Ageing pony by teeth

[Bonny]

I recently got this pony and she is in pretty rough shape.

I am not sure of her age, the Vet said between 3 & 5, But I am having my doubts. I am thinking she may still be a yearling But am not sure. Her teeth are in what seems to me to be pretty rough shape also and I think I need to get a equine dentist out to get them filed. Unless these are teeth she will replace then maybe I dont need to.

By looking at these teeth what are yall opinions? Thank you in advance.

http://s423.beta.pho...html?sort=6&o=1

http://s423.beta.pho...html?sort=6&o=0

 

[chandab]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think those might be her permanent incisors. Even if I'm wrong, having an equine dentist evaluate her teeth might be a good idea, they can have issues with their temporary teeth that can affect their permanent bite. Youngsters need their teeth looked as much, if not more, than older horses.

 

[Bonny]

Thank you, they look chipped to me, and I have no idea what happened to them. She looks like she was chewing on concrete.

I will call the dentist out to see about getting them worked on.

Poor girl is just a mess right now.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

There is a possibility that she has ground them down but I think she may just have very bad teeth. Is it possible to get pictures of her top and bottom teeth form the top and bottom- does that even make any sense

Inside the mouth as opposed to front and side. If she doesn't want to be fussed don't worry it's only that I think to look at the enamel may help. If I had to hazard a guess it would be somewhere between seven and twelve, but it is only a guess and may be way off base.

 

[Bonny]

I do know what you mean by the teeth from a top view, and I can certainly try. I just look at the angle of the teeth and suspect younger compared to how an older horses teeth start to get a flare on them from side view, vs being more upright if that makes sense...

She doesnt have the Galvayne groove, which typically starts at age 10.

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Yeah they don't look like really healthy teeth--

My yearling mini (shes now two) has really short teeth, but they weren't like that.

 

[supaspot]

this is a very difficult one because of the awful condition , she is very young ..her teeth have no sloping angle and are upright , if she has any permanent teeth at all Id say its only the two central incisors and Im not even positive that they are (what pattern do they have on the tables ?(flat surface ) , I think shes between one and a half an two and a half

 

[happy appy]

I vote for baby teeth, under 3 for sure.

 

[AnnaC]

I too vote that these are her baby teeth. Baby teeth are really quite soft and could easily get into that uneven state if she has been trying to eat things other than normal food - gnawing at trees etc?? I would guess that she is between one and two, but will be interested to hear what a dentist says.

 

[Bonny]

I know nothing of her past except that she was rescued off the road along with 2 mini donkeys. She is in very poor weight so no telling what she was trying to eat. I have her on Nutrena Empower and Nutrena Boost as well as free choice coastal hay. She is doing very well and we have dewormed as well as started fixing her hooves. Vet said she is in ok health otherwise.

Thank you for all of yalls opinions. I look forward to the day she is healthy and in good weight.

 

[Crystallos]

Her teeth look just like my new horse, Bridie, who also came from a questionable background. She has chips in her fronts, but the vet aged her at 2-3 years old, which was what we were thinking. What he pointed out was the center teeth were a different color and size from the surrounding teeth. The next ones over had a "line" that looked like they were being pushed up from below. I'll try to get a picture for you to compare.

 

[Bonny]

Thank you! I would love to see the pics.

I also do not feel any canine buds at all.

 

[Barnmother]

I am going to say less than 2 years old but it is hard to tell without seeing a view of the chewing surface of the teeth

 

[Bonny]

I tried to get them but I will have to have help, so I will try again tomorrow.

Thanks so much to everyone.

 

[Crystallos]

I don't remember what the percentage is, but a lot of mares never develop canines.

 

[supaspot]

I think its about 20-25% that dont develop canines

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I'm not at all sure she is as young as the others think- it would be good to see the enamel pictures, and also pictures of the whole horse, but I actually think you are dealing with deformed teeth rather than a baby...

 

[Crystallos]

Here are pictures of Bridie's teeth. The vet aged her at 2-3 years because of the different size and color of the center teeth. If you look closely at the side picture you can see a line where the lower tooth is being pushed up from below.

 

[chandab]

Here are pictures of Bridie's teeth. The vet aged her at 2-3 years because of the different size and color of the center teeth. If you look closely at the side picture you can see a line where the lower tooth is being pushed up from below.

View attachment 13405

View attachment 13404

Looks like perhaps she's done a bit of wood chewing or something to damage her teeth (and wear them oddly, especially the bottoms).

 

[Crystallos]

Looks like perhaps she's done a bit of wood chewing or something to damage her teeth (and wear them oddly, especially the bottoms).

We don't know her history, except that she came from the huge herd confiscated from a hoarder in Oregon.