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Dental work

3K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  g8ted4me 
#1 ·
Just thoughts on my mind. Our herd is scheduled for a barn-wide oral exam (ha! Pop quiz!) next month. Pretty sure the 2 yr old has horrible teeth, and may need one extracted, based on his foul breath and the glance he graciously allowed me, but I'll leave that diagnosis to the vet.

How often do you REALLY get your horses' teeth examined? We all know we should get them looked at every 6-12 months, but how often does it REALLY happen? Truth be told, I'm lazy about getting it done if the horse doesn't drop feed or have weight problems and he's "middle aged". The old ones I'm more particular about, but what about your herd?

Just curious, not looking to shame anyone, nor am I inviting flaming the honest ones that fess up to never checking!
 
#2 ·
Gem and Vega were done not this december, but the one before that. (So december 07)
When they did get their teeth looked at, both were fine.

Montana, I think had his done sometime before I got him. I have yet to get him done since Ive owned him (Since september 08)

I do plan on getting them done soon. None of them have showed any signs of having bad teeth, and they're all fat so weight isn't an issue.
 
#4 ·
I get mine done every year. It is one of the most important things we can do to help horses maintain their health. younger horses especially need to get done yearly as they are getting teeth, loosing caps and you can correct problems before they are out of control. young horses are also SUPER sharp as the teeth are growing quicker than older horses.
 
#8 ·
Not often enough. I always plan to get around to it, but I'm such a procrastinator. When I have had work done it has certainly helped those in need. Hoping to have the dentist back this spring to recheck some and do a couple who weren't done last time. XX if there are enough drugs and someone can actually get the damm stuff inside the pony. Sheesh, he neeeds some retained baby teeth removed.
 
#9 ·
I do every Feb. Thinking about every 2 year though (with all these prices)...
 
#10 ·
At the place I go we try to get them done every 6 months or so, when the dental guy can come out. But my pony is 8 years old and has NEVER had her teeth done. But I just got her back in November so it's not my fault she has never had them done. But when I got her she was fat so she mustve been eating fine but she chews on the bit a lot so I think she needs them done now. Good thing the guy is coming in March!!
 
#12 ·
Every spring and ahve for YEARS just started using equine dentist last year and boy am I glad I did!! Sassy had been throwing her head and the VET said it was just an attitude well low and behold the dentist found a wolfe tooth that had been pushed over sideways poor girl it's a wonder she didn't toss me
 
#13 ·
A new horse I get done/ checked in the fall after a full summer of grazing. Then when I know the horses, I go with their schedule. I have one now who will be due this fall and the other one never seems to need anything on her teeth. She'll be here 3 years now and so far -- nothing. Generally speaking, I would like to say I do it every 2 years, but really haven't had a chance to put that schedule into effect with the horses I have now.
 
#14 ·
i was told that their teeth only need doing every 3 yrs. Banjo got his done about a year ago. Chucky got his done a few days ago. and pennellipi's were checked about 6 or so months ago and they didnt need doing. Our farrier does our horses teeth, he doesnt use sedation, he uses this metal coil thing to hold their mouth open then a file to file the teeth smooth. He has only done chucky for us, he was fine with it. I think banjo would be fine with it too, but pennellipi, she is terrified of the farrier so i think she needs some training before its even attempted!!! lol.

Just wondering, how much does everyone pay to get their horses teeth filed? Our farrier charges $10. But the vet charged us way more for banjo, not sure how much tho
 
#15 ·
all i can say is you get what you pay for. There are so many non licensed "dentists" out there these days. I always make sure my dentist is a vet, and i use one that specalizes in teeth and does it every day. Also how much can you actually get done with out sedation? I've seen the specailist (who i use), regular vets, and then non vets (that say they are dentist) all do teeth.

To me they need to be sedated in order to get a complete exam as their tounge is moving all around and i don't care for my work to be done blind. My dentist was telling me of a case where a non vet dentist worked on 4 horses in texas and 2 ended up dieing as he filed too much of the teeth down and the horse could no longer chew its food. The person was being taken to court over it. Like i said above you get what you pay for.
 
#16 ·
all i can say is you get what you pay for. There are so many non licensed "dentists" out there these days. I always make sure my dentist is a vet, and i use one that specalizes in teeth and does it every day. Also how much can you actually get done with out sedation? I've seen the specailist (who i use), regular vets, and then non vets (that say they are dentist) all do teeth.

To me they need to be sedated in order to get a complete exam as their tounge is moving all around and i don't care for my work to be done blind. quote]

I would be happy to tell you about my experience of dental work without sedation- again it may not be everyones cup of tea, but experience DID open my eyes.
A bit of a backround to my horse. I had the work done (my trimmer who was doing hands on classes and getting certified for Natural Balance dentistry) on my Peruvian Paso mare. My Peruvian has had a really hard time with trust issues with having issues with her tendons and ligaments (DSLD issues) she was not trusting of my vet, trimmer, ect. My trimmer was trimming her feet for a long time and always trying to win her trust, but my mare was always stand offish of her. Well I agreed that my mare was having some dental issues so I told her that we would take a look at her so we set it up for a afternoon. She brought her tools- the speculum and HAND files. (no power tools) My mare was obviously nervous by the sight of new things and knew that this probably was not going to be good, heehee. So she put the speculum on her and gave her time to figure it out. She then opened her up and felt around AND looked and what she may need or not need and then closed her mouth and moved her jaw and saw where she was possibly catching, ect. After explaination to me at what she was going to do and why she would - she began to work. My mare's whole demeanor changed- she was open to what was going on and almost seemed like she was ENJOYING it. She didn't have any major issues that she was dealing with either- some minor hooks in the back. She was careful to give my mare lots of breaks of having her mouth open. After a bit I didn't even need to hold the lead once she felt what was going on. When she was giving her breaks and she was cleaning her file my mare was literally following her to the bucket. She then was trying to open her mouth with the speculum in. When she put her hand in and was finding the spot again (looking and feeling) my mare was leaning into it and shaking her head as if showing the right spot. If my mare dropped her head then she would drop down and move with the horse- it was whatever was comfortable for her.

I honestly can say that if I wouldn't have witnessed it (knowing my own horse and her trust issues), I may not have believed it, but honestly I can say that my mare really seemed to enjoy it. I know not every horse will have the same reaction, but I do know that sedation is not needed and feel that the job can be done without it.

Our horses teeth were checked every year and if they needed to be floated- they were. I have never witnessed that reaction when my vet did it.
 
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