Stable Smiles - Equine Dentistry

I’ve had a lot of messages from people recently worried about their young horses mouths bleeding from a loose front tooth or finding small teeth in their horses stable.
90% of the time when I ask them for a photo it is just the youngster loosing an incisor cap.

It is normal for a horse to lose teeth between 2.5-5 years old. This is their “caps”, “milk teeth” or “deciduous teeth”. They generally fall out of their own accord from the permanent tooth pushing it out of the gum but sometimes they need a helping hand to gently pull them from the gum if they are loose but not falling out. Gently removing them will prevent them from retaining the caps or causing the permanent teeth to displace🦷🐴

Here’s a list of symptoms that your horse can physically show they need a dental check :

🦷 Resistance and evasion to the bit or bridle

🦷 Changes in behaviour (eg. Your horse becoming more aggressive or agitated)

🦷 Change in behaviour whilst being ridden e.g. head tilting, head tossing, mouth open, irregular head carriage

🦷 Dangerous ridden behaviour

🦷 Facial swellings

🦷 Inflammation of the gums

🦷 Headshaking

🦷 Depressive behaviour

🦷 Abnormal mouth movements while eating

🦷 Bad breath

🦷 Long fibre or undigested food in droppings

🦷 ‘Pouching’ of feed in the cheeks

🦷 Quidding (dropping partially chewed hay or hard feed)

🦷 Discharge and / or smell from one or both nostrils

🦷 Excessive salivation

🦷 Choking

🦷 Sudden Weight loss

🦷 Colic

WhatsApp, Message or Call to book in 0879448292 📞

Getting through the broodmares here at home before the busy foaling season arrives at the end of the month 🐎🦷

These two best buds were inseparable today during treatment 😂🐈🐎

Some of interesting mouths today in amongst the general day to day Routine floats 🦷🪥

A morning full of teeth followed by an afternoon of videoing our foals for the upcoming sales.. this lady wanted a full inspection done 😂🦷

Horetown Polocrosse Club is hosting the Irish Polocrosse Nationals this coming weekend in Cushinstown, be sure to head down for an exciting weekend of Polocrosse action!
I am delighted to be sponsoring the “Best Player” award in each grade 🏅
Best of luck to all players and their horses 🐎

Not your average appointment 😂 I had the pleasure of treating all the lovely Llama’s & Alpaca’s yesterday at Secret Valley Wildlife Park Wexford🦙 Thanks to Ciara and all the staff for their help 🦷

A 20yo Broodmare here at home has little to no teeth left so therefore isn’t able for hard feed or hay anymore, but it’s safe to say she loves her mash 😂 dives head first in every time and of course her foal has to have a taste 🤭

Hi all, I have had enquiries for appointments in Cork. I would need more horses to see to make the journey worthwhile, either around the Cork area or on route ie in the Dungarvan, Youghal, Midleton areas etc. WhatsApp or Message 0879448292 to book in 🦷🐎

Cheltenham festival winner “𝑷𝑬𝑵𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑳” having his routine float done ahead of his busy summer in the racehorse to riding horse classes with Kim Ronan 🏇🏼✨

A lovely message and photo from a client today: “Hi Emily, just to let you know all is well with Gucci, she isn’t shaking her head half as much now and seems to be grazing better, so thanks”

There’s nothing more rewarding than receiving a message like this! ☺️

A great morning at Riverside Equestrian Centre - Finn's helping out at their Easter pony camp! I brought along “Joey” my horse skull to show them exactly what points of the teeth we reduce and malocclusions etc, The older kids even helped me to remove excess Tartar from the canines on one of their horses! They were all full of questions and so helpful whilst I was treating the school ponies😊🐎

A lovely Mirage Dancer C**t not one bit worried about his mother getting her teeth done 😂🦷

I’ve been quiet on here lately - it’s been a busy few weeks! Here’s some of the highlights 🦷✨

I welcomed a cracking C**t this month from my Broodmare Cateline, he’s putting his new teeth to good use by stealing all his mothers hay!! 😂

I got a call from a client about a 2yo who wasn’t putting on condition recently and was eating poorly, the horse was very head shy when I first met him and when I got the spec on I instantly seen why! A piece of wood had become lodged in the roof of his mouth, it took a bit of patience and digging but I got it out, this would have been very painful but luckily the owners spotted something was wrong. (Not my picture but the case was very similar)😱

Some retained caps (baby teeth) from a 3yo thoroughbred were pulled out to ensure her incisors were able to align correctly with no obstructions 😊

And lastly a very handsome 15yo gelding who was an absolute pro having his teeth done, opened his mouth before I even had to move the spec and had his head leaning into me the whole treatment - he loved it 🙌🏼

Cutest horse of the week goes to this little fella 😍 He’s small but by god was he mighty let me tell you 😂!!

A very busy day today in Tramore made much easier with my little helper Mia who had each of the horses ready for me & held them all for me during treatment - She was a lifesaver 🙌🏼

If this doesn’t highlight the importance of equine dentistry I’m not sure what will! A poor 5yo pony was put to sleep when all it needed was a dental check!

An interesting mare I seen last week 🦷

Meet Guinness 🐎
I don’t think these photos show how big his head really is 😂 my speculum strap was on its last hole 😂🙌🏼

Just finished the last bunch of horses before Christmas 🎅🏼🎄
What a year it’s been, thanks to all the dentists & vets here and abroad who have helped me throughout the year and all the continued support from my customers & friends! Merry Christmas everyone, see you all in 2023 ☺️🎉

Meet Fiji 🐎
Fiji is 3 years old & had a stable accident at the beginning of the year, I met him for the first time last week and seen he had done quite a bit of damage to his incisors - totally shifting the position of the 502&503 (baby teeth) because these teeth had been shot upwards one of the permanent teeth (102) had prematurely erupted causing his incisors to be totally unbalanced on the adjoining arcade, because of the damage caused he found it very uncomfortable to have the Speculum on as it was hitting off these teeth. I called Aoife at Bakonyi & Byrne Equine Vets - B and B Equine Vets as he needed to have these incisors addressed, a full routine dental and his wolf tooth (105) removed comfortably under sedation & so he was more relaxed with a speculum on. They also inserted local anaesthetic to nerve block the area around the wolf tooth before removing it. A great job done by them 🙌🏼 We will monitor how the 103 erupts within the next year to make sure all is going well 🦷

Meet “𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿” 🦡
Badger is 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝. He had to have his near side eye removed a few years ago and shortly after he lost the sight in his remaining eye. 👁
After treating a few ponies in the yard last to do was Badger along with his friend who is also retired and has landed a role as Badgers ‘guide pony’. 🐎 Badger was introduced to my gear one thing at a time with constant communication before each step but he was not phased in the slightest, once he had his guide pony beside him and his owner giving him a rub he was happy as can be. He received his full dental check and treatment with no hesitation. His sense of smell is certainly still working as he reached for his owners hand straight after treatment to make sure he got his carrot 😂🥕 Communication and patience was key in this situation so that Badger had an idea of what was going on. His trust and temperament is something any owner would wish to have and any dentist would be happy to treat! 🦷
Badger and his guide pony then went back to buisness munching away on the grass in their turnout 🌾
Another first for me and what a pleasant experience it was 😊