A whole lot of teeth.

So this week at work experience I went out with an equine vet and the first appointment was to do some teeth. Little did I know this some was 8 horses which I thought was quite a lot. 

The whole experience was very informative and interesting. 

So I'm just going to recap over some of the facts I learnt and some of the techniques. 

First you would listen to the heart and check that it is regular. After that you check that the teeth need doing by putting you thumb through the gap behind the front teeth and feeling the sharpness of the teeth. Then you would sedate the horse. For a pony the normal amount is 0.3ml and for a horse 0.4ml at least that's what I'm sure it was. After that you would wash the mouth out with water to remove and grass. 

Next on goes the brace this holds open the horses mouth while it is sedated,luckily we had a head stand so we ourselves didn't have to support the head which I can assure you is very heavy . Once the mouth was washed out you could see and feel of sharp the teeth were. This is where the power tool comes out with this ( like a sand paper disk) you file away the inside edge of the bottom teeth and the outside at the top. You have to keep the drill moving because otherwise it can wear away too much of the teeth. However it is important to get the teeth done every 8 months to a year because if these teeth become too sharp they can cause ulcers by rubbing the cheeks which can be really painful to the horse and stop them from eating in some cases, also horses teeth keep growing throughout their whole lives so it is imperative that you keep them in check. Because of this if a tooth fallen out then normally the other one opposite it will have to be removed as well because it will keep growing until it touches the other gum. 

After filing down the inside and outside you put a different head on the power drill that is rounded and gives the teeth a nice smooth finish. Sometimes the horses can have pockets this is where a gap forms by the hums and food fills them these have to be monitored because they can become very large and cause pain. When using the power drill all you are removing are the enamel caps or points. 

A horses teeth are a good way to tell it's age.When you feel the horses teeth if they are corrugated then they are under 10 years old of they are smooth then normally they are over 10 years old. Also of the corner tooth at the front is on a slant then it is about 5 years old however if it's straight then the horse is 6 years old   . Horses are born with baby teeth like caps that fall off over time and are replaced by adult teeth sometimes if these caps don't come off then a lump can form in the jaw due to the adult tooth trying to break through. These caps normally come off at different ages on the front teeth the ages are starting from the middle 2.5. 3.5. 4.5. Then for the back teeth it's 2.5. 3. 4. 1 2 3.5. So the fourth tooth back is the most likely to be shattered or fractured because it is the oldest tooth. These ages normally work but of course you can get slower developing horses and faster ones. Some horses can be born with Wolf teeth which have to be removed the are extra teeth in front of the back teeth. 

Finally once you are finished was the mouth out again and the horse can be taken to another stable where it will take about 30 mins to come around fully and they should have any food because it is dangerous the horse may not chew and could choke. This is a picture of a horses mouth and the power drill.