Horse and Hound Mobile Veterinary Services

Horse and Hound Mobile Veterinary Services Mobile Equine practice serving the greater Houston area, offering full health care services to your

I get fiery when I see other "dentists" who have floated the canines down enough to literally kill the tooth. It causes ...
06/27/2025

I get fiery when I see other "dentists" who have floated the canines down enough to literally kill the tooth. It causes chronic pain and inflammation to the horse.

Hello everyone! Today’s discussion topic of the week is:

Canine Teeth! To Float or Not to Float?🦷

The short answer - DONT FLOAT THEM.

Here’s why!:

While most of the teeth in a horses mouth are classified as hypsodont, which means the teeth continually erupt throughout life and have very different adaptations compared to human teeth. Adaptations which allow these teeth to be floated without damage to the pulp system of the tooth, when done correctly. The equine canine tooth is different because it is classified as a brachydont tooth, which is in the same classification as human, dog, and cat teeth! This means that the canine tooth has a short eruption period at around 4-6 years of age, and once it is erupted into the mouth it changes very little throughout the life of the horse. The tooth has an outer layer of enamel for protection, and when this layer is damaged it can potentially cause damage or even death of the live pulp cavity of the tooth, which can sit as little as 5 millimeters under the surface of the tooth! And unlike hypsodont teeth that lay down a protective layer over their pulp system to protect the sensitive live tissue, the canine teeth do not have the same ability. This is why it is VITAL that your veterinary dental practitioner, who is performing routine oral exams on your horses, does NOT use their float to reduce the height of any canine teeth. Exposure of the pulp system can result in infection and death of the tooth, which is an extremely painful process! Reduction of canines is rarely warranted, in fact, canines are prone to calculus formation because they sit off center from each other and rarely make enough contact with feed and other parts of the mouth to remove this calculus.

While it may be advised not to float canine teeth, it’s still important to evaluate them annually! It is important for your veterinary dental practitioner to remove any calculus that may be built up on the canine teeth in order to prevent or treat any periodontal disease, as well as evaluate for any fractures/trauma, and evidence of EOTRH. Disease of the canine teeth can cause extreme head shyness and other evasive or aggressive behaviors associated with dental pain!

- Ashley Bonnette, DVM

References:

Easley, J., Dixon, P., & Schumacher, J.
(2010). Equine Dentistry (3rd ed.). Saunders.

06/26/2025

Dr. Chellgren is out of town until next Tuesday! Please have a plan in case of emergency.

We saw Yani this past week for lethargy and mild inappetance. He needs to be healthy to be able to guard his sheep herd!...
06/21/2025

We saw Yani this past week for lethargy and mild inappetance. He needs to be healthy to be able to guard his sheep herd!! Even though he is on preventatives, he somehow got a tick-borne disease called Ehrlichia. This was caused by a single tick bite. We don't usually see a ton of ticks around here, but Yani is proof that is extremely important to keep them on prevention!! He is on the mend and taking his treatment well. Hopefully he will be back to 100% soon, so he can continue with his protection service.

Dr. Chellgren is out of town until June 7th for her 10 year vet school reunion!!! Amy is still taking care of answering ...
05/30/2025

Dr. Chellgren is out of town until June 7th for her 10 year vet school reunion!!! Amy is still taking care of answering the phones for scheduling. Becker Equine is graciously helping us with anything urgent needing to be seen. You can reach them at 936-931-4478.

Horses already like to do dumb things, but add in a crazy storm in the mix, and you get this. We have no idea how she ma...
05/27/2025

Horses already like to do dumb things, but add in a crazy storm in the mix, and you get this. We have no idea how she managed to injure the insides of both her front legs, but she did a good job of it!! Hopefully some stall rest and time will make her good as new.

This was not the surprise we were expecting on Friday afternoon! This poor c**t has been painful for a week and nobody k...
05/23/2025

This was not the surprise we were expecting on Friday afternoon! This poor c**t has been painful for a week and nobody knew he had this piece of metal in his hoof. The metal entered at the heel and went into the hoof. What potential structures could be affected here?

Congrats to Amanda and her maiden mare, Ellie, for making such a cute little filly.
04/23/2025

Congrats to Amanda and her maiden mare, Ellie, for making such a cute little filly.

Donkey love is the best. This girl really appreciated her yearly vaccine and deworming today!  Schedule your yearly vacc...
04/16/2025

Donkey love is the best. This girl really appreciated her yearly vaccine and deworming today! Schedule your yearly vaccines and teeth floats by calling or texting 832-390-3445!

Every once in a while we get to do something different. This baby calf was born yesterday morning and her mom didn't hav...
04/10/2025

Every once in a while we get to do something different. This baby calf was born yesterday morning and her mom didn't have a lot of milk. Thankfully the owners had some colostrum left from a previous cow and we were able to tube feed the baby and get much needed nutrients and antibodies in her.

Our amazing tech, Kaitlynn, has been with us for 1 year!!! If you have had the pleasure of meeting her, comment some con...
04/02/2025

Our amazing tech, Kaitlynn, has been with us for 1 year!!! If you have had the pleasure of meeting her, comment some congrats down below!

The cutest little girl was helping with our cleaning today. 💕
03/31/2025

The cutest little girl was helping with our cleaning today. 💕

Address

Houston, TX

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+18323903445

Website

http://horseandhound.myvetstoreonline.pharmacy/

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My Story

Caren Chellgren grew up outside of Kansas City, Kansas and was raised around animals. She started riding horses at age 7. She completed her undergraduate and veterinary studies at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Upon graduation, she moved to the Houston area to work at a busy equine referral practice. Horse and Hound Mobile Veterinary Services was opened in August of 2018 and is steadily growing into a full-service mobile practice. Dr. Chellgren is able to perform preventative medicine at your home or facility, making your life easier. She is equipped with Power Float dental equipment and Sound digital radiography. Although most of her practice is equine, she does offer some canine and feline care as well.