Equine Dentist

[jayjaymac]

I am soon to be a qualified Equine dentist and am planning to move to the Limousin area. Is there much call for dentistry in that and surrounding areas?

[Rob Roy]

I am sure you will find plenty of patients around here. It is a big horse and donkey area, especially around Pompadour of course. We have two donkeys and know of several people with horses, and I also found out that our local vet belongs to an association helping with the welfare of donkeys.

[jayjaymac]

Thanks Rob Roy, thats good to hear. The man that is training me does a lot of work in donkey sanctuaries in Cypress and Portugal so that would be a nice thing for me to get involved with. Im planning a visit at the end of July to look for houses and plan to move permanently in about a year.

[cooperlola]

I don't know your area but I have found that my vet' won't do teeth as would have happened in the UK.  He referred me to a dentist instead so they're obviously recognised here.

[Verdigris]

Are you going to be recognised by the veterinary profession with the training you are doing? I say that because I know it is impossible to get insurance in France unless your dentistry qualification is like BEVA in the UK. And I'm also not sure how legal it is to work as a dentist without a veterinary qualification.

I'm not trying to be a damp squib, but if you're not aware of this, then you might need to rethink a bit!

[equinedentist]

Verdigris is correct. Equine Dental Technicians are not legally allowed to practice in France, only those that have a veterinary approved qualification may practice and even then you can come up against problems. You have to pass the BEVA/BVDA exam and be fully BEVA approved. It is the only veterinary approved qualification. If I am correct in my assumption of the person you are 'training' with, then I can categorically say that they are not correctly qualified and not BEVA approved. Unfortunately there are many people at the present time offering these short 'courses' and they may offer an 'insight' into equine dentistry but most definately not the level of training that is required to work correctly on a horse's mouth. Again, like Verdigris, I am not trying to be a damp squib, but it is necessary to receive the correct training and qualifications before practicing. Unless you have the correct qualifications and are approved by the veterinary profession insurance is also unobtainable.

I am a fully qualified EDT and do practice in Europe, however it is absolutely necessary to also maintain my UK business as the equestrian world over here is completely different - most French horse owners wouldn't dream of having their horses' teeth checked. It tends to be professional yards only that would consider using an EDT and even then, not on a regular basis such as is practiced in the UK and Belgium for example. The British owners over here are very good but there aren't enough with horses to justify working here on a permanent basis.  The horses generally live out and 90% don't compete so the horses only require to have their teeth checked every 12 months so unlike a farrier, for example, you do not have repeat business every 6 weeks. If you require a proper income to permanently reside in France without travelling back and forward then I am afraid it is not equine dentistry.

Good Luck with your househunting and if you wish any further info or want to drop by when you are over for a chat please feel free to pm me.