A veterinary techician (lay dentist) shall provide veterinary service under the control, direction and supervision of a licensed veterinarian who is responsible for the services performed by the technician.

Pursuant to 225 ILCS 115/4

The Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 does not apply to the following persons:

15. Equine dental technician

An individual providing equine dentistry services requested by a veterinarian licensed to practice in this state, an owner or an owner's agent

For the purposes of this item (15), "equine dentistry services" means floating teeth without the use of drugs or extraction.

The use of sedative or anesthetic drugs or surgical tooth extraction requires a veterinary license and would be considered operating as a veterinarian without a license if done by a lay dentist. As this is not legal, no liability insurance would cover that individual.

An Article for Veterinary Clients by Caroline Niederman, VMD

Equine injuries such as wounds or soft tissue swellings are typically easy to recognize. Problems that aren't visible to the eye, however, can go unnoticed. Take dental issues, for example. These often go undetected because the cheek teeth can't be readily seen and are dangerous to examine without proper equipment.

There are some subtle clinical signs, however, that can alert the owner about a dental or mouth problem, so it's important he or she be on the lookout for those and schedule routine dental exams. A full examination requires sedating the horse, keeping his mouth open with a speculum and using a strong light source and a dental mirror to visualize all of the cheek teeth. It also involves manually checking for loose teeth or other issues.

Some conditions are unique to either the growing or geriatric horse, while others can occur at any age. The following are the most commonly seen signs of dental problems and their possible causes.

1. DROPPING FEED Sharp enamel points from normal chewing wear can cause a normally fastidious horse to change how he eats, resulting in dropped feed. Other causes might include loose or fractured teeth, periodontal disease, malocclusions, foreign bodies and masses in the mouth. Many horses normally drop feed if they look around while eating or if they are fast eaters.

2. SUDDENLY NOT EATING EITHER HAY OR GRAIN In horses younger than 5, pain before, during or after losing a baby tooth can make chewing unpleasant and difficult. In horses older than 20, loose teeth can make chewing difficult.

3. DROPPING CLUMPS OF HAY (QUIDDING) This can be secondary to pain from sharp enamel points in any age horse for example, or in older horses it can be a result of a decreased chewing surface area.

4. EATING WITH HEAD TILTED TO ONE SIDE Mouth pain, such as from sharp enamel points on one side of the mouth, might cause the horse to try to adjust his eating pattern by turning or tilting his head.

5. SALIVATING MORE THAN NORMAL The horse's body might increase saliva production in an attempt to lubricate something sharp or possibly make it easier to chew and swallow his feed, again in response to pain.

6. LOSING WEIGHT This can potentially occur at any age due to a dental or mouth problem. The most common clinical cases of weight loss involve aged horses that are unable to eat long-stemmed hay because of diminished grinding capacity.

7. FUSSY WITH THE BRIDLE OR RESISTANT ON ONE SIDE MORE THAN ANOTHER Pain within the mouth can cause the horse to react negatively when asked to work.

8. SOFT OR HARD ASYMMETRIC SWELLINGS Young horses can develop normal symmetric bony swellings called eruption cysts, in response to the eruption (emergence) of the cheek teeth. If the swellings are asymmetric or the horse reacts with pain on palpation, then consider them abnormal.

9. ONE-SIDED NASAL DISCHARGE WITH AN ODOR Up to four of the six upper cheek teeth communicate with (are connected to) the sinuses within the horse's head. Abscessation of any of these teeth can lead to a secondary sinus infection. Discharge from the infected sinus will drain out the nostril. It is usually yellow and has an odor you might be able to smell as soon as you walk into the barn or stall.

10. MOUTH ODOR Mouth odor comes from food packed between the cheek teeth or fractured tooth fragments.

A horse owner can detect these signs easily by routinely checking his or her horse's head for any abnormalities and watching the animal eat. Regular dental examinations performed by a veterinarian will also alert the owner of any problems to be watching for.

