Need help and advice please, getting desperate.

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Cedars

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Ok. My OH has a gorgeous big boy called Frankie. 16.1, he's now rising 13. He's always had awful teeth but we have a fabulous dentist who keeps on top of them.

Recently he's been grinding his teeth loads. He normally does this when he's sharp but there is just no way he could be as he was only seen by our dentist just over 2months ago. He's also started swilling his hay in his water-so taking a mouthful, and whilst chewing it swilling water. Today, he did this and choked a bit, we all panicked, removed hay, waited for him to cough it up and then gave him his breakfast chaff, which he ate with no problems and no swilling??

Our dentist is on the case and I'm ringing the vets Monday morning. But just wondering if anyone had experienced similar? I'm 99% certain its not gastric ulcers as he is showing no other symptoms at all, none. He's still working nicely and playing with his bit.

Help please really worried for the big sod.

Xx
 
Poor you. It could well be his teeth, Captain has his seen every 3/6 months rather than once a year. Do you feed biotin or any thing like Farrier's Formula or Cornecruscine? We did and that was causing his teeth to grow fast as well as his hooves.

Have you felt his teeth? Just in case you don't know. Put your finger in the side of his cheek inside his mouth and starting at the front move it back along the cheek. You should feel any problems with his cheek. Then swap sides and do the same.That will let you feel any sharps on the outside of his teeth. Then, if he will let you try to feel the inside of his teeth, it is easiest to do this as you put his bit in. This is what we do with Cappy to check.

Hope you get the problem sorted.

FDC
 
Thanks guys. My OH regularly feels his teeth and they still feel lovely and smooth-perhaps blunter than he's had them before but definitely not so blunt as to be causing problems. We can't feel anything obvious on his gums or cheeks but he gets quite wriggly so I couldn't be sure.

He has his teeth done every 6 months along with the rest of them. He gets some chaff, some my joints, and some oil. And some balancer-currently top spec. I don't think that has anything in it that would be making them grow. Hmph I dont know.

Am upset because he's getting older now and my OH is desperate to take him to a few events before it's his time to retire but every season it just looks less and less likely as yet another problem gets in the way. Am also hoping that this isn't the first sign of him actually getting old. Xxx
 
awww dont worry im sure you'll get it sorted!! well in time for a few events!! ;) i may be alone in this opinion but thirteen is still youngish! at least good 7 yrs left before retirement all going well!! ;) i know a showjumping pony that has won at Dublin numerous years and is 21/22 at the very least who has just been sold to england and LOVES his job..retirement wouldn't be his cup of tea and sure the longer hes kept going the longer he'll last! ;) good luck! :)
 
Fingers crossed hun that all is well.

As others have said, thirteen is no age at all, although we all know the frustrations that can be horses and plans!

Dizz has four teeth that grown inwards, which we have to try and keep an eye on and occasionally need doing more often.
 
Excellent name ;) smaller frankie would like to point out that 13 def isn't old! :p (and I suspect he isn't feeling as stiff as me after hunting yesterday.. now where I did I put that joint supp? :D

Have you changed your hay recently at all, my Frankie will dunk some but not others. I would get vet to come check his mouth just to say whether there is anything going on to worry about or not :) and put your mind at rest if not
 
I'm almost 100% certain that it's not gastric ulcers- mostly because we rode ou yesterday, my OH threw me on the mare and jumped on and pulled his girth straight from loose to full tightness and Frank didn't even stop eating the grass to fuss. I'm just sure it's not a tummy thing.

About the hay, we've not changed since over half way through the winter-so a very long time ago and this has been a fairly recent thing.

13 may not be old but think his eventing dreams are running dry. :( damn ponies. Will ring vet in am but will not see anyone but one vet so hope he can come out ASAP! Xxx
 
Kerili, last time the dentist was out bugs was sedated and had his front tooth problem fixed-he was still awake but am sure if there was a problem then my EDT would definitely have seen it then. So could these things have developed in like 2months? Xxxx
 
My daughter's horse loves dunking his haylage before eating, and quickly clogs up his automatic waterer every night so I now have to give him a bucket of clean water next to his automatic one! He grabs a mouthful, chews for a second or two, dunks his mouth into the water and slobers for a bit, lifts mouth out and dribbles water everywhere, then eats. His table manners are appalling :)

He has only started doing this recently, and when I offered him a net of dryish haylage or wet hay, he preferred the wet hay.

Maybe he just prefers wet food - it is more natural after all. Perhaps try soaking his hay for half an hour tonight to see if that helps? Can't help you with the teeth grinding but it might help with the choking.
 
I wouldnt worry too much about him swilling his hay in the water as one of mine does this from time to time and when the vet did his check last week she purposely showed the trainee with her his teeth saying they were amazing.
 
My OH is riding ATM and he's not showing any signs of pain with the bit but there is much less saliva on one side than the other. Hmmm. But he's having a pop over a jump and is fine??

Will ring vet in am.

He's making a weird almost windsucking kind of coughing sound as well. Only occasionally though!!
 
If he is windsucking or you suspect then it maybe gastric problems. I would not put the haylage dipping down to ulcers though. Captain never dips his haylage and he has them in all probability. Fany dips hers all the time and has no gastric problems.

Hope you are able to sort this, they are such a worry aren't they?
FDC
 
It's only because our other mare has gastric ulcers and she goes skitz when you go near her stomach-let alone if you yanked up the girth on her then you'd be flying!! Whereas frankie just doesn't care at all. I don't think it is windsucking just a kind of cough.
 
Videos of what he's doing..

433580ce.mp4


70b07c52.mp4
 
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