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GentlewoodFarms
November 3, 2017

Health ~ ATG #3

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Bonnie had an appointment at the vet today to get a dental exam.

Horses' teeth grow throughout their entire lives, and that growth can be a bit irregular which can cause problems in their mouths. When they have a problem, it can create a domino effect with their weights and their attitudes. They get points and hooks on their teeth which can rub on the insides of their cheeks and create painful sores. That can make them fretful with the bridle and bit. It can cause them to drop their feed as they try to avoid hurting themselves while chewing. They lose weight. They're unhappy and they look it.

I like to prevent problems before they start, so my horses get an annual visit for a routine tooth filing (which is called floating) to bring their teeth down to level and get rid of all the points, ramps, hooks, waves, humps, and valleys.

My vet is great. Not only does he do what we're scheduled for, he does a quick exam to make sure that everything else about the horse is healthy. In Bonnie's case, we talked a bit about her feet, which show evidence of irregular growth. That means that her diet has been kind of "off and on" for the past few years. But then he said, "You'll get that fixed. You always take good care of your horses, so she's going to be just fine from here on out."

She also had a Caslick's procedure done. Since I don't plan to breed her, this will prevent the risk of her getting an infection in her reproductive tract. It's a bit technical, but it's a relatively common procedure for performance mares.

I also had her annual vaccines done - she got a tetanus shot, along with a rabies and West Nile vaccine, and then the routine equine vaccinations for flu, rhino, and sleeping sickness.

It's easier to keep a horse healthy with preventative maintenance than it is to get a horse healthy when these things are ignored. It's expensive, but it's a whole lot cheaper in the long run!


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