There are a lot of age-old ideas on how to feed your horses. Some ideas have been handed down for generations by farm folk who fed working draft horses and mules. Other information has been fueled by the internet or feed companies that want to sell you the newest fad. In recent years, some of these ideas have been researched and proven wrong. It is important to know the difference between nutritional fact and fiction so that you can feed your horse correctly. Your veterinarian is a good reference when you have questions on nutrition.

Myth #1. Beet pulp must be soaked for hours or it will expand in the stomach, causing it to rupture. FICTION

This might seem logical since beet pulp will expand to many times its original volume when water is added. Science has shown that beet pulp can safely be fed without soaking. The equine stomach holds 2-4 gallons which is equivalent to 4.5 to 9.5 pounds of dry beet pulp. This is more beet pulp than most horses get in a single meal. Likewise, most food that enters the stomach passes to the small intestine within 15 minutes or less and it takes beet pulp longer than that to expand. Horses with access to water will drink enough to process any amount of beet pulp consumed and ultimately, the 40-50 gallon capacity of the equine digestive tract is more than sufficient to contain even a large meal of beet pulp.

However, there are situations where the horse is not voluntarily drinking enough water and dry beet pulp could contribute to an intestinal impaction. There are benefits to soaking beet pulp for short (3-4 hours) periods. Soaking makes it easier to chew, especially for those equine seniors with dental problems. It may also improve beet pulp's flavor and stickiness, making it easier to add supplements and medications. Also, the extra water will hydrate your horse when the winter cold makes drinking less appealing. Remember to throw away any leftovers within 1 day as it will start to spoil.

Myth #2. Fat provides "calm" calories while grain will make a horse "hot". MOSTLY TRUE

What makes a horse excitable is too much energy in the form of calories in the diet. Horses are unique in that calories fed in excess of their maintenance needs, can make them hyperactive. The source of the calories however, also plays a part in the energy level. Calories from cereal grains are digested mostly into starch which is broken down quickly into glucose. Elevated glucose alters hormones like insulin and thyroid hormone which can stimulate metabolism and cause excitability. Studies have shown that feeding fat doesn't result in the same type of rapid reaction so the blood sugar remains more stable. Still, if too much fat is fed and it does add calories beyond a horse's maintenance requirement, it could potentially cause excitability.

Myth #3. A show horse needs extra protein, especially if he's exercised a lot. IT DEPENDS

Exercise does increase the horse's protein requirement due to increased protein turnover in muscle (building and repairing tissue) and a small amount of protein can be lost every day in sweat; however, a performance horse's protein requirements don't increase to the same magnitude as they do in brood mares or growing horses.

Increased protein demands in performance horses can easily be met in most cases by just increasing roughage. When feeding more hay or pasture, the horse will also be getting more protein. A ten percent protein grain mixture is adequate for most mature pleasure horses who get grain.

Myth #4. Horses don't need a salt block if they get a commercial grain mixture with vitamins and minerals. FICTION

All horses need a source of salt (NaCl) added to their diet. Salt blocks work fine for horses that are idle or in light work but, for horses that do sweat a lot, it may be necessary to top dress the feed with salt. Commercial grain usually has 0.5 to 1% salt added but this is usually not enough to meet a working horse's daily requirements. An average sized horse has a maintenance requirement of about 1 oz. of salt per day. When horses are in hard work, add an additional 2 to 3 oz. of salt per hour of heavy sweating.

Myth #5. Feeding bran mash, especially after intense exercise, will keep your horse "regular" and prevent colic. FICTION

Wheat bran does not have a high fiber/laxative effect in horses the way it does in humans. It does have more fiber than corn, about the same as oats and less than that of hay. Horses do usually enjoy the flavor and consistency of a wet bran mash. It should be considered more of a grain supplement rather than a forage/fiber food. However, all brans, including wheat and rice bran, are very high in phosphorus. About 90% of the phosphorus in brans is in the form of phytate, which decreases the absorption of calcium, as well as copper, zinc and manganese. If you feed several pounds of wheat or rice bran to your horse daily, you'll need to give him supplemental calcium to balance out his diet. If you give your horse an occasional bran mash as a treat, you might be causing more harm than good if your horse's gastrointestinal system becomes upset due to the abrupt change in feed. All feed changes should be done over a few weeks and in small amounts.

