Equine Dental Services

Steve,

Thank you again  for the outstanding dental work you do on our horses.  You have a gift for making your patient feel as comfortable and  relaxed as possible throughout the procedure. I have had horses all my life and firmly believed in floating annually.  However, until I met you, I never realized that foating by a veterinarian can be quite different than having an actual "horse dentist" take care of their teeth.  For years, I have watched vets twitch and even sedate horses in order to do a simple float.  We even had horses that would not come up from the pasture for a couple of days for grain and would not graze after a veterinary float [they had been made soooo sore] and I would never have dreamed of bitting and riding them for a few days.

Since our first appoinment in 2009, you have been to our barn on a number of occasions.  I have never hade a horse too sore to eat or bit and ride.  I never fail to be amazed at how the horses respond to you. They trust you.  Since horses are a great judge of character I feel confident in recommending you to anyone that comes to the barn. You are making a difference and are truly appreciated !

 

Sherry F.

Lapeer, MI.

 

 

 

So  I am reading a lot of sedation by dentists. Is mine NOT normal in that he doesn't sedate anything unless absolutely necessary and if they require sedation we make a new appt. and have the vet out to give the shot ?

I have been using Steve for years and love how he works. He is not a wham bam thank- you ma'am kind of guy. We put a rope halter on each horse , he rubs their chest, their nose, lets them smell him, eases the speculum harness on and eases them into opening their mouth, then he uses hand tools, and if the horse needs a break he gives it one. Mine just stand there, tilting their heads into the file, applying pressure back against the file and acting as though they are getting a good scratch on a favorite itchy area. Big sighs, eyes closed, etc.  No stocks, no sedation, and half the time. If it is nice out, we are just outside in the sunshine in the open with no restraints.  If It is raining then we just go into the barn and keep them out of the rain.

The first time he did my one mare, she had a major incisor problem from cribbing, and we set up a follow-up appt. with the vet for sedation and to take care of it, but what was funny was that just what he did in the back on the molars when he came back two weeks later she had self filed the incisors straight. Not perfect in two weeks, but where they had been angled at 45 degrees they were now down to about 20 degrees and he allowed me the option to give her another two weeks to self right herself. Vet did other stuff for me that day to cover his time, and Steve came back two weeks later to check her and she was fine, and he never charged me a dime to come back twice.  He actually teased be about doing too good of a job on her that he didn't  milk the cow for more money. I even offered gas money and he wouldn't take it.  And we have a good repoire between us and he is always bringing goodies he has found, like a new lead rope, or a  training stick, that didn't cost a fortune, or calenders or datebook, or any little thing he finds that he likes that he give to his customers.

Guess I have seen more damage done with power tools and a sedate horse than I have ever seen with hand tools and a horse that is free to convey pain. Now don't get me wrong, my dentist will use sedation and power tools if needed, but only after an exam and determining the horse requires either.

My boarder use to pay $250 per horse for her dentist to come out and put hers in stocks, sedate them, tie their heads up and power float them.  Her Thorobred when he arrived was very much on the thin side despite getting 30 pounds of hay a day and 8  pounds of senior feed to supplement. And cleaning up anything that her quarter horse had left after he had finished up his own feed.  He was here for 3 months with no change until we had my dentist come out. He showed me where the other guy had filed down too much tooth, and how he had too much of an angle  [ he called it a ramp]. Worked on her horses both without sedation and with the hand tools and within 3  months the thorobred no longer required any grain.  I have actually been chastistied by my boarder for her horse being to fat now.

I don't chastise anyone for their choice of dentist or dental practice, but I just don't believe for one second that adage of " a horse can't relax unless sedated".

Stephanie O.

 

 

Dear Steven:

I want to thank you for your equine dentistry sesion at the annual 4-H Veterinary Science Teen & Adult Leaders Workshop that was held at Kettunen Center on February 23-24, 2007.

In a very quick review of the evaluations that were submitted at the end of the workshop, those that attended greatly apprreciated what you shared with them and indicated that they gained very valuable information.

Steven, thank you once again for sharing your expertise and time, particulary on a weekend. Your assistance added greatly to the content and acomplishments of both of these workshops. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you again in the future.

