One of my horses was diagnosed with Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH), sometimes called “old horse teeth.” I’m so sad for him. There isn’t much information out there on EOTRH and the information that is there seems to point to pulling his incisors. He’s at the earlier stages and still has his teeth. No weight issues (knock on wood).
Has anyone had a horse with EOTRH? Were you able to give yours something for the pain? Thank you.
Mine just got her 2nd look-see since the dentist mentioned it, and I’ve got her on Previcox again. I’m also soaking all her grain, and being picky about hay. She’s not a candidate to have any pulled, so I’m keeping a close eye on her comfort level. No hay nets, and all hay gets shaken out, she’s definitely ouchy grabbing with her incisors. I make sure she gets plenty of options for eating, since it takes her a little bit longer to eat all her hay.
She had a HUGE drop in body condition before her teeth were due, and before I put her back on the Previcox. I’d say a month to look relatively terrible. She now eats more grain than she’s ever needed to before, and her gut was pretty upset for a while from the poorly masticated hay. I do stress about her pain management, though. She’s extremely stoic. 
I took care of one older guy who had no top incisors, and he did just fine! I guess healing is pretty simple, and once the teeth are gone they bounce back pretty quickly.
My guy was officially diagnosed about a year and a half ago, although my vest suspected he may have had it for about 6 months before that.
Like most dental pain, it doesn’t really respond to painkillers well, and the recommended treatment is extraction. I was extremely nervous to do the extractions, but have never regretted it a day since.
My horse is 25 and he bounced back from the surgery extremely well, and he eats great with no issues, same diet as before even though we removed 12 incisors. He can even graze as long as the grass isn’t super short. Only issue we have is getting him in a speculum.
Highly recommend having your horse evaluated for removal if you can, it’s definitely the best way to get them relief. Good luck!
Thank you for your feedback! Our vet was just here and said we’ll watch and wait for now, but boy, it sounds like a painful condition. It does appear that extraction is in his future, sadly. I wish there was more information on this condition.
My horse has had a bunch of extractions following his diagnosis (in two sittings) and since that’s been done he’s been “normal for him.” He can’t eat any hay (he thinks he’s eating it but it quids and falls out) but otherwise he’s fine. No pain issues. Eats his grain (slowly), eats his grass, makes efforts to eat hay and seems happy with his life. He gets seen by the dentists 2x/year. Once you remove the offending teeth I don’t think it’s painful anymore.
My 30yr wb gelding has a very severe case of it …we had the dental surgery done by Dr Dave Early (the surgeon from Cornell) 5 years ago …i wish I had done it sooner because his quality of life improved greatly after doing the surgery…he lived in a chronic state of pain/inflammation/and infection for many years …but he’s happy , in good weight and doing very well!
EORTH is usually hand in hand with cushings – so I would get that checked.
that being said my late gelding had EORTH. my experience with it has been, once the affected teeth are extracted, they do very very well.
My BO’s horse was diagnosed with this about 2ish years ago. She did the surgery to have his uppers removed (maybe a year and a half ago) and he did not recover from it well. He’s been on soaked alfalfa pellets and soaked senior for 2 years now and maintains his weight well. He makes an effort to graze, but we are not sure how much he “gets” from it. The vet wants to pull his lowers but the BO doesn’t want to put him through surgery again. He seems comfortable, happy and plays over the fence with my guy. He is 27-30 years old and BO is watching his overall day to day comfort (soundness, tummy, teeth, ability to get up and down, etc) closely.
ETA: I should say, because this horse struggled recovering from this surgery does not mean all horses do. Every creature is unique in what their system tolerates!
Thank you, everyone. Hearing that other horses have done well post extractions makes me feel a little easier. What a nasty turn of events for these old guys!
Mine has it, and is in very early stages. He was diagnosed in July. Diagnosed with Cushing’s in August 2017. We put him on a month of Doxycycline, and keep a close eye on it. So far, no pain. He’s still fine with his hay, and at night I make sure he also has a very sloppy bucket. Teeth done every six months instead of annually.
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