Myth #6. Alfalfa hay can cause problems and is not a good choice for feeding horses. FICTION

Myths abound regarding feeding alfalfa hay to horses. Perhaps you've heard that feeding alfalfa can cause colic, founder, bloat or kidney failure. All false. Alfalfa hay or cubes are generally a good source of nutrients and fiber for horses. There is evidence that alfalfa hay combined with the mineral content of the water in western states can contribute to the development of a mineral deposit in equine intestines known as enteroliths.

Alfalfa will usually exceed a horse's protein/calorie requirement and may need to be fed on a limited basis rather than free choice. Unless you are feeding brood mares or youngsters with an increased caloric requirement, horses will generally be fat on a diet rich with alfalfa. You may combine a lower calorie grass hay to keep them occupied throughout the day. Good quality pasture can also be calorie rich so beware of the same potential for weight gain.

Myth #7. Horses shouldn't be fed round bales of hay, which are suitable only for cattle. FICTION>

Depending on storage conditions, round bales can just be hay in a bigger package. Sometimes the outer layer is weather-damaged and the horses will rip and tear through to get to the quality hay inside. Select clean, fresh smelling bales and only feed them to groups of horses than can finish them in 3 to 4 days. Any hay, after being exposed to the elements, will begin to mold. Feeding hay from a round bale feeder designed for horses reduces waste.

Recent literature has documented increasing dewormer resistance in common equine internal parasites. This problem is likely to be made worse with many clients still operating under the old belief that they should deworm every 6 to 8 weeks and rotate between families of dewormers. In some cases the horseman simply changes the brand name or the color of the box believing that they are rotating appropriately. The widespread availability of inexpensive over-the-counter anthelmintics has created a "hit or miss" approach that is expensive to maintain because of it's ineffectiveness, unnecessarily poisoning horses, potentially damaging the environment and causing parasite resistance.

The use of routine fecal egg counts (FEC) allows veterinarians and owners to decide which horses to deworm, with what product and when to deworm. When entire farms participate, resistance to specific dewormer classes may be identified on the property. Egg counts can identify dewormer resistance on individual farms through fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT). A recent lecture presented at the American Association of Equine Practitioners convention emphasized the need for selective use of our remaining effective dewormers as necessary to reduce the formation of resistance. By following the recommendation of your veterinarian, you will save money, deworm effectively and only deworm the horse that requires deworming thereby ensuring the continued effectiveness of our current dewormer classes.

Beginning in 2011, McCombs Equine Veterinary Services Healthy Horse Program will include a FEC to determine your horses' parasite shedding classification (low, medium or high). Horses not enrolled may have a FEC sample collection by the owner, stable manager or the veterinarian. The samples need to be made fresh (within 2 hours), collected in plastic bags or gloves with the air removed, kept cold (refrigerated) and processed within 36 hours of it's creation to reduce potential larval development. The samples will be processed at McCombs Equine Veterinary Services In-House lab. The results of each patient's test will then be discussed with the owners and a schedule of recheck FEC and dewormings can be determined.

Foals up to 38 weeks follow a different schedule. Because they are just developing their immune response to parasite invasion, they need to follow a different protocol. The current recommendation is to deworm these little ones when they are 6 to 8 weeks old and follow this up with a FEC when they are 14 to 16 weeks old.

The effectiveness of the program depends on the continued cooperation of owners, stable managers and your veterinarian. When done correctly, this program will save money and the environment and assure us of effective dewormers into the future with much less possibility of developing parasite resistance.