365 Days in Horse Country – Dental Care
As I await the arrival of my veterinarian this morning,
today’s topic seems rather apropos.
Your horse’s teeth should be at the top of your preventative care list. Horses with tooth problems can develop serious health issues, such as colic and infections.
Horses in the wild don’t need dental care because they wear their teeth down naturally as they graze on a variety of different plants. Domestic horses, on the other hand, tend to eat the same thing every day, which wears their teeth down in an uneven manner.
For this reason, horses living in captivity need to have their teeth filed down (floated) on a regular basis. Otherwise, sharp points develop on the rear molars, causing pain and ulcerations in the mouth.
Equine veterinarians perform routine dental care as part of their normal service. Ask your vet to examine your horse’s teeth every six month to see if they are in need of any special care; such as an extraction of a problem tooth, or if issues have arisen from temporal mandibular joint. Your vet can do this as a matter of practice when he or she comes out to give your horse its bi-annual vaccines. Your vet should do a thorough exam of your horse’s mouth, keeping an eye out for other dental problems in addition to uneven wear.
Some signs to watch out for that are indicative of dental disease are;
- Eating slowly
- Having difficulty eating
- Being reluctant to drink cold water
- Excessive salivation
- Bad breath
Also, so horses hold their head to one side while eating,
are reluctant to take the bit, or shake their heads while being ridden. Another sign of possible dental disease is
the presence of whole, unchewed grain in the stool or the presence of
masticated but unconsumed hay.
Michael