Jill Crewe
Well-Known Member
I just wanted to share my recent story with you for educational purposes - I'll try and keep it short as have a tendency to waffle!
Bought a new horse 1 month ago - had 2 stage vetting all ok.
Got horse onto yard and straight away noticed he was quidding very badly when eating hay (as in - 100% ended up on floor)
Got vets in straight away to rasp and they said his teeth had hooks and steps on them, took a lot of rasping and couldn't do it all in one go so would come back to finish off in 3-4 months.
Horse was still quidding a couple of weeks later, checked with vets and also with a vet at Your Horse Live and they said it was quite expected for him to still be quidding until the next bit of rasping was done.
So - got my main vet in (the ones that did the rasping were another practice that happened to be rasping on the yard just after I noticed the quidding so I used them as wanted it done quickly) to discuss nutrition/diet with them as was worried about horse not being able to eat hay whilst stabled at night.
Relayed to the story to him...saying that I had been told it was quite normal for him to still be quidding until rasping was finished - straight away he told me this is not the case and something else must be going on.
Within minutes of looking in my horses mouth he discovered that he had 12 teeth on lower jaw (each side) instead of 11 (which is very rare) and that because there wasn't enough room two teeth nearer the front had rotated so there was diastima (spaces that got filled with food) and one of them had led to periodontal disease (disease going into the ligiment of the tooth that could spread around jaw if left). Then discovered the tooth with the disease was loose so out it came!
My horse is only 11 and has obviously had very bad tooth ache for god knows how long - he immediately was able to eat a full hay net without quidding a single scrap. I feel so sorry for him as this problem had obviously not been addressed for years so who knows how long he was suffering.
If I had not asked my main vets to come and discuss nutrition then this could have gone on and on and caused more problems.
The vet that came specialises in teeth and has his qualifications. He was able to extract the tooth right there and then in the stable as he was able to sedate etc.
So please please please get your horses teeth checked and maybe (not necessarily and EDT) but get a vet who specialises in teeth every now and then.
I used Western Counties Equine Hospital on the Devon/Somerset border and cannot thank them enough.
Bought a new horse 1 month ago - had 2 stage vetting all ok.
Got horse onto yard and straight away noticed he was quidding very badly when eating hay (as in - 100% ended up on floor)
Got vets in straight away to rasp and they said his teeth had hooks and steps on them, took a lot of rasping and couldn't do it all in one go so would come back to finish off in 3-4 months.
Horse was still quidding a couple of weeks later, checked with vets and also with a vet at Your Horse Live and they said it was quite expected for him to still be quidding until the next bit of rasping was done.
So - got my main vet in (the ones that did the rasping were another practice that happened to be rasping on the yard just after I noticed the quidding so I used them as wanted it done quickly) to discuss nutrition/diet with them as was worried about horse not being able to eat hay whilst stabled at night.
Relayed to the story to him...saying that I had been told it was quite normal for him to still be quidding until rasping was finished - straight away he told me this is not the case and something else must be going on.
Within minutes of looking in my horses mouth he discovered that he had 12 teeth on lower jaw (each side) instead of 11 (which is very rare) and that because there wasn't enough room two teeth nearer the front had rotated so there was diastima (spaces that got filled with food) and one of them had led to periodontal disease (disease going into the ligiment of the tooth that could spread around jaw if left). Then discovered the tooth with the disease was loose so out it came!
My horse is only 11 and has obviously had very bad tooth ache for god knows how long - he immediately was able to eat a full hay net without quidding a single scrap. I feel so sorry for him as this problem had obviously not been addressed for years so who knows how long he was suffering.
If I had not asked my main vets to come and discuss nutrition then this could have gone on and on and caused more problems.
The vet that came specialises in teeth and has his qualifications. He was able to extract the tooth right there and then in the stable as he was able to sedate etc.
So please please please get your horses teeth checked and maybe (not necessarily and EDT) but get a vet who specialises in teeth every now and then.
I used Western Counties Equine Hospital on the Devon/Somerset border and cannot thank them enough.
