RVETS

Dentals from North to South
Horses, donkeys, and mules rely on their teeth to do their amazing trick of turning “plant” into “animal”. From the northern plains to the jungles of Central America, and everywhere in between, the complex anatomy and physiology that allows simple chewing to happen provides a critical point at which veterinarians and dentists can improve the lives of the draft animals that serve rural communities. While improvements in technology and science have brought hypsodont dentistry (hypsodont = the kind of teeth that equids have) into a whole new realm in the last 50 years, somebody still has to go out there and open that mouth (“a dark and dangerous tunnel”), have a good look, and do something about it! Just look at these “number 11” points! Would you like to chew up your evening ration of hay, pasture, or rastrojo with daggers like that? That is why RVETS is on the Reservations, in the Sierra Gorda, and anyplace else that we can possibly go to provide that dental care. More importantly, our students are learning that you have get out there in the prairie, the desert, the mountains, or wherever and do the work, fix the teeth, and help the animals and their people.