Older horses and dental issues

[Asha]

Asha is now 23, and is just starting to show her age. She looks a bit EMS like at the moment but hasnt had any lammi. Last year we kept her off the grass a lot ( in during the day ) but she would come out of the stable quite sore. I assumed it was the start of lammi, but turns out its arthritis. So we have moved her to out 24/7 which has proved to be amazing for her. Shes never sore/stiff and enjoys galloping/bucking etc etc Her crest is wobbly and shes lost a bit of weight. ( which i assumed was due to keeping her moving/poor grazing etc ). I had to bring them in last night and this morning was greeted with Asha foaming at the mouth. Vets been and she has diastema which has got infected. So is on antibiotics. I feel terrible.. she could have had this for a week or so. Ive seen her eating in the field so thought all was good.
Anyhow .. do you good folk of HHO have any tips for dealing with older horses with these issues?

 

[Bellaboo18]

Sounds like you're doing the right thing keeping her out for both the arthritis and diastema. If you're worried about weight or want to top her up, I'd feed a mash like Allen & Page Veteran Vitality and avoid short chops.
You can flush out the diastema yourself if she'll let you.
Hope she feels better soon x

 

[Asha]

Sounds like you're doing the right thing keeping her out for both the arthritis and diastema. If you're worried about weight or want to top her up, I'd feed a mash like Allen & Page Veteran Vitality and avoid short chops.
You can flush out the diastema yourself if she'll let you.
Hope she feels better soon x

Thanks for that. Its a bit far back for me to access, i reckon id lose a finger or 2 !

 

[Bellaboo18]

Thanks for that. Its a bit far back for me to access, i reckon id lose a finger or 2 !

? please dont take that advice then ?

 

[HobleytheTB]

Fast fibre works well as a hay replacer for my dentally challenged oldie! I used to flush out her diastomas with a large syringe of water squirted into the mouth. They've now become big enough that food doesn't seem to get trapped as much.

It's always worth testings for cushings in older horses if you haven't already. My mare only started to struggle with holding weight since developing ppid!

 

[Marnie]

My little companion pony has diastema and has had to have a couple of teeth removed. When she was in recovery, the vet loaned me one of these to flush her mouth out and I then bought my own on his advice - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UC1IQOO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I don't use it very often - just if I notice that her breath is a bit smelly or if she seems to be building food up in her cheeks. If her breath is smelly, I usually call the vet as it normally means that she needs the diastema clearing out and I can't do that!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

My 23 year old is going to have her cavities filled in the next couple of weeks and every day I use a syringe of water to sloosh her mouth out..trying to flush out feed trapped anywhere. Dental check ups are every 6 months.

 

[windand rain]

Add a tiny amount of mouthwash they seem to like minty fresh water.

 

[Asha]

Fast fibre works well as a hay replacer for my dentally challenged oldie! I used to flush out her diastomas with a large syringe of water squirted into the mouth. They've now become big enough that food doesn't seem to get trapped as much.

It's always worth testings for cushings in older horses if you haven't already. My mare only started to struggle with holding weight since developing ppid!

Thats a fair point, its been a couple of years since we tested.

 

[Asha]

Add a tiny amount of mouthwash they seem to like minty fresh water.

Thats a great idea..being ID shes usually very food orientated.

 

[Winters100]

Have been through tooth removal twice with my old girl. She can eat hay now, but not as well as the others, so I am always keeping a close eye. She also receives 'old people's' chaff in large quantities and 'soups' of grass cubes / spillers high fi soaked in hot water. She looks good on this, but I am careful to feed the soups often to make sure that she has adequate fibre in her diet.

 

[Gloi]

Mine went to the vets every six months was sedated and had his diastomas cleaned , widened and packed with dental cement where necessary. His mouth was a bit of a mess with long teeth on one jaw and down to the roots on the other but he managed on grass and soft feed until he was pts at 30.

 

[huskydamage]

Following, as my 28yr old has this now plus a broken tooth. It smells horrible and I find chewed bits of chaff on the floor (even though I've stopped feeding her chaff?! Not sure where she is nicking this from??) Her teeth were done almost 6months ago so due doing again now.

 

[HobleytheTB]

Following, as my 28yr old has this now plus a broken tooth. It smells horrible and I find chewed bits of chaff on the floor (even though I've stopped feeding her chaff?! Not sure where she is nicking this from??) Her teeth were done almost 6months ago so due doing again now.

Sounds like she's quidding and the 'chaff' is actually chewed up hay that she's not able to swallow. If there's a bad smell there could be infection in the broken tooth. If she's finding it painful to eat due to the tooth, that would explain the quidding. Definitely worth getting the vet or dentist out if you haven't already? Fast fibre or something similar would be a good alternative to hay in the meantime.

