How to Check Whether Your Horse or Donkey Needs to See a Dentist
Understand the impact of an equine's age on their teeth., Check your equine's teeth to try to see what condition they're in., Check the cheek teeth., Know some of the possible teeth trouble signs in an equine., Weight loss or difficulty in...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Understand the impact of an equine's age on their teeth.
Equines have baby teeth and between the ages of two and a half to four and half years, horses will cut 24 teeth.
An equine dentist should be asked to check that all of the teeth have been shed correctly and to check that the new ones are in good condition.
Older equines need equine dental care too.
For a horse, teeth reach their life's end at around the age of
20.This results in slow eating and poor grinding of food, which can cause colic or weight loss.
An equine dentist or Veterinarian can help improve the situation for a bit longer. -
Step 2: Check your equine's teeth to try to see what condition they're in.
Stand or bend so that you're at eye level with your horse.
Gently pull the lips apart and check the teeth.
For a horse, expect to see six incisors on the top row and six incisors on the bottom row.
All of these teeth should meet accurately in a horizontal line.
If there are any teeth missing, extra teeth, or the teeth are uneven, get help from an equine dentist or Veterinarian. , Gaps in the teeth indicate that your horse (or other equine) has a problem with his incisors.
Check these teeth by gently pushing the horse's cheeks upward and inward using the palms of your hands.
If your horse reacts by flinching, pulling back, or throwing up his head, it's demonstrating discomfort. , The following signs should be checked out by an equine dentist or Veterinarian:
Head:
A horse that throws or tilts its head for no known reason may have teeth problems.
If you've already discounted bridle, behavioral, etc., problems, check for teeth issues.
Your horse may shake his head or bang it against objects.
Expression:
If your horse looks bothered or has a sudden attitude change (from being placid to badly behaved), poor teeth may be an issue.
Riding:
When riding, you may notice either the head problem described earlier, or a tendency to not stop, turn, or perform any other requested tasks.
Your horse might open his mouth while he is being ridden.
Equipment:
Poor teeth can be the cause of not wanting to accept a bridle or bit.
Chomping or leaning on the bit can indicate teeth issues.
Touching your equine:
Your horse or donkey may not like being touched around the cheek area, or head.
Feeding:
Recurring colic can be a sign of poor teeth because the teeth are not breaking down the food properly.
The cheeks may be packed with feed that is not getting broken down.
Food may be dropped while being eaten and feces may have unusually large lumps in it.
This is called "quidding". , Even though your horse may be on a proper diet, or even a diet designed to help with weight gain, if the horse's teeth are not in good condition, he can't chew the food properly to receive the needed nutrients.
Internal indicators:
Other signs of teeth problems can include bad breath, bleeding from the mouth, eye or nose discharge, drooling saliva, etc.
These can hint at possibility of just needing the horse's teeth floated, or something more serious like an impacted tooth. -
Step 3: Check the cheek teeth.
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Step 4: Know some of the possible teeth trouble signs in an equine.
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Step 5: Weight loss or difficulty in maintaining weight.
Detailed Guide
Equines have baby teeth and between the ages of two and a half to four and half years, horses will cut 24 teeth.
An equine dentist should be asked to check that all of the teeth have been shed correctly and to check that the new ones are in good condition.
Older equines need equine dental care too.
For a horse, teeth reach their life's end at around the age of
20.This results in slow eating and poor grinding of food, which can cause colic or weight loss.
An equine dentist or Veterinarian can help improve the situation for a bit longer.
Stand or bend so that you're at eye level with your horse.
Gently pull the lips apart and check the teeth.
For a horse, expect to see six incisors on the top row and six incisors on the bottom row.
All of these teeth should meet accurately in a horizontal line.
If there are any teeth missing, extra teeth, or the teeth are uneven, get help from an equine dentist or Veterinarian. , Gaps in the teeth indicate that your horse (or other equine) has a problem with his incisors.
Check these teeth by gently pushing the horse's cheeks upward and inward using the palms of your hands.
If your horse reacts by flinching, pulling back, or throwing up his head, it's demonstrating discomfort. , The following signs should be checked out by an equine dentist or Veterinarian:
Head:
A horse that throws or tilts its head for no known reason may have teeth problems.
If you've already discounted bridle, behavioral, etc., problems, check for teeth issues.
Your horse may shake his head or bang it against objects.
Expression:
If your horse looks bothered or has a sudden attitude change (from being placid to badly behaved), poor teeth may be an issue.
Riding:
When riding, you may notice either the head problem described earlier, or a tendency to not stop, turn, or perform any other requested tasks.
Your horse might open his mouth while he is being ridden.
Equipment:
Poor teeth can be the cause of not wanting to accept a bridle or bit.
Chomping or leaning on the bit can indicate teeth issues.
Touching your equine:
Your horse or donkey may not like being touched around the cheek area, or head.
Feeding:
Recurring colic can be a sign of poor teeth because the teeth are not breaking down the food properly.
The cheeks may be packed with feed that is not getting broken down.
Food may be dropped while being eaten and feces may have unusually large lumps in it.
This is called "quidding". , Even though your horse may be on a proper diet, or even a diet designed to help with weight gain, if the horse's teeth are not in good condition, he can't chew the food properly to receive the needed nutrients.
Internal indicators:
Other signs of teeth problems can include bad breath, bleeding from the mouth, eye or nose discharge, drooling saliva, etc.
These can hint at possibility of just needing the horse's teeth floated, or something more serious like an impacted tooth.
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