GEORGIAN BAY EQUINE VETERINARY SERVICES
Dentistry
From the young horse, to the geriatric pasture pet, we believe routine dental care is an important part of your horse’s well-being. A healthy mouth is not only essential for efficient nutrition, but also for pain free performance.
We offer on-farm equine dentistry to accommodate many patients and scenario
Motorized “Power Float” dental equipment, with multiple attachments specialized for the different parts of your horse’s mouth
Safe speculums of multiple sizes for your horse to comfortably keep their mouth open, We are set up to float your tiny mini, or biggest draft!
Dental halter to support the weight of your horse’s head and a strong light to perform a full oral examination
Portable digital x-ray if dental radiographs are required
Simple extractions may be performed in the field, such as wolf-teeth and caps. Other dental issues may be addressed at our facility, or we consult with a dental specialist for more advanced procedures if required (extensive extractions, etc…)
Signs of dental pain include:
Weight loss, dropping feed, difficulty chewing
Resistance in bridle to contact, tossing head or abnormal head carriage
Nasal discharge, foul smell from mouth or nose
Domestic horses’ diet is very different to the tough fibrous material of their ancestors. Equine teeth erupt continuously throughout a horse’s life. Because of this continuous eruption, any teeth which are out of alignment with opposing teeth will develop overgrowths as there is nothing to wear them down. This often develops as ‘hooks’ on the front of the first upper cheek teeth and the back of the last lower cheek teeth. These hooks can interfere with the normal chewing cycle and also stop the upper and lower teeth sliding past each other when the horse’s head changes position, which can cause discomfort.
Problems with teeth are always more easily corrected before they progress to an advanced stage, therefore a regular, thorough oral examination is recommended to detect early signs of any problems.
Dental Services include:
Complete oral examination
Performance floating, routine dental, corrective work
Wolf tooth removal
Cap removal
Dental radiographs
Incisor and routine cheek tooth extractions
Referral to equine veterinary dentist with advanced training if necessary