Youngster with possible sore teeth - Advise please

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Lorian

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Hi everyone

I have a new horse who turned 4 in June. My last horse was 6 when I got him so he had gone through all the teething stages so i dont know much about baby teeth.

The last 2 days i have ridden my new horse he is very unhappy with his head, shaking it up and down, playing with the bit a lot and over bending his neck to his chest even when i have a loose contact. He seemed a bit happier when i took his flash off but still not totally right. He hasnt been eating much hay either and i put this down to him being turned out recently on to his winter paddock which has loads of grass. Hes eating grass and chaff fine and isnt dropping any.

Ive booked the vet to see him on Wed for a teeth check.
I just wondered whether anyone had any tips/help/advise?
How do I know whether it could be his teeth causing issues? Is there any obvious signs?
Is this the age when wolf teeth start to grow?
Is there anything i could put on them like bongela or something to help? If so where do i put it in his mouth?

Thanks
Soph
 
thanks guys, this might be silly to ask but what are caps and how do i know if he has them? Also where do wolf teeth come through? he seems to have a tooth under the skin behind his front teeth along the jaw but when i touch it he doesnt react? Is it possible it could hurt with a bit in but not when i touch it maybe?
 
Caps are the old baby teeth that end up sitting on top of the new ones as they grow through. Usually they just get pushed up and just fall off on their own, but occasionally one can get stuck on top of the new tooth, or get wedged around to the side where they can cause problems.
The back teeth are the last to shed so any issues there aren't easy to see without a gag.
 
I'd wonder about a retained cap too.

A four year old filly I had started to throw her head violently up and down, even when she was just on the yard mooching around. I watched her from a distance, and realised that although she was eating all her hay, it was taking her much longer to get through it than normal.

Dentist came and had a look, as I started to suspect a retained cap. He was just about to give up, when he felt just one retained cap and managed to prize it off. Within 3 days, the filly had stopped head tossing.

Hopefully it will be something straight forward like that. Do make sure the vet has a very very thorough look, including using a gag...... I'm afraid I don't have much faith in vets looking at teeth, although I understand some of them can be quite good in this respect. But if the vet doesn't find anything, and the behaviour continues, then I'd definitely ask a qualified dentist to come and take a look anyway.

Sarah
 
Lorian said:
thanks guys, this might be silly to ask but what are caps and how do i know if he has them? Also where do wolf teeth come through? he seems to have a tooth under the skin behind his front teeth along the jaw but when i touch it he doesnt react? Is it possible it could hurt with a bit in but not when i touch it maybe?
Click to expand...

Wolf teeth are just before the first cheek teeth. They can have just one or four. They can catch the bit and cause problems when the horse is being ridden, i don't think they would affect eating though. The teeth you can feel near front teeth are probably tushes.
 
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