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10 Reasons Horse Owners Avoid the Equine Dentist

May 12, 2010 By 10 Comments
Equine Dentistry
Image by pmarkham via Flickr

Thanks to Dr. Geoff Tucker for posting a good piece on equine dentistry and trying to relieve some fears about it – EQUINE DENTISTRY – 10 REASONS WHY HORSE OWNERS AVOID IT

I think my favorite is that some owners don’t know there are teeth back there. You would think how ignorant but it is true I have had clients look in the back of their horse’s mouth when I had the speculum on and be very surprised how far back their teeth go.

Another one I like and have experience with is that some owners don’t like the dentist themselves. I have a couple very good clients that are religious about having their horses teeth examined twice a year but can not watch at all when I work on the teeth. Now I use a dremel at times (sorry Dr. Geoff) and that just makes them leave the barn completely just from the noise and the thought of what the dremel is contacting.

Having your horses teeth examined at least twice a year sometimes more often for horses under 5 years of age is necessary to keep them in good health. It also helps with bit comfort and headset.

The next time your horse gives you trouble while riding and tosses his head a little, chomps at the bit or even sets its ears back when you make contact with the bit – you need to have your dentist out to check the teeth and even better just have them checked regularly so you do not experience those issues.

BTW – the pic associated with this goes exactly with the #6 reason why owners avoid the equine dentist. (hung over literally)

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Horse Dentistry: Removing a horse’s wolf teeth

February 10, 2010 By 2 Comments

Many horses have very small, vestigial teeth known as wolf teeth. They are very rudimentary teeth not even resembling any of the other molars about the size of a human’s baby tooth that are found just in front of the first big cheek tooth. Many veterinarians and equine dentists when they find these teeth remove them based on customary practice. However it may not be absolutely necessary to have these teeth removed. Looking at the wolf teeth and seeing how small they are, and when in their proper position, they should not interfere with the bit, it is hard to see how they can cause problems and should not need to be removed. However there are a few times when it is necessary to have them removed.

A few reasons to have them removed are when the wolf teeth are sharp causing pain on the cheeks when pressure is put on the bit. When the wolf teeth are displaced forward away from the first cheek tooth or they are so large causing them to be in the way of the bit. Some wolf teeth do become loose or diseased which may cause pain. If the wolf teeth are not causing any of these problems then it may not be necessary to have to have them removed.

To have them removed it is imperative to have a qualified equine dentist or veterinarian remove them. Although it is usually a simple procedure there are some complications that can arise especially in the process of removing them. The palatine artery is nearby and a slip can create a very messy problem with very severe bleeding, using the proper tools in the hands of an experienced person can prevent this mishap.

So if a horse has wolf teeth it does not automatically mean they need to be removed. They will need to be removed if they are positioned too far forward or in the lower jaw instead of the upper jaw interfering with the bit. If they are so large that they interfere with the bit or if they move or damaged in some other way they should be removed by a qualified professional. Otherwise it just is not necessary to remove them.

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Chiropractic on a horse

May 12, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Today, I was asked to do a chiropractic exam on a small horse, actually it was a P.O.A. I am asked to do chiropractic evaluations and treatments for a variety of reasons, usually it is the horse is not taking a lead correctly or unwillingness to flex or difficulty to collect or slower times in whatever event the horse does. Today was a little different, the horse does not back straight. In fact when asked to back it always turns its hindquarters to the right, every time. I tried it out from the ground and found that the horse indeed did turn its hind quarters to the right when backed. When covering the horse’s eyes I found I could make the horse go straight.
Upon examination, I found that the sacrum was not moving balanced and that the neck was “stiff”. However I felt that this may not be the only problem, the symptoms from the neck and the sacrum were minimal, meaning that the muscles were not very tight, no soreness, no other major subluxations were observed. So I asked the owner what exactly happens when you ask the horse to back. She said when she asks the horse to go back he arches his neck avoiding any contact with the bit and flexes to the right. So again I thought the neck has to be the answer, however why did the horse go straight when I covered its eyes?

The answer happened to be where I was pushing the horse when asking to go backwards while covering the eyes. The head was up not flexed down like I did when I pushed on the horses muzzle to back him up initially. I knew the answer!

I reached in to the horses mouth and found two things – a wolf tooth and the actual problem a loose deciduous tooth on the lower right premolar! A cap! The horse was avoiding any pressure on that side trying to get the bit away from the uncomfortable tooth. When putting pressure on the muzzle the neck subluxations which were caused by the stress of avoiding the uncomfortable tooth were causing the symptomology.

I adjusted the horse, pulled the cap, and the wolf tooth. Within a week, I expect that the horse will back up straight. SO anytime you are having a problem with a horse moving correctly be sure to check the horses mouth. Also be sure to have a dental examination done a minimum of twice a year and sometimes more often for the younger horse that is loosing teeth.

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Equine Dentistry – Its that time for equine dental health

April 7, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Spring is in the air at least it finally is here in the midwest…we actually had a 60 degree day today. This means it is time for a dental examination and possible dental work.

Your horse needs to have an full examination done at least twice a year, many times there will be no need for any dental work but an examination needs to be completed to determine the need. One of the most important aspects of equine dentistry is the use of a full mouth speculum shown here -
speculum.jpg

This device is absolutely necessary to be complete in the examination and makes it much easier for the veterinarian or dentist to complete any dental work that may be needed, especially in the very back of the mouth at the last molars. I have opened many of horses mouths that have very good balance in the front of the mouth up and including the first couple of molars only to find in the very back two very large spikes protruding upwards on the last molars because no one really opened the mouth using a mouth speculum.

So be sure that your horses mouth is being looked at very carefully and the proper tools are being used to perform the necessary examination and work. Small adjustments to the teeth in your horses mouth can have dramatic effect on their movement under saddle. If a horse has small enamel points or worse large spikes in their mouth they will not be comfortable and this can cause head tossing or even a slight positioning difference in the head. This tossing or head position can cause problems with the bit, or the overall smoothness of the ride. In fact one of the first things you should do if your horse is tossing his head while you are riding is to have a dental examination. Twice a year examination and work usually prevents any of this from occurring.

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