Horse dental care: floating, checkups and warning signs

What floating is and why horses need it

The Merck Veterinary Manual says a horse's teeth keep erupting throughout its life, which compensates for wear from grazing. When the teeth wear unevenly, sharp edges can form that need smoothing with a rasp. This is called floating, and your vet can do it.

An Extension Horses article on floating adds that it is filing the sharp edges of the molars and premolars, and that it helps prevent injury to the tongue and mouth. Merck adds that sharp edges on the upper molars can cut the inside of the cheek, and that a horse with a dental problem may be reluctant to take the bit.

How often by age

Merck says horses should have their teeth checked by a vet at least once a year, and older horses might need more frequent checkups. For feed type, it says horses that graze on pasture usually need yearly preventive care, while stalled horses fed hay and grain usually need at least twice yearly oral exams and care. It also says the edges should be filed twice yearly while the permanent teeth are coming in, from about 2½ to 5 years of age.

The University of Connecticut gives a schedule by age:

• Birth to 18 months: at least once a year, for birth defects, tooth eruption and sharp points.
• 18 to 52 months: twice a year. Checked for eruption cysts, loose caps and wolf teeth that interfere with the bit.
• 4 to 10 years and 10 to 18 years: once a year, checking bite balance, sharp points and wear that can lead to wave mouth.
• 18 and older: may need frequent oral exams. The article lists periodontal disease at 60 to 80 percent incidence, plus tartar, loose teeth and a possible need for a geriatric diet.

Signs of dental pain

Merck lists the classic signs as difficulty or slowness in feeding, reluctance to drink cold water, stopping and starting while chewing and holding the head to one side. A horse may quid, which means forming food into a ball and dropping it partly chewed. It may also swallow food unchewed, leading to indigestion, colic or choke, and unchewed grain may show in the manure.

Other signs from Merck and the extension article are weight loss, bad breath, drooling, bleeding from the mouth, head shaking or resisting the bit, and a bad-smelling discharge from one nostril. Infection can cause swelling of the face or jaw. Call your vet if you see any of these. Our advice is not to wait on swelling, bleeding or a nasal discharge.

What the exam involves, and sedation

Merck says that if a dental problem is suspected, a thorough physical exam is followed by a detailed examination of the mouth and teeth. To do this effectively, the vet may give a sedative, and some horses may need general anesthesia. Preventive dental work can often be done with simple restraint or with sedatives and pain medication.

Ask your vet at the visit about aftercare. Our own advice is to ask three things: when the horse may eat, which signs of soreness to watch for, and when to recheck.

Vet or equine dentist?

The University of Connecticut warns that some states only allow veterinarians to perform dentistry procedures, and that an equine dentist does not have to be certified, so there is no universal standard of quality. It suggests checking membership in the International Association of Equine Dentistry for non-veterinary dentists, or in the American Veterinary Dental Society for vets, and watching the dentist work on another client's horse before booking.

The same article says not to attempt dental procedures on your horse yourself.

What to record

This is our own advice. For each visit, write down the date, who did the work, whether the horse was sedated, what the exam found, what was floated or extracted, and the date of the next exam. Add the horse's weight and body condition when you can, because weight loss is one of the signs of dental trouble.

Keep the receipt and any written report. Dental history helps a new vet or a buyer, and a record of a horse that has lost weight and started quidding shows the vet what changed and when.