Might be the best decision I ever made for my horses.
Comes out ex-dentist really wasn't doing a good job at all. My poor handsome boy, his teeth were so bad his jaw was literally locked up. She explained to me that when horses put their heads up, their jaw drops back; head down and the jaw slides forward; when the head moves from side-to-side the jaw also moves to compensate. Except his didn't: his teeth wouldn't let it.
"So that explains why I've been having such a hard time trying to get him to stretch into contact?" I asked.
"Yup," she said. "He literally couldn't do it."
Hoo boy, it was simultaneously vindicating and horrifying. It means I am not the worst rider in the world but now I feel like the worst horse owner in the world for not knowing his mouth was in such bad shape.
Gwen's mouth was better, but that's not saying much. I did decide to get her wolf teeth pulled. The dentist said the roots of wolf teeth dissolve away and fall out on their own when the horse is in their early teens, which would mean that Gwen had a time bomb in her mouth. I would not want to be sitting on her when one of those teeth worked loose, she's enough of a handful already thanks.
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| Gwen's wolf teeth, don't look like much do they? |
I love my equine dentist. All he does is equine teeth and travels throughout Michigan, Ohio, and I think Indiana. He uses no sedative or power tools, just a rope halter and a mouth opener (technical term). But he always takes the mouth opener out when he is not in the mouth. He lets me feel the teeth, reach in, and explains everything to me. It is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLucky you, I wish I could get mine done without sedation but there's no way Gwen would allow that. Maybe in a few years.
DeleteI too use an equine dentist regularly. He is good, and the horses seem to love him- even before he sedates! Yes, he does sedate and I'm ok with that. Next month is Rio's next appointment, I usually get them done once a year.
ReplyDeleteMine wouldn't get done without sedation. I have to have her out again before the end of the year, want to try to keep their teeth on the right track. Hope Rio's appt goes well.
DeleteAt age 8, Harley had large hooks on his front teeth that caused an unpredictable head shake under saddle. Getting his teeth done was one of my first expenses as a new horse owner. I used a (formally licensed) dentist who frequented my barn and boasted that he did not use a speculum or power tools. I thought this was good.
ReplyDeleteI was very wrong.
It wasn't until a couple years later that I found my own licensed dentist who was knowledgeable beyond belief. He corrected my horse bite and removed REAR hooks that the original dentist promised me were not there when I asked about them numerous times (it just didn't make sense that he would have only front hooks). It was impossible to correct my horse's teeth without a speculum. The other dentist played it off as "all for show". He was wrong. I felt like a fool and so badly for my horse.
I think teeth are even trickier than feet because you can't set in there. It is not your fault. You hired a professional who failed you. I think good equine dentistry is a rarity.
Thank you for sharing this, and I totally agree with you that teeth are more tricky because you can't see them- and I'm not sticking my arm in there to feel around!
DeleteThank goodness you found a better dentist. The woman who came out for me yesterday goes to conventions and takes refresher courses every few years, makes me feel better knowing that she's so dedicated to keeping at the top of her craft.
We also have a knowledgable professional dentist who does a wonderful job. Some have to be sedated and some don't it depends on their personality.
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up for not knowing what was going on. You did the best you could by having your vet do what you thought was right. It's not your fault he wasn't doing the best job he could for them. Live and learn.
Thank you :)
DeleteIt's pretty amazing all the stuff that a person has to learn along the way. I was pretty lucky to have a couple of good dentists early on, so I understood the basics, but I've missed a lot over the years as well. Moon's shear mouth? Well, that took awhile to fix. (shakes head in disgust).
ReplyDeleteIs a shear mouth when the mandible doesn't match up with the maxilla? Cause both my horses have that :\
DeleteShear (or Scissor) mouth is when the uppers and lowers each have super steep slopes corresponding to each other, but causes extreme limitation in side to side chewing motion. The lower jaw slides forward and backward just fine and there are generally no hooks, front or back. It results in significant TMJ problems, as well as difficulty putting on weight. Moon still struggles with TMJ stiffness and this last time I had his teeth done, he was once again getting steep on his bottoms, but we were able to fix them in one float. He has a very narrow head and jaw, so will always be prone to it resurfacing.
DeleteUgh, Handsome had something similar in that his jaw also couldn't slide from side to side but he's never seemed to have a problem keeping weight on. Guess he got lucky, poor Moon.
DeleteVery interesting. Unfortunately we don't have any equine dentists in our area. Sure wish we did. I've had some very bad experiences with the vet, but it's all we have.
ReplyDeleteAre they legal in your area? I know of a few states here that ban them.
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