Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Primary Signs
• Method 2 of 3: Secondary Traits
• Method 3 of 3: Examining the teeth

Horse teeth have open roots, which means that they are constantly growing and their main task is to chew food to ensure that the teeth are grinded to the desired length. Ideally, the amount of wear on the teeth is equal to the rate at which they grow, and the base and molars will wear evenly, providing an ideal chewing surface. However, the upper set of molars is wider than the lower. Horses chew in a circular motion, which means that over time, if the horse has an uneven bite, sharp spurs can develop due to uneven wear. These spurs can stick into the cheek or tongue, causing pain while eating. Floating (filing and trimming teeth) is a process in which spurs or thorns are filed with a file designed for use with horses. Knowing when to file a horse's teeth can be very helpful in preventing oral pain.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Primary Signs

1. 1 Be alert to see if your horse is having difficulty eating. If so, the reason may be in the spurs. Dental spurs in a horse's mouth can stick into the cheeks or tongue and cause pain, indicating that the horse needs to file teeth.
   • The horse may show signs of discomfort while eating.
   • This can manifest itself in many ways.
2. 2 Identify the area in your mouth that is causing the sloppy food. The horse may not eat properly, it may drool, or food may fall out of its mouth.
   • The horse may drop food on a stable surface.
   • The eating process can take a long time, and the horse may throw his head back while eating.
   • Some horses turn their heads to the side when chewing, which leads to a lot of salivation.
   • This is very easy to notice, as the horse will constantly have a wet chin with saliva.
   • Saliva drips because swallowing is associated with the movement of the tongue, which can hurt from the spurs.
   • Instead of swallowing, they drool.
   • Sometimes saliva is mixed with blood, as the mucous membrane of the oral cavity is damaged.
3. 3 The horse may show signs of choking when dry lumps of food get stuck in the mouth. Oral pain causes the horse to chew food less thoroughly and increases the likelihood of swallowing food that is not completely chewed and only partially mixed with saliva.
   • These dry lumps of food can become lodged in the esophagus and the horse suffocates.
   • Signs of suffocation: visible swelling on the left side of the neck, on the line of the esophagus from the corner of the jawbone to the point of the shoulder.
   • The esophagus is the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach.
   • If it is blocked by a piece of hay, then during swallowing saliva has nowhere to go, and therefore the horse is drooling heavily.
4. 4 You should pay attention to the chubby cheeks of the horse. This is because it forms clumps of grass or hay. This is called feed incontinence, when the horse works with his teeth to make lumps of hay or grass between the cheek and teeth. In this case, the food acts as a cushion or barrier.
   • Thus, while chewing, the pad softens the pressure on the cheeks and the discomfort is reduced.
   • This can be easily seen by the chubby hamster-like cheeks.
   • The horse may also occasionally spit out lumps of hay, which is a signal that the teeth need to be filed.
5. 5 If the horse avoids eating small pieces of food, it is a sign of a sore mouth, as chewing small pieces of food is painful.
   • A calm and well-behaved animal will start to throw its head back while riding or avoid turning its neck excessively.
   • This is because when the spike touches the mouth ulcer, the horse tries to avoid pain and move it to a different location where it will cause less pain. Thus, she tries to avoid contact with the thorn, and either throws her head back or bends her neck so as not to touch it.

Method 2 of 3: Secondary Traits

1. 1 Weigh your horse to see if it has lost weight. A horse in need of dental care may lose weight.
   • This is because the horse will choose the food that it needs to chew less.
   • Another reason for losing weight is insufficient chopping of food.
   • Shredding breaks down cell walls and fibers. This is good for the intestines as it helps digest food better and maximizes nutritional value.
   • The horse can avoid coarse hay and coarse grains and eat gruel or soft grass.
2. 2 Notice if your horse looks too thin or hungry. If the mouth is very sore, the horse may only eat a minimum of food, or even starve to avoid discomfort.
   • This will be obvious as the horse will look skinny.
   • The horse may be more lethargic than usual due to the lack of energy from the food it receives.
3. 3 Watch for signs of indigestion or colic. Lumps of dry food can reach the stomach, but get stuck in the intestines and cause stomach upset or colic.
   • Symptoms of this include: abdominal discomfort that manifests as restlessness, constant turning of the head back, blows to the abdomen, rapid shallow breathing, general agitation, wide-eyed eyes, and dilated nostrils.
4. 4 See if the horse's dung contains whole food pieces. If there are dental spurs in the mouth, which are painful and lead to less thorough chewing, the horse will swallow large chunks of food.
   • Poorly chewed food includes large chunks of hay and grains that the intestines cannot completely break down and digest.
   • Thus, the horse's manure will contain whole chunks of grains and undigested hay.
5. 5 Chunks of food can be found in a container filled with water. A horse in need of dental care eats sloppily, and you will most likely find pieces of food dropped into a container of water while the horse is drinking.
   • Also, in cold weather, the horse may refuse to drink cold water because it cools the delicate tissue of the cheek or tongue.
   • Thus, keep an eye on the temperature of the water in the winter, as it will be the cause of the discomfort in the oral cavity.
6. 6 Monitor the horse's breathing to see if it is normal or worse. If the horse has dental spurs, some food will remain in the mouth.
   • This food goes out and starts to smell unpleasant.
   • In addition, sores or wounds in the mouth can become infected, which can also lead to bad breath.

Method 3 of 3: Examining the teeth

1. 1 To confirm the diagnosis, examine the problem teeth with a speculum. It is difficult to see the molars or chewing teeth, which are located at the back of the mouth.
   • They are too far away to be seen without special extenders.
   • Veterinarians or dental technicians have these dilators.
   • The oral retractor is an instrument with flat, rounded edges that allows you to view your teeth.
   • It doesn't hurt at all and most horses tolerate this process calmly.
   • If the horse jerks his head, put on the rein and tie the rope behind the head in a slightly raised position in order to restrict his movement. This will allow you to better examine the oral cavity.
2. 2 Tie up the horse's mouth to keep it open while examining the mouth. It is necessary to put a special gag in the horse's mouth, so that the mouth is in a half-open position.
   • Thus, the horse will not be able to chew, which will allow you to examine all of its teeth.
3. 3 Monitor your horse's mouth regularly to detect adverse symptoms in time. Provided that you do not find any signs of oral problems, you are still required to perform an oral exam on horses between the ages of 5 and 20 years old once a year.
   • Until the age of 5, the horse grows, so more frequent examinations are necessary to ensure that the teeth are growing correctly and the dental arches are aligned.
   • Also, after the age of 20, a horse is more likely to have dental problems such as cracks or root infections, so a dental check-up should be done twice a year.