Referral Clients
Information
The Equine dentistry referral service was set up in 2015 to meet an increasing demand for more
specialised equine dentistry treatments.
We feel that oral comfort and health is essential to the overall health and performance of the horse.
As our understanding of oral pathology and physiology has increased over the last few years, so too
has our capacity to indent and treat these problems.
The service is run by Stuart Altoft who has been seeing dentistry cases on a referral basis for the last 5
years. In 2015 he was awarded the RCVS Certificate of Advanced Veterinary Practice (Equine
Dentistry)
How the service works
Your vet or equine dental technician needs to contact Coombefield equine department on your behalf
to arrange referral. We will then contact you to arrange a date and time for your consultation.
While we are happy to accept referrals directly from equine dental technicians who may have
examined or treated your horse, your usual vet must be informed of the problem and referral. We will
then contact them to get all the relevant clinical records about your horse and will keep them informed
as the investigation and treatment progresses.
In most cases referral consultations are carried out at the equine clinic, where we have the facilities
and equipment to perform the investigation or treatment required.
Your vet or EDT will have downloaded and completed our referral form which provides us with your
contact details and part of your pets clinical history. Ideally a full clinical history will also be
provided including any X-Ray images that may have been taken. Your vet may have e-mailed this to
us or they may ask you to bring this with you.
After each appointment you will receive discharge instructions with after care instructions and details
of further treatment if required.
A full written report will be forwarded to your vet/EDT when the initial investigation/treatment is
complete.
Please be aware dentistry cases may require several appointments. For example Treatment of periodontal disease with hard inter-dental bridging will often take 2-3 treatments. Due to the long
sedation lengths required for oral extraction (and the potential risk associated with this) extractions
will usually not be carried out at the same time as initial radiographs/investigations.
UNFORTUNATELY WE MUST NOW REQUEST FULL PAYMENT ON COLLECTION OF REFERRAL CASES, REGARDLESS OF INSURANCE STATUS.
Please also bring all relevant insurance details with you if your animal is insured. You MUST inform
your insurance company prior to your first appointment.
We will assist you in any way we can to claim back the costs of treatment but please check with your
insurance company about your level of cover, any exclusions that may apply and what excess you
need to pay.
