Large Animal Dental Care/Float
Floating can be performed the same day you are having other routine care performed (Coggins testing, Health Certificate, Routine Shots, etc.) If you are having your veterinarian out to the farm to perform any of these other services, simply ask them to include a dental checkup as well. There is no additional charge to check the teeth and a float can be performed if needed.
*If you have a gelding or stallion, schedule your dental check the same day you are having the sheath cleaned.*
Swipe below to learn more about equine dental health!
The Importance of Equine Dentistry
Your horse should be seen for a dental checkup and float once a year. By performing an equine dentistry exam every year, you keep small problems from escalating into larger, more costly problems while heading off any potential performance issues.
If your horse has developed oral ulcers, chances are he’s letting you know with his behavior. You may notice that his mood has changed or he’s not cooperating you with like normal. This is because he is in pain and it’s making him cranky. Bad teeth can make riding an unpleasant experience for both horse and rider.
Behavior that points to teeth trouble:
- Throwing of head
- Acting up under saddle
- Unusual head movements
- Tilting of head while eating or riding
- Bit discomfort or shying from the bit
- Unable to stay in frame when riding
Difficulty Eating & Nutrition Loss
If a horse has uneven or sharp points on its teeth, the simple task of eating may no longer be so easy.The situation is even worse if the lacerations have become infected. Additionally, a horse’s overall health will generally suffer when teeth become uneven. They lose their ability to properly grind food. A horse’s gut is unable to extract nutrients from food if it is not properly ground, resulting in a lack of nutrition. This leads to overall poor health and reduced performance.
By keeping up to date on equine dentistry and having your horse’s teeth checked and floated (meaning smoothed or filed) once a year, it will help ensure that food is being fully digested and the horse is getting the maximum amount of nutrients from the smallest amount of feed.
Other signs that point to bad teeth:
- Dropping or losing grain
- Undigested grain such as kernels of corn or oats in manure
- Excessive saliva
- Horse soaks/dips food in water
- Chews food on only one side of the mouth
- Unexplained weight loss
- Eating slowly or showing excessive effort to eat
- Dual or dry coat
