Texas - Oklahoma - Louisiana
Equine Dentistry

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

     This last week we had several people bring horses in for a dental exam that requested us to check the horses ears for ticks, mites or some other possible problem.  The complaint was that the horse had become very sensitive about his ears being handled, especially when putting on the bridle or halter.

     Normally there are three issues that can cause a horse to be sensitive around his ears or poll.  One is parasites, such as ticks or mites, in the ears.  Also, some horses that have been “eared down” several times will be shy about their head and ears.  A third reason we find for head or ear shyness can be an acupuncture point related to teeth.  Before I became involved in serious dental work, I sedated many horses and looked in their ears, and found nothing.

    Since becoming so involved in dentistry, and after going through acupuncture school, I have learned that there is a point at the base of the horse’s ear that becomes very sensitive when there is a dental problem and pain in the mouth.  It is fairly normal to find that after removing the pain in the mouth, the ear sensitivity will clear up.