Henderson Veterinary Associates , Ltd.
|
Henderson Veterinary Associates , Ltd.
|
|
Deworming Schedule-*Revised*
|
The Importance of Your Horse’s Teeth:
When was the last time that your horse’s teeth were thoroughly checked by a veterinarian? While it may seem as if your horse is eating well and maintaining his weight, hidden problems may affect his performance and behavior. Horses will often develop sharp enamel points on the inside and outside edges of their cheek teeth or larger points called “hooks” or “ramps” which can cause pain not only when eating but also during performance. Pain during riding can manifest in several different ways: chewing the bit, tongue lolling, resistance to the bit, tossing the head, refusing to stop, unwillingness to perform movements requiring poll flexion, a stiff gait, and sometimes even lameness. In breeding horses, sharp painful points can result in a decreased feed efficiency and weight loss.
It is especially important to have your older horse’s teeth checked. The teeth of older horses wear down so much with age that they become “smooth mouthed”. Horses with such extensive wear are in need of more frequent dental examinations because their teeth will wear in a more abnormal pattern. Also with age horses may develop periodontal disease, or you may find that they are missing teeth altogether! With your older (geriatric) horse it is a good idea to combine a thorough dental examination with a physical examination and sometimes bloodwork which checks the function of their kidneys and liver. At this time we can also discuss the need for feed changes to suit your older horse depending on our findings. In order to examine your horse’s teeth we use a speculum to open his mouth so that we can see and feel any problems all the way to the back of the mouth. Following a thorough examination we can float your horse’s teeth and correct abnormalities. We now have a Powerfloat at Henderson Veterinary Associates. The Powerfloat helps us perform a very thorough routine float in the fraction of the time it takes us to manually float your horse’s teeth. Furthermore, problems which were once very difficult to correct manually now are facilitated by this new tool. Dr. Frederickson floating Doc's teeth with the Powerfloat!
|
|
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.
|
