Does this sound like TMJ problem?

[Haphazardhacker]

Bit of history, Ive got an ex polo pony, known her for two years, I bought her early this year
, she was getting increasingly girthy so I got her scoped and she had ulcers, she went on a course of ozmeprazole which cleared them. She was still grumpy with the girth so I treated for hind gut issues (succeed and yea saac). Her back has been given the all clear so I am thinking that her girthyness may be a learned reaction and it will take time for her to relax more with girthing.

She has also always been funny with bridles and headcollars (she bites at them and tries to bite me as i put both on) and i have to lead her carefully when bridled as she gets quite aggressive (bit is just a lozenge french link)
i had put all this down to maybe the ulcers but her Mctimony practitioner who works on her every few months has said she has tension in the poll and to try a loose ring snaffle. She also has trouble bending and sometimes stretches her neck down when trotting and cantering.
For some reason I saw an article on tmj issues and I am starting to think that she has a problem in that area.
I noticed that she always has a look of tension above her eye and last night i noticed a clicking as she ate her hay.

Am i completly barking up the wrong tree, if you have got this far you may be able to tell that she is my first horse. I dont want to spend money unnecessarily but i just want my girl to have as happy and comfortable a life as i can give her.

Does this sound like tmj? Also where do i start to try investigate it? Vet? Dentist? Chiro?

Again well done if you have got this far!

 

[MontyandZoom]

I have an ex polo pony who is always very very tense in her poll (I'm also a vet ).

A lot of it with mine stems from being very tense in her jaw due to being afraid of her m

 

[MontyandZoom]

Whoops! Afraid of her mouth. She also still had a very 'polo' high head carriage. Does your pony accept a contact well? Tmj problems are fairly rare but if you are concerned speak to your vet. The best way to diagnose usually involves a ct scan as it is a difficult area to image.

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Hey, thanks for replying, she fights the contact mostly although I feel she has improved since going to a loose ring and am able to get a contact occasionally. Its just the rage she has when i put the bridle or headcollar on that makes me worried i am hurting her. She literally starts reacting as soon as i put the reins over her head. As we have got to know each other over the past year ive gone from breastplate, running martingale, noseband and cheltenham gag (two reins) to riding her with just a bridle ( no noseband) and a loose ring lozenge snaffle. Maybe she just needs to learn i am not going to hurt her.

 

[applecart14]

Bit of history, Ive got an ex polo pony, known her for two years, I bought her early this year
, she was getting increasingly girthy so I got her scoped and she had ulcers, she went on a course of ozmeprazole which cleared them. She was still grumpy with the girth so I treated for hind gut issues (succeed and yea saac). Her back has been given the all clear so I am thinking that her girthyness may be a learned reaction and it will take time for her to relax more with girthing.

She has also always been funny with bridles and headcollars (she bites at them and tries to bite me as i put both on) and i have to lead her carefully when bridled as she gets quite aggressive (bit is just a lozenge french link)
i had put all this down to maybe the ulcers but her Mctimony practitioner who works on her every few months has said she has tension in the poll and to try a loose ring snaffle. She also has trouble bending and sometimes stretches her neck down when trotting and cantering.
For some reason I saw an article on tmj issues and I am starting to think that she has a problem in that area.
I noticed that she always has a look of tension above her eye and last night i noticed a clicking as she ate her hay.

Am i completly barking up the wrong tree, if you have got this far you may be able to tell that she is my first horse. I dont want to spend money unnecessarily but i just want my girl to have as happy and comfortable a life as i can give her.

Does this sound like tmj? Also where do i start to try investigate it? Vet? Dentist? Chiro?

Again well done if you have got this far!

I talked to my EDT about this recently and he said its extremely rare for horses to have TMJ problems, but it might be worth investigating with your EDT. I guess the visit might set you back about £45 but you can ask him/her to check her teeth and rasp if necessary especially if its not been done for a while. The symptoms you state suggest that there could be a TMJ problem.

Personally I would always prefer an EDT to a vet anyway to look at my horses teeth having had an unsatisfactory rasping session by the vet for my horse many years ago which left him with half a mouth rasped and the other half left (due to him throwing his head up and the vet walking away) and he got problems with pockets of food in his cheeks, which fortunately I was able to detect quite quickly and the EDT sorted it out.

Also the EDT will use a dental speculum to hold the horses mouth open. This way the teeth at the very back of the mouth will be rasped. I would always be aware of vets or dentists that don't do this as I have read that any rasping is very ineffective otherwise as these teeth cannot be reached.


This info from this website : http://www.equinecraniosacral.com/articles/article2.html

These are typical symptoms of a TMJ problem

Uneven wear of the teeth (your vet or equine dentist may notice this);
Head tossing, especially when pressure is applied with a bit or hackamore;
Cribbing;
Ear sensitivity;
Difficulty taking or wearing a bit;
Difficulty with certain leads or gaits;
Difficulty flexing at the poll; and/or
Head shy or sensitive in jaw area
Physical Signs of Discomfort of the TMJ Mechanism
There are several questions you need to address to assess if your horse has physical signs of discomfort of the TMJ mechanism. They consist of the following:

Does your horse’s tongue rest between his upper teeth and lower teeth?
Does your horse drop large amounts of food?
Does he pass whole food in his manure?
Can you hear a popping and/or clicking while your horse chews?
Does your horse have difficulty flexing at the poll?
Does your horse chew more on one side compared to the other, or always in the same direction?
How does your horse hold his neck and move in leads?
How are your horses’ teeth wearing? (Accessories as simple as nosebands can and will affect the TMJ Mechanism and the body.)

 

[lizziebell]

My horse never showed any symptoms when bited and ridden with her TMJ issue. She suddenly started quidding. Her teeth were x-rayed, her throat scoped (as she wasn't swallowing food), but nothing found. Vet injected TMJ and she's been fine ever since.

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Thanks , think I will get the dentist out and mention it to him and see what he thinks, as the more I read about it the more it sounds like it could be a problem.

The injection in the tmj, how does that work and how frequently would they need it doing?

 

[applecart14]

Thanks , think I will get the dentist out and mention it to him and see what he thinks, as the more I read about it the more it sounds like it could be a problem.

The injection in the tmj, how does that work and how frequently would they need it doing?

This is an interesting link: http://www.thehorse.com/articles/27046/equine-tmj-disease-why-so-rare-aaep-2010
Again another interesting link: http://www.lunatunesfreestyles.com/horse tmj and joints.htm