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Really good advice, Paul.  My vet got special training for doing  
equine dental work.  Before that, he and most of the other vets did  
the standard hand float.  The first time he showed up with the whole  
apparatus, he told me what an eye-opener the course had been, and how,  
without the mouth speculum, a vet simply can't see (or feel) far  
enough back to pick up problems at the back of the mouth.


On Sep 8, 2009, at 11:08 AM, <paul@xxxxxxxxxxx> <paul@xxxxxxxxxxx>  
wrote:

> Hi ,
>
> When I  got Piper, my Endurance horse, I noticed he was a finicky  
> eater, and a hard keeper. I called his previous owner, who is a Vet,  
> and she said his teeth had been done about 9 months before that.   
> After a few more months, pouring the grain and good hay, plus lush  
> pasture, and no improvement, I had my regular vet take a look. He  
> gave Piper a mild sedative, and waved a file around inside his mouth  
> for a while and pronounced him good  to go. He wasn't.
>
> Fast forward another 6-9 months later, and at a horse seminar, a vet  
> was giving a talk about equine dentistry. He asked the group how  
> many of us had had our horses teeth floated? Most of us raised our  
> hands. He asked if the person spent more time on the front teeth or  
> the back teeth?  Most of us raised our hands that more time was  
> spent on the front teeth.
>
> He then showed us this weird clamp rachety looking thing and asked  
> if the person doing the teeth used one of them. Most of us said no.  
> He then said that most likely any equine dental problems we had were  
> still with us.
>
> So I scheduled Piper for a visit. He sedated the heck out of him,  
> cranked open the mouth, and showed me all the ulcers he had in his  
> mouth. They were much further back than I could have seen in  
> ordinary examinations. He showed me the points on the side of the  
> teeth, and they were razor sharp. and the uneven rear teeth. He used  
> powered files and grinders, and spent over 75% of his time on the  
> rear part of the mouth.
>
> After this treatment Piper gained weight, ate  better, and became an  
> Endurance horse. His metabolics/gut sounds improved tremendously at  
> vet checks.
>
> So... last year, I got a TB racehorse mare. She was a hard  
> keeper.and cranky as heck. Hated the bit. She had belonged to Toby  
> Keith, and had the best of Kentucky horse farm care. She had been  
> with two of the top trainers in the Mid-West. One of them told me  
> that she was "just a hard keeper:"  I took her to the equine  
> dentist, and surprise, surprise!! She had  sharp points on the sides  
> of her mouth, open ulcerated sores there,  and was a dental mess. 30  
> minutes later she was fixed.  She bloomed, and became a whole  
> different horse.
>
> I have never had a horse  refuse to eat any kind of grain. If they  
> are hungry, (and they almost always are), they will eat pretty much  
> whatever is set in front of them. If they don't clean up 4-5 pounds  
> at one setting, there is something wrong. Most likely their teeth  
> are bothering them.  Maybe your horse prefers the straight alfalfa  
> because it has more soft fine leaves. The Orchard grass stems may  
> stick him in the side of his mouth.
>
> IF your vet did put your horse under heavy sedation, used a crank  
> device to keep the mouth wide open,  and spent most of the time  
> working on the back teeth, then it should be ok. If not, you may  
> want to get  a second look from a  vet that specializes in equine  
> dental work. ( note: these are only my personal opinions based on  
> what has worked for me).
>
> Hope you can get him on the right track
>
> Paul N. Sidio
> Spokane MO
>
>
>
>
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