 

[Luxgood]

Asha is now 23, and is just starting to show her age. She looks a bit EMS like at the moment but hasnt had any lammi. Last year we kept her off the grass a lot ( in during the day ) but she would come out of the stable quite sore. I assumed it was the start of lammi, but turns out its arthritis. So we have moved her to out 24/7 which has proved to be amazing for her. Shes never sore/stiff and enjoys galloping/bucking etc etc Her crest is wobbly and shes lost a bit of weight. ( which i assumed was due to keeping her moving/poor grazing etc ). I had to bring them in last night and this morning was greeted with Asha foaming at the mouth. Vets been and she has diastema which has got infected. So is on antibiotics. I feel terrible.. she could have had this for a week or so. Ive seen her eating in the field so thought all was good.
Anyhow .. do you good folk of HHO have any tips for dealing with older horses with these issues?

I have a twenty seven year old with dental issues.
I’m giving him equerry conditioning mash in the morning.
redmills cool and cooked grain free in the evening.
During winter or bad weather I put him in at night and out during the day.
I 100% recommend the equerry mash.
he’s has had no issues to the past year.

 

[HollyWoozle]

My mare had a tooth removed in Jan and I fed Spillers senior super mash at the time and she loooooved it. I rinsed her mouth out daily for a week or so with a big syringe - it took quite a while to convince her about it but I added a little manuka honey to the water and that helped, as did practice!

 

[SpotsandBays]

I agree, the equerry mash is really good. Also not particularly expensive either!
When I’m not feeding the mash I feed soaked grass nuts. And add a handful of chaff for consistency. My old mare has lost 5 odd teeth now. I’ve found them in the field or her feed bucket! She’s in her 30s and she does drop some of the food, will hoover up most of it after!
She still lives out where possible, however I do bring her and her Shetty friend into a barn when the weather is particularly yuck. She picks at hay, mostly goes through it and finds the shorter bits, but doesn’t seem to have any trouble with getting grass. She’ll still canter over if she sees me with a bucket!

 

[HashRouge]

Mine (28) has quite bad diastema and was having a lot of trouble with food packing in her teeth/ gum disease a few years ago. The EDT advised that it might help to make the gaps slightly wider between her teeth - well I was freaking out because it felt like quite serious dentistry and I was very conscious that we couldn't go back once it was done! However, it has actually helped quite a lot! She still gets some food packing but nowhere near as much and her gums are much healthier/ her breath doesn't noticeably smell anymore either.

 

[minesadouble]

My daughters old TB has this issue, last year, at his routine dental, the vet flushed and then put a putty like substance in the gaps. He said it would harden to the consistency of a rubber ball but would fall out and need replacing.
Umlike previous Winters he had no issue with quidding this year at all. Its made a massive difference for him and may be worth looking into.

 

[mustardsmum]

Rather than using a syringe- get a sheep drench (about £30 from Amazon) and fill it with water and (non alcohol) listerine (mix 1 part listerine to 10 parts water). Because the drench has a long metal tube you can gently slide it into the corner of their mouth (between their cheek and teeth) and then gently squirt the water in. I use warm water. The syringe bit is a bit tricky and stiff at first but once you get the knack of it, it’s easy. Treat everytime and your pony will enjoy their teeth cleaning ? I do it once a week. It keeps your fingers safe and you can actually position the drench where you need the water. It’s amazing what comes out. Just start very slowly just using tge warm water to get them used to it! Doing it regularly should help prevent the food becoming so impacted.

 

[Winters100]

Following, as my 28yr old has this now plus a broken tooth. It smells horrible and I find chewed bits of chaff on the floor (even though I've stopped feeding her chaff?! Not sure where she is nicking this from??) Her teeth were done almost 6months ago so due doing again now.

If it smells it is probably infected and should be seen by the vet immediately - it probably needs to be removed. In the meantime you will need to add multiple meals of high fibre soaked foods to replace hay. I use a mix of grass cubes and spillers high fi, but there are many options. To be safe needs to be split and fed as often as possible, we did small bucket feeds approximately every 2 hours between 6am and 10pm.

 

[Asha]

Mine (28) has quite bad diastema and was having a lot of trouble with food packing in her teeth/ gum disease a few years ago. The EDT advised that it might help to make the gaps slightly wider between her teeth - well I was freaking out because it felt like quite serious dentistry and I was very conscious that we couldn't go back once it was done! However, it has actually helped quite a lot! She still gets some food packing but nowhere near as much and her gums are much healthier/ her breath doesn't noticeably smell anymore either.

this is what our vets want to do , he would have done it on the day but didn’t have the right equipment with him . He’s booked to come out on Tuesday.
I’ve bought a load of mouth wash , now just have to order the squirter !
Thanks everyone ??

 

[HashRouge]

this is what our vets want to do , he would have done it on the day but didn’t have the right equipment with him . He’s booked to come out on Tuesday.
I’ve bought a load of mouth wash , now just have to order the squirter !
Thanks everyone ??

Well it has really helped my girl, so I hope it does the same for yours - let us know how you get on

 

[mustardsmum]

My little companion pony has diastema and has had to have a couple of teeth removed. When she was in recovery, the vet loaned me one of these to flush her mouth out and I then bought my own on his advice - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UC1IQOO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I don't use it very often - just if I notice that her breath is a bit smelly or if she seems to be building food up in her cheeks. If her breath is smelly, I usually call the vet as it normally means that she needs the diastema clearing out and I can't do that!

This is what I have - I hadn’t read Marnie’s post when I posted!!