Impacted Wolf Teeth??

[Kickin_It]

The equine dentist was out and Skipper was evaluated for the first time by this gentleman. The vet had previously given him a quick once over after bringing him home in the spring just in case we needed to have teeth floated At the time, the vet said he looked fine, but should be looked at in the early fall. Hence, the dentist looking him over earlier this week.

Long story short, the dentist found that Skipper has 2 “impacted” wolf teeth. We say “impacted” because it’s not clear if they actually erupted at some point or if they had been broken off/ not completely removed and the gums left to grow over what remained. Either way, they are sensitive to the touch and clearly there.

The options:

1. Tranq the horse and get them removed by the dentist (leaving areas that need to be cared for every few hours)
2. Call in the vet, drop the horse, let the dentist do his thing, have the vet suture up the gums, and flush the area 2x daily until the sutures dissolve.
3. Do nothing, keep working with the horse (light hands/ stay off the bit) or try a bitless option.
4. Get a different horse.

This is my father’s horse that was purchased from a bad situation that I’ve been working with to get back up to a decent weight and refreshed to ride. He’s a normally calm mount and I can pony my 7 year old on him without fear that he’ll do anything stupid. That being said, he took off with one of the barn brats when she was in his mouth (her fault since she’s been warned about this on more than one horse).

Both my husband and I have ridden him and he’s been a peach. However, my dad is not an experienced rider and will, inevitably, be in this horse’s mouth.

My dad’s work keeps him away from home for months on end. He boards the horse and the extra care is not something that they provide. I work FT and don’t have the ability to do options 1 & 2… which leaves 3 & 4. I can work with the horse - already do - but haven’t tried a bitless on this horse… and am a bit hesitant since his whoa ain’t so great on the one reined stop.

My questions: Has anyone else experienced impacted wolf teeth? If so, did you have them removed? If not removed, did you work with a bitless option?

Any suggestions?

[Simkie]

I don’t see why the vet would have to drop the horse for this. My veterinary dentist has removed broken wolf teeth with standing sedation and it’s not a big deal. This is not uncommon. I’d find someone who is more familiar with this and have them removed.

[Marla_100]

Agree w/ Simkie. I’ve had several broken off teeth removed on one of mine and it wasn’t anything special. Done
standing with normal sedation. No followup required.

[Kyrabee]

Wolf teeth do not have extensive roots like the regular incisors and molars. Yes, it might involve some small incisions to fish out the broken roots but you cannot do even 2x/day flushing? I do not see the need for extensive multiple time/day ministrations. The mouth should heal quickly and well.

You would really just jettison the horse because of this problem? Of course bitless is always an option but that doesn’t resolve the discomfort he must have with eating.

Good luck.

Susan

[can_t_re]

I agree with what has been posted. I was in the same situation with one broken off wolf tooth that a vet certified dentist who had been floating the horse for 4 years never mentioned…saw? It was removed (by a different vet dentist)with the horse standing and while it did take some strength to get out, there was no after care/flushing. My vet said that it had to be “killing her”.
You shouldn’t need to drop the horse, I would have a vet competent with teeth do the extractions. Please don’t leave the horse like this. It is very painful and you will have a much happier horse once they are removed.

[NancyM]

Much of the problem you are having with this horse’s behaviour regarding the action of a bit in his mouth will be fixed with this situation looked after by a competent vet or dentist. As others have pointed out, this is often done standing, with tranquilizer. There is not a lot of aftercare needed, mouth injuries usually heal well, and surprisingly quickly.

[Kickin_It]

@Kyrabee - Did you read my original post thoroughly? This is not my horse, but my father’s. My father works on a cargo boat and is gone for months as a time. When he is here, he is not experienced and (I feel) will only make a bad situation worse if we leave the touchy wolf teeth in. I don’t feel that, as you put it, “ditching” the horse is an option. However, this was one of the options that was presented to us when the dentist was out. The mix of touchy mouth and green rider is what prompts option 4… and, for my dad, an option.

