Help, Pulling faces and crossing jaw while eating??

[BlairandAzria]

So...I got my new boy (15.2 tb x gelding) about a month ago. Hes been out of work for about 3 years and was pretty skinny and lacks serious muscle definition...he has zero topline and no bum. He was on my yard anyway, so i knew he was a box walker and he would head-shake in big circles (head-banging) quite alarmingly and rapidly and quite often. When eating he would cross his jaw all the way to each side, and stretch down his neck and open his mouth, covering his teeth with his lips.

As soon as I got him I got a dentist out to float his teeth, this has made a massive improvement, he's eating more and putting on weight, and he has pretty much completely stopped the head-banging behaviour. His box-walking is much better to, as i've got him out 10/ 12 hours a day and in a regular routine, which I think is settling him.

But....he still is crossing his jaw when hes eating, his hard feed and hay/ haylage too. It looks to me like hes got food stuck at the back of his mouth, or hes trying to 'click' his jaw... I'll try and get a vid to put up later tonight.

He is eating, and he's not spitting food out (so i dont think its choke). He's not a big drinker and i've been making his feeds really sloppy to see if this helps, but he's still doing it.

Does anyone know what this could be? Is it habit? Should i get the dentist / vet back out. He looks pretty uncomfortable when hes doing it, but once its passed he's fine back to his normal cheery if slightly stressy self.

Anyone please shed any light on this....am I being a complete idiot? HELP please!!

 

[appylass]

No help really but a friend's mare does this when she is eating, she contorts her jaw in such a way as you'd think it would really hurt! She also does it when she is being tacked up, when she wants to come in for her feed etc. Friend says it is an old habit (she's had her since birth) and she does it whenever she is happy or excited, very odd, but I have learned to ignore it now!

 

[Rhandir]

Hmmm my mare does this, I would also be interested in any theories as to why she does it.

 

[BlairandAzria]

bump - anyone please any advice?

 

[paddi22]

how long ago was the dentist? i got a rescue horse and his teeth were really bad. dentist said the teeth had made him eat incorrectly as he couldn't chew in a figure of 8 like horses should, she said it would take him a while to adjust to his new mouth and learn to chew properly

 

[BlairandAzria]

Had the dentist out about 3 weeks ago. The dentist said that his teeth were bad, but not horrendous... hummm maybe its just a habitual thing then. Im encouraged that I havent received a b*****king of abuse from everyone that ive missed something super obvious.....theres still time yet!

 

[Cuppatea]

ulcers?

does its breath/saliva smell?

 

[touchstone]

My mare always does this too, it's as if there is some food stuck somewhere that she can't shift. The dentist sees her regularly and apart from some sharp teeth now and again can't find anything wrong.

Mine is much worse on chaff type feeds.

The only other thing I could think of was possible arthritis in the jaw which might make chewing more difficult.

 

[YasandCrystal]

Hi no help to you really but my stressy WB does exactly this head shaking/banging and nodding thing in huge circles moving in both directions. People said to me it's a dominance thing but he does it when he is alone in the paddock with noone about (I can spot him from the house or barn). He also does the jaw thing and I had his teeth seen by a dentist. i started worrying that he may have TMD/TMJ. Mine does exactly as you describe he pokes his head out and manipulates his jaw side to side moving his tongue about like he is trying to dislodge food.

Mine had low grade ulcers and the treatment is now finished but this has made no difference to this behaviour. Mine also box walks/field walks/cribs - typical stressy horse stuff. I have just started him on 'Relax Me' and 'No Bute' in both his morning and eve feeds and hope to see some difference in a few days time.