Checking the depth of infundibular caries with a file! 🦷 Restoring this tooth is crucial to prevent infection and avoid fractures.
We can restore teeth at our clinic in Portbury or, if facilities allow, on your yard.
If your horse has been diagnosed with grade 3+ infundibular caries, Sam can help- contact us on 01275 403123 or email [email protected]
Cricket came to our clinic today to have an infected tooth extracted before the infection spread to his sinuses. Thanks to many of our clients & Cricket’s supporters, The Avon Centre have managed to raise a significant amount towards his dental treatment - can you help raise the remaining amount? Cricket will need a couple of checks over the next few weeks until Sam signs him off as ready for re-commencing his Riding for Disabled sessions. We’ve subsidised the treatment & the lovely owners of our clinic space at Copper Beech farm have also waived the rent for today’s procedure. You can watch what was involved in this post & donate here: www.justgiving.com/campaign/cricketsdentalbill
EOTRH (Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption & Hypercementosis):
Part of the disease process is the destruction of the normal attachments of the incisors to the skull. This leads to the introduction of bacteria and build up of pus - this infection is a significant part of the pain that horse's experience. Extraction of the relevant teeth needs to be done to relieve the horse of pain. Once a nerve block has been placed, local anaesthetic is infiltrated into the gums around the teeth - here you can see that we are pushing out the pus that was present around the roots of the tooth.
So whilst on the surface it looks like just a few spots (see previous post), there is far more going on deeper within.
And because Facebook won’t let you share both photos and videos in one post, here’s the video to go with our previous post 🦷
A vet and a dental expert, routine treatments and advanced veterinary procedures, we do nothing but equine dentistry day in, day out: “This is not just dentistry… this is Bescoby Equine Dental Vets” 😜🎄🎅🏻 #notjustfood #christmasadvert #soundon #mouthwatering
Root canal fillings due to pulp exposure: During a routine dental exam, Sam noticed open pulps on two of Gwen’s top incisors. One of the common causes is ill-fitting grazing muzzles - the horse’s front teeth excessively wear against the inside of the muzzle (rather than the grass) acting like sandpaper. Horse’s teeth naturally have a few millimetres of protective surface, preventing an open pulp for food to get stuck in. However in this case the surface of the teeth had been worn down too quickly so the pulps were open, leading to food packing in and an infection risk. If we catch these early enough, root canal fillings can be done rather than extractions which would be warranted if there are signs of infection in the roots and surrounding bone. Fillings would always be the preferred option as they are pain-free, less invasive and should be a permanent solution.
Loose cap being removed
Equine Dental Awareness Week - FAQ No. 6:
When should my youngster have their first dental check?
Like humans, horses have baby and adult teeth. Adult (or permanent teeth) start erupting from around 1 year of age but there are baby teeth in the mouth from birth until 4 years old.
You may notice lumps forming on the jaw of a 2 - 4 year old horse- if they are symmetrical then they are most likely teething bumps caused by newly formed adult pre-molars getting ready to erupt. If the lumps are painful or one side is larger than the other then they should be checked by a vet as it could indicate a problem.
Between 2.5 - 4 years of age, baby teeth start to be replaced by their adult versions and the mouth is often inundated with new teeth, loose teeth and bits of baby teeth falling off - the horse equivalent of teething. This is also at the most common age of the introduction to the bit. Therefore we advise that the first dental check is always BEFORE any introduction of the bit and ideally no later than 2.5 years old. At this age, the presence of wolf teeth can also be determined and can be removed if they are deemed problematic, and any loose baby teeth or those that may be stopping a normal eruption of the permanent tooth can be removed (see video).
The teeth of a younger horse are sharper than older horses, so usually require 6 monthly rasping if you wish to keep them comfortable whilst introducing them to work.
Noticing signs of laminitis as early as possible gives your horse or pony the greatest chance of success in their recovery.
The longer a horse is left with inflammation & instability in their feet, the more damage is being done, so it is important to know the signs!
If your horse has a stilted, pottery gait (especially on hard ground), struggles to turn, has heat in the feet, is weight shifting, or has a strong/bounding digital pulse at the back of the fetlock, call your vet straight away.
If your vet has not seen your horse for laminitis recently, they will need to visit your horse that day. Pain relief will be required as it is an extremely painful condition.
In addition to medication, initial treatment involves taking them off any grass, restricting their movement and providing thick soft bedding.
Once stabilised, foot Xrays can be taken for the farrier to provide therapeutic shoeing/trimming, and the underlying cause can be determined with blood tests. Remember that laminitis is not a disease in itself, but a clinical sign of (usually) a metabolic condition.
It is unfortunately common for owners to avoid any diagnostic blood tests after an initial flare up because with the correct first-aid treatment (pain relief, no grass, restricted movement) current signs of laminitis are resolved. However, once a horse has a history of laminitis they are more likely to suffer future episodes, particularly if any underlying metabolic conditions are not being monitored or treated.
To reduce the chances of further laminitis flare-ups, we strongly advise:
- Blood tests to determine how the horse is coping with current forage and whether they have an underlying metabolic condition such as EMS/PPID;
- Ongoing footcare from the farrier;
- Fat scoring, weight loss, weight monitoring & avoiding weight gain;
- Careful management of diet and a tailored exercise regime.
Our Weight Loss Programme is also designed to be a ‘Laminitis-Prevention Programme’ and includes insulin
Equine vet wanted!
Want to come and work for us?! We thought we’d introduce ourselves to anyone interested in joining our small (but perfectly formed) team 😆👋🏻 - Sam was delighted at the prospect of a video job advert 😂😂😂
If you are an equine vet not 100% happy in your current role and interested in how your job satisfaction or work-life balance could be improved, do give us a call in strict confidence on 01275 403123 or email [email protected]
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#equinevet #jobadvert #bloopers
Molly the Mule was extremely 'needle-shy' and would panic at the smallest cue that suggested a needle might go anywhere near her - not only was this extremely stressful for Molly, but it had got to the stage where any sort of vet treatment was impossible.
So we gave Molly's owners advice on how to alter her emotional response to an injection to her neck using a process called desensitisation and counter conditioning. This means that the action was broken down into small parts that did not trigger a fear response, followed by the delivery of something Molly loves (in this case a small handful of food), starting with someone touching her neck, proceeding to creating a skin tent, then poking with a finger, using a biro pen as a pretend needle, and in this video the owner is using a cocktail stick to produce more of a sharp sensation.
What is great is that Molly is free to move away if she wants (she is not in an enclosed space or tethered) and has her friends with her (this is preferable as long as there is no conflict between them over the food, otherwise they might need to be nearby but behind a barrier), the action ALWAYS predicts the arrival of something great and there are lots of repetitions so a strong positive association is being formed. The next stage is generalising this with more people.
If your horse, pony, donkey or mule struggles with any procedure, it is sensible to work on changing their emotional response as soon as you notice any sign that they might not be comfortable -before they learn to escalate their behaviour in an attempt to avoid the procedure.
Do feel free to ask if you would like any advice on stress-free procedures and how to not break your vet!
#dontbreakyourvet