In terms of the irrigation multiple times per day, this would need to be done after graining and every 2-3 hours for about a week. The boarding facility feeds at times that I need to be at work and refused to do the irrigation (even if compensated). Again, not my horse and my dad is out of town working. This leave the care to the facility and myself (for regular care, training, and emergencies) I’m not in a position to risk losing my job by going in hours late and leaving hours early to manage elective wound care for a horse that doesn’t belong to me.

@Simkie - Were the teeth your horse had issues with under the gums? This horse is 9 years old and who knows how long they’ve been broken/ impacted under the gums.

I’m not sure I explained this well enough. The teeth are not showing, but can be felt and are not small. The incisions would need to be sizable and this dentist would not stitch. The irrigation would be to keep feed from getting into the wound and becoming an infected mess and abscessing later.

@NancyM - The standing tranq was option 1. However, the irrigation/ flushing would need to be done as stitches were not going to be used and the incision was anticipated to be large due to the impaction. He was unsure as to how large the amount of tooth would be on each side. Keep in mind this dentist has only seen the horse once and is new to the barn as of April of this year. I’m not 100% convinced that any of this is truly needed as I’ve not had trouble with the horse when ridden. However, my husband and I have quiet hands and aren’t in his mouth when we ride. My dad has already shown me that he can’t stay out of my own horse’s mouth and nearly got an assisted dismount (crow hopped and snaking of head) when I let him ride him. My horse is slow to anger and lazy or else he’d have been off. I know little of how this new horse will react with extended pressure other than what I saw him do with the barn brat that he took off with. I would prefer not to put the horse (or my dad) through that. That being said, again, this is my dad’s call.

Overall update:

My dad has made the decision to not mess with the teeth, look for a larger, dead broke horse that is a lesson or trail riding retiree (that won’t be as touchy in the mouth), and to sell the horse upon his return to land. Until the point of sale, my husband has happily agreed to ride Skipper in addition to my continuing to work with this horse as I can.

We may attempt a bitless if we notice that he’s having issues when we ride, but don’t anticipate much trouble.

[Simkie]

@Kickin' It

@Simkie - Were the teeth your horse had issues with under the gums? This horse is 9 years old and who knows how long they’ve been broken/ impacted under the gums.

I’m not sure I explained this well enough. The teeth are not showing, but can be felt and are not small. The incisions would need to be sizable and this dentist would not stitch. The irrigation would be to keep feed from getting into the wound and becoming an infected mess and abscessing later.

Yeah, they were. It’s unfortunate that the decision is to sell this horse, rather than find a veterinary dentist who can deal with this simple, straightforward issue. Thanks for the update.

[Pembroke]

Huh. Maybe the horse is better off with someone else, then.

My mare got a wolf tooth piece taken out YEARS later. It was only discovered because her jaw was x-ray’d. It was done standing, there wasn’t anything special that had to be done afterward.

Hackamores have a pretty good whoa, when it comes to bitless.

Why can’t your dad take care of the after surgery stuff once he is back? Seems like the best and easiest solution. Just because you get a different horse doesn’t mean you won’t run into similar things. Horses are masters at hurting themselves and getting into accidents.

[can_t_re]

I know OP that you’ve made your decision how you are going to deal with the horse. But just wanted to add that the horse I had the tooth removed on sounds similar to yours, though there was just one. A qualified vet dentist sedated the mare - standing and got the tooth out. It could not be seen above the gumline. And was almost an inch long. The vet said it had to be killing her. So even though you have great hands riding, I am sure it is painful for him to eat.
It cost me $200 to have it removed. No sutures, no cutting, no aftercare.
I have pics of her mouth before and the extracted tooth.

[betsyk]

If the horse isn’t suitable for your dad, then best to find the right match for both parties. I’d be tempted to get an xray of the jaw and an opinion on the teeth before marketing him, if only so you can inform the next owner that this needs to be taken care of. That might also give you a chance to speak with the vet about the aftercare once they’ve seen what’s in there.