Brooke Gray could be either of two things: an insufficiently educated opportunist, trying to pass herself off as an equine dentist, or a young woman dedicated to horses, performing an age-old practice for an honest wage.

A circuit court judge recently said the former. Her attorney, a St. Louis-based litigator with a history of challenging the government's licensing power, says the latter — and believes the judge's ruling could limit everyone from cattle hands to dog groomers.

A Clinton County Circuit Court judge ruled in December that Gray had to stop a practice called "teeth floating" after the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board, which oversees veterinary licenses in the state, sued Gray because she does not have a veterinary license.

Her attorney plans to appeal the ruling, saying that Gray is merely practicing something that unlicensed lay people have done for hundreds of years.

"Up until 15 years ago no one in Missouri considered these animal husbandry practices veterinary medicine," said Gray's attorney, David Roland, who helms the libertarian Missouri Freedom Center. "That's how animal agriculture has always been done."

Roland calls Gray's case "the tip of the iceberg" and says it could have ramifications for anyone who wants to perform "basic animal husbandry" without a license.

But state law, veterinarian groups and the board say veterinary practices are regulated for a reason: to protect animals and their owners from untrained, unskilled workers. They say the practice of teeth floating, which often requires sedation, should be done either by, or under the supervision, of a licensed veterinarian.

"The public seems to think the licensing board is there to protect veterinarians," said Bruce Whittle, chair of the equine committee for the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, the group that represents the state's vets. "It's to protect the public against veterinarians that are doing harm."

Gray, who lives north of Kansas City, grew up on an Iowa farm and always wanted to work with horses. So, about eight years ago, she got two months of training at an equine dentistry school in Idaho, then moved to Missouri and opened B & B Equine Dentistry.

She built a steady clientele floating horses teeth, which involves filing down the sharp points that emerge on the enamel. Sharp edges can make it difficult for the horse to eat. Her customers, she says, liked her work.

"I've never had a complaint from a client," Gray said.

She did, however, get a complaint filed against her from a local Clay County vet, David Leighr, whose clients told him that Gray was improperly sedating horses and, in some cases, extracting teeth. Under state law, sedation by anyone other than an owner or licensed vet is illegal, while extraction is a surgical practice, which makes it a veterinary practice, and therefore also illegal for someone to perform without a license.

"One of my clients told me that Brooke had sedated an animal and hit a vein," Leighr said. "Brooke also had them sign a piece of paper that said she was not responsible for anything that happens. A vet doesn't do that. That raised a red flag with me."

When asked if she had extracted teeth, Gray said: "I've taken some things out of horses mouths that didn't belong there." When asked if she had sedated horses, she said: "I've been informed not to say anything about the sedation issue."

Leighr called the board, and eventually, it began to pursue the matter.

After sending two cease-and-desist letters, the board sued Gray to make her stop. She didn't. So in September, the matter went to trial.

Roland says he believes the board pursued the case on behalf of veterinarians who felt they were in danger of losing income to untrained teeth floaters, not because they were concerned about animal welfare.

"One of the quirks of the law is that it's not illegal to do the work on the animals," he explained. "But if they get paid for it, it's a criminal offense. So this is not a health issue."

Several states, he said, have recently changed laws to allow teeth floating by nonvets, and he'll push for Missouri to do the same.

He also points to a number of cease-and-desist letters sent by the board aimed at stopping everything from branding to pet grooming practices. These, he says, are evidence the state is trying to regulate practices that should not require licensing.

"This is an issue that's been gaining momentum for a couple of years," he said.

Gray believes the board is merely requiring a costly education — vet school runs an average of $150,000 — for something she specifically trained to do.

But veterinarians, including Leighr — a fourth-generation vet who said news coverage of the issue in his practice area had cost him business — maintain this issue centers on animal welfare and training.

"Her attorney is trying to convince the public that lay professionals have been doing this for years and that it's safe," he said. "I don't think it's safe. ... And the fact that's she's using sedation and there's no oversight makes it even less safe."

"I went to school for eight years," Leighr added. "I'll put my records out there all the way back to high school, and I challenge her to do the same."

Gray said she would continue floating teeth, only under the supervision of vets, until the appeal is resolved. That, Leighr insisted, is all he's wanted all along.

"I said to her: 'You can do this all day long by having a vet present,'" he said. "Missouri is full of vets retiring every day. They'd be tickled to death to get in the truck with you and go on a farm call."