horse not right following the dentist. any ideas?

[charlie76]

My horse had the Dentist on Monday and he hasn't been right since. He won't eat hay or hard feed. He will pick at hay if in a net and will take feed out of my hand but Will not eat off the floor.
On Tuesday his pulse And respiration was Very high as if he was in pain. Vet said to give him finadine and bute, this seems to have settled That down but he still won't eat and is fed up.
He does seem to be grazing in the field.
They used an electric rasp on him which they never have before.
Any ideas?
I have phoned the dentist and asked them to ring me.

 

[EventingMum]

On some occasions if horses have had a lot of work done by the dentist they may not be so keen to eat afterwards, however this should settle relatively quickly (24 -48hrs max). If the horse has regular dental checks and no big issues with his teeth you wouldn’t expect this. As a lay person (albeit with a dentist in the family) I would be expecting your dentist to be touch asap, if for no other reason, to protect their reputation and allay your fears.

I know there is much debate on the use of power tools but used correctly there should not be a problem and in fact can be much quicker and less stressful for the horse than having a hand rasp dragged across their teeth. I do wonder at the fact your horse won’t eat from the ground – did he pull back or strain himself with the dentist and the pain could be related to that rather than his teeth? (I’ve just re read your post and you say he will graze though so possibly not). I hope he picks up soon and would be interested to hear the outcome.

 

[YasandCrystal]

I am no expert but it sounds to me that he may be very sensitive due to the teeth being taken down too far? I have read of a case before where power tools have been used and the poor horse's health was compromised for over a year. I hope I am wrong, but I would get an expert ie. the vet to take a proper look to see what has been done. Normal response to dentist work - is let horse havve a couple of days off if the work was extensive for mouth to settle. This is not normal.
Good luck

 

[MissTyc]

Was he sedated for his dentist visit?

 

[charlie76]

No, he wasn't sedated. He is brilliant with the dentist.

 

[ecrozier]

That's a worry .... Is it a dentist you have used before? Think you are local to me, hope not a mistake by dentist. I'd expect dentist to revisit pretty quickly tbh and have a look.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Using a power rasp can be risky, when you hand rasp you have far more control over what you are doing & you take of just the right amount of tooth & you can constantly check how the work is prorgessing. The power rasp in my view can be far too vicious & may remove far too much tooth. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this has happened.

In my view the powewr rasp should only be used when the horse has not seen a technician in a long time & there is massiver growth & sharp edges, even then hand rasping can do the job.

 

[sare_bear]

I have had similar before. My horse had her teeth done using a dremel by a dentist. She did need this as had ramps at the back, but I think took too much off all round and she struggled to eat. Could eat grass no problem and chaff, but took nearly 2 months before she could properly eat hay again. She just could not chew it and kept balling her food. Needless to say did not use that dentist again!

Hopefully it will settle down. Occasionally if your horse has ulcers dt sharp edges, those can be irritated by rasping etc and may take a week or so to heal up.

 

[Pat10]

A horse on our yard ALWAYS reacted like that after the dentist (when the rest didn't) so it may indeed be that he's a sensitive soul, or had to have a lot taken off, and at the moment can't get used to the feel of them. If that's the case, he should slowly come round to normal. You could contact the dentist and ask him if you should be concerned.