Texas - Oklahoma - Louisiana
Equine Dentistry

Dr. J.D. Norris of Equine Dentistry writes a monthly column in Cowboy Times magazine. Here is the January/February 2008  column:

Straight from the Vet's Mouth...

This issue marks the third year we have been writing for Cowboy Times.  We want to thank the readers for their comments and feedback, and hope we can impart some knowledge and help relating to dentistry that can benefit you and your horse.

            Last month we attended Angie and Justin’s Christmas Cash Barrel race in Amarillo.  Congratulations goes out to them for putting on a great production.

            Last month we discussed the “juvenile” dental ages (1 to 5 years of age) and the importance of teeth as they relate to training.  This month we need to address the dental care of the “adult” horse, which is normally 6 to 16 years of age.

            At five years of age, all of the permanent teeth have erupted and are in occlusion.  Much of the dental needs at this age depend on the feed source and how it is fed.

            Remember that a horse in nature feeds with its head on the ground, where the teeth are in a balanced wear position.  Any position besides this puts the teeth wearing in an abnormal manner.

            Nutrition also plays a big part in the proper development of juvenile teeth, which then has an effect on the adult’s teeth.  We see some 12 to 16 year old horses with teeth that look like a much older horse’s teeth.  For example, last week we had a 12 year old horse that had to have the first molar extracted because it had decayed and fractured.  Our records revealed that we had identified the problem two years before, and suggested the tooth be cleaned and filled.  Nothing was done about this; therefore, we had to extract the tooth.

            It doesn’t matter what age a horse is and how well you may think he is doing, have his teeth checked.  It’s often too late when they start showing problems.

            We know how much a bad tooth causes us pain and difficulty.  Research shows that horses have the same pain mechanism we do.

            Take care of your horse and have regular dental checks along with other health procedures like deworming, vaccinating and foot care.

            For questions or comments, contact us at our new email address: jdnorrisdvm@gmail.com.