4yo chewing everything in sight (including me - ouch) - help!

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BeckyD

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My 4yo is starting to get his big teeth, and he will not stop chewing anything he can get his teeth around. He's munched his way through more than a dozen haynets (the actual net), two lead ropes, my posterior gets chomped on, and my hair when I'm picking his feet out or putting his boots on. Rug straps also suffering.

Is there anything I can safely leave for him to chew, like a dog chew or something? His teeth are obviously hurting him as he's not done this all along. Strangely he's fine to ride. I'm worried he's going to do himself harm. The last two haynets have actually clean disappeared from his stable - indicating that he might have eaten them.

Any suggestions?
 
Um i'd stop giving him haynets if i were you!!!
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I hate haynets - evil things! Would stop putting them in for him if there is a chance he is eating them, maybe consider some hard vegetables like swedes etc and hang them up whole for him to chew on?
 
Yep, have taken the haynets out (sorry, should have said that). When we realised they were "disappearing" that was it, too risky. Now have a hay ball and we'll see how long that lasts. He has Likits and a salt lick, and a treat ball to kick around. Can't seem to interest him in veg, but will perhaps try hanging a swede up.
 
How long is he stabled for? It could be as a result of boredom, especially if he has finished his hay - how much is he getting? Another possibility is a gastric ulcer, which can cause some horses to chew anything they can as the extra saliva produced can help neutralise stomach acid.
 
You could increase the amount of fibre...to see if that helps.
Or you could give him some wood to chew on (apple branches are ok) to help him dislodge those baby teeth if they're reluctant to leave him.
Hope you survive the chewing.
S
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Bodey and Rubin have both been though this stage recently (Bodey was 4 in June, Rubin in May), it is a stage and it does pass.

Bodey had a habit of chewing on his water buckets and pulling them over, so I had to put them in larger bucket which had bricks in just so I didn’t keep coming back to a flooded stable.

We tied a large apple up on string to let them munch. This helped a bit but we did find that nothing really stopped them chewing what ever was in front of them at the time. Sorry.
 
Hmm the gastric ulcer thought had been through my mind before. He's very sensitive when I do his girth up and around his tummy, and he gets a bit nasty, and he's the nicest natured horse you could ever meet apart from that, and I read that it could be a gastric ulcer. Maybe I'd best get the vet out to be on the safe side. I don't like seeing him like this, he looks so uncomfortable - even if it is only teeth. I'll try dangling more things in his stable like apples/swedes.
 
Try Childrens teething granules (they are made of chamomile!) or detinox or Bonjela gel might do the trick to ease the soreness
 
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