float. I am also well aware of the sugar and starch concerns of too much corn.

I'm not at all looking to give up regular dental care, but more am wondering if anyone really does this for this reason other than him.

Opinions?

HAHAHA!! Oh boy, where do these people come from?!?!? Cracked corn is not going to solve teeth issues. The mere feeding of grains is why teeth need floated. We don't let horses eat in a natural environment. We feed hay, grain, supplements etc. Each horse is an individual and some will require more floats than others. I bet he has at least one horse that needs work, but doesn't take the time to get an expert opinion.

I think going to school for Equine Dentistry is valuable. Not a lot vets spend much time in learning the different aspects of teeth issues. It's almost a crash course. I have in the past used an Equine Dentist that was also a vet. He was dentist first and then vet before he retired.

The only issue with being only an equine dentist is you will not be able to administer sedation drugs. But that can be worked out by working in a vet clinic.

Good luck to you.... we need more equine dentists and I'm hoping the legistlative boards across the country will change the laws to allow certified dentists to administer sedative drugs.

I wish you much success if you go this route. There a need!

These were my thoughts exactly, but this is the type of person that when they have their minds set, there's no changing it.

Thanks for the good luck words. I'm still tossing it around. I am nearing completion of my Bachelors Degree in Business Admin, but hate sitting behind a desk. I have a huge interest in Equine Dentistry and natural hoof trimming. Life's just too short to do something you hate.

Dear God.  What a crock.  Are they genuinely believing this?  That statement alone would make me consider their overall ability to properly care for their animals.  What a unbelievable utterance by someone whom I suppose can read and write? If you want to know how I really feel.........well I better not quite go there, altogether.....

The answer is yes to professional toothcare, and     no    to rocks, sand, cracked corn, and waving a magic wand.

Wow, people will believe anything now a days.....That is a new one to me, have never heard that before...I grew up on a farm and was always taught that you never feed corn to a horse....I have a friend that likes to feed his horses ear corn....He says "its a treat" for them...Then he wonders why his horses are so over weight...Gee go figure....

I say for it and get that degree in equine dental care....You'll be more sorry if you don't do it....

I had the equine dentist out to the farm yesterday to float a couple horses teeth and decided to ask him if he'd ever heard of this practice. He said that he doesn't believe in it at all, but apparently, this is a common practice amongst the Amish here in Ohio. He said they actually use whole corn. 

I told him how ridiculous I thought it was, he agreed, but said "you go try to argue with one of the Amish guys." He said he knew he was doing something right when he started getting calls from a few Amish to float their draft horses teeth.

Interesting..definitely a new one on me, as well.

I live and work in an extremely "Amish" area of PA. Some Amish are open to education, some are not. Try selling them feed- especially for their thin or ulcer-ridden horses. They do love to spend money on supplements! We do have a lot of Amish "dentists" here- I don't know where they get their training and would not use them on my horses!

I will say if I can show them the monetary value of a product, I can usually sell them on it. I have taken to doing spread sheets showing the costs of feed and supplements per pound or serving per day. I guess if I were trying to sell them on the value of dentistry, I would try to show them how much more efficiently their horse could utilize their feed and how much better their health would be.

I have never heard the corn theory of dentistry, but it reminds me of the tobacco theory of deworming!

Hmmm, that's a new one to me. It kind of falls right into place with "15.5" hand tall horses.

You can't administer it in Ohio without a DVM, according to my dentist.