Best Wishes,

Kenneth Geuns

Michigan State University

4- Extension Specialist

Livestock Youth

Steve,

We just wanted to say Thanks once again for the care you gave our horses, Peanut & Kahlua ! You really impressed us, and from the sounds of things, everyone else that watched you that day felt impressed too !                                Thanks for taking extra time to show and explain lots of new stuff to us. We really appreciated it all ! Sorry we kept you so late into the night. We hope that your trip home was a good one! By the way, our new horse, Peanut,  seems better than ever ! We've only had the16 year old for a few months no. Anyways, to us, he really appears more comfortable since you fixed his teeth. He must be healthier and happier now ! Excellent job !

Sincerely,                                                                                         Sheryl & Tom P                                                                              Peanut & Kahlua

                 Peanut, Sheryl, Kahlua, & Tom P.

 

 

Thank You card from owner                                                     

Sorry I'm a little late coming to this thread,  I've been offline most of the week. I would like to chime in on Steve Shaver's work. He is excellent and far superior to the vets I've had do my horses teeth. Steve has an incredble way with horses and relaxes them so well without sedation, that you would think they were sedated. I'm not kidding, you would be amazed. He did my Belgian mare's first ever floating and extraction of her wolf teeth and a retained baby  tooth with no sedation, and she showed NO signs of pain or distress a all. She acted so relaxed through the whole procedure that I was really amazed and impressed. Steve really takes his time and goes at the horse's pace, slowly if they are wary, taking breaks to pet and talk to them and sooth them if they need it. A VERY different approach to most vets, so that's where the term "natural horsemanship comes in.  I would not have believed that my horses would put up with a dental floating and extractions without sedation if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. You would be surprised, they will accept the speculum and equipment the way Steve does it. Steve lets you feel the difference in the teeth when he is done and shows you what he is doing as he goes along so it's a very good learning experience to boot. I think we could all benefit from following him around on his rounds for a few days just to see how he handles horses. He had a real way of putting them at ease, and you will be satisfied with the results.

Last fall I took a pony to a local vet for floating and wolf teeth removal because I was in a big hurry (he was going off to a trainer that week and needed to be done first) and didn' t have time to get Steve out. Wow, what a waste of money. He did a poor job and left a lot of sharp, rough spots and when I questioned this he said it was fine, that he  had done an adequate job. Now I'll have to have it re-done much sooner. Typically vets get very little training in dental in vet school,, I think they get something like one 2-3 hour class, period. Sorry for babbling, but I wanted to explain how Steve is able to do the floating without sedation and what a great job he does.           

Cheers,                                                                                             Amy in Oxford            

MIHORSE Digest Number 3961                                           

I used Steve this past summer on my 30yo and he did a great job with hand tools and no sedation.

My horse was much more relaxed and more comfortable afterward than from being done by another no sedation/hand tool and sedation/power  tool dentists.

I would recommend Steve to anyone and plan to use him from now on.

Debra

Britton, MI                                                                                       

MHORSE Digetst Number 3961                                            

I will definitly highly recommend Steve. He does an awesome job, and my horses adore him. I love that he i willing to talk TO you about your horses and not AT you. Abnd he is also willing to share every morsel of information about teeth that you might wish to know.

I am a 4H horse judge, an equine nutracuetical rep, a horse owner, and an advocate for atleast yearly dental care by a qualified equine dentist. And I proudly hand ot Steve's  name and number based on my own personal experience with his work on my own personal horses.

Stepanie O.

 

MIHORSE Digest Number 3958                                              

Hi Steve,

This Thank You comes from Cheboygan, MI.  We appreciate the work you did on our horses and pony. Watching you work was fascinating and educational. As with any type of health care, an ounce of prevention is truley worth a pound of cure. I can say this because I've paid for a couple of emergency vet calls !  Your patience and attention to detail is worth a million !

I would recommend your services to any horseowner.  I would tell them, "If you love your horse and you want your horse comfortable and healthy, CALL STEVE.  Steve opened our eyes to dental problems that were more serious than we had imagined. Without sedative, he took his time and worked at the horses speed. He was able to point out dental problems that would cause discomfort that could explain behavioral problems. His service is worth every penny."

Sincerely,
Barb

 

 

Email from client through website                                          

Hi Steve, Just wanted to tell you thanks and let you know how amazing and awesome you are. I have been dreading this day for years, I have put off getting her teeth done for several years because fearing how she would act. Having to ride her with a hack because she doesn't like anything in her mouth. You come in and did my old mares teeth with absolutly no problems what so ever. I really think she enjoyed it. I couldn't believe it when you come in and all I had to do is fill your pail with water and stand back and watch. AMAZING I just can't stress enough how patient  and awesome you are. I will highly recommend you to anyone. You and Teri are great. Thanks again.

 

Marie and Missy