Alnorthumbria Bite Down on Dental Disease in Horses
World leader to speak at event on Modern Equine Dentistry in Northumberland
Alnorthumbria Veterinary Group have the great privilege in announcing that a world leader in equine dentistry Professor Paddy Dixon, from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, will be the guest speaker at their Modern Equine Dentistry event.
The event will take place at Morpeth Rugby Club on Wednesday 8th October from 6.30pm, where refreshments will be served.
Paddy Dixon will be known to many horse owners for his skills as a head and neck surgeon, he pioneered such techniques as the tie-back operation for horses that make a respiratory noise and need wind surgery. In addition he has been a key person in developing and teaching new dental techniques to both veterinary surgeons and equine dental technicians over the past 20 years.
As a group Alnorthumbria pride themselves on the high level of their professional equine dental service. Each one of their six equine vets are trained in equine dentistry which is a speciality for equine vets. Alnorthumbria recognise the importance of regular dental check-ups, as most horses now live well into their 20’s with the marvels of modern day medicine. It is therefore vital to keep their teeth in good order throughout their lives, so that feeding and suffering does not become a problem.
Paddy Dixon commenting on the issue and what he will be talking about at the event said: “Equine dental disease is an important and often unrecognised disease of horses, mainly predisposed to by human intervention. In the wild horses do not eat concentrates but graze for about 18 hours a day, they do not have bits in their mouths and natural selection ensures that only those with good teeth will survive.”
He continues: “We now breed horses for certain traits including speed, jumping or showing appearance, paying little attention to their dentition. We often feed them unnatural diets and then place bits in their mouths that can accentuate any dental problems they have pushing their lips or the cheeks onto sharp dental over growths. Because horses have evolved as a prey animal, many will suffer in silence and not show any signs of even serious dental disease. A proper dental examination in a horse requires expertise and skills and even very significant painful conditions will be missed if the examination is not thoroughly performed. All horses should have their teeth carefully examined by a qualified person at least every 12 months, and more frequently if there are ongoing problems; thereby recognising and treating dental disorders at an early stage.”
Paddy is no stranger to Alnorthumbria having also jointly written and published a paper with the equine vets at Alnorthumbria in 2011 on the prevalence of distemata in all horses receiving routine dental examination and treatment at Alnorthumbria Veterinary Group over a 12-month period, 2009 to 2010.
Lesley Barwise Munro, Alnorthumbria Director and Equine Practitioner, commenting in advance of the event said: “Events such as this are very important for our clients they provide them with up to date information which will improve their horses welfare. We are delighted that Paddy Dixon can join us, as an author on numerous research papers on equine dentistry and having written chapters in recently-published books for veterinary surgeons on this topic.”
Taking place on the evening there will also be a raffle in aid of The Great North Air Ambulance. In order to register and book a place on the evening call Alnorthumbria’s Fairmoor Equine Clinic on 01670 897 597.
With surgeries in Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Morpeth, Ponteland, Rothbury, Seahouses and Wooler and with dedicated pet, equine and farm divisions, Alnorthumbria is the largest veterinary practice in Northumberland. All three divisions are at the forefront of veterinary care, and at Morpeth the practice has full surgical, diagnostic and hospital facilities. For more information about Alnorthumbria visit www.alnorthumbriavets.co.uk.
