Bad tooth on Wishbone

[Kim P]

Well if wondering about Patty being pregnant was not enough I have another issue! Poor little Wishbone went to check out the hole in his nose that someone drilled and has bad news. Vet says it looks like they tried to pull it maybe and it broke off. Food was getting packed in it. Mostly the grass. My vet had a booger of a time getting the tooth out too, but he got it. It was real bad he said. Now the hole goes all the way through and we are going to have to flush it when he eats. Probably have to feed grain only bc the grass packs really bad. It is all going to pack. Problem is that it eventually is going to close and we want be able to flush. Vet says his mouth is small that he can't get in to sew it up. He is going to loose weight again and I just got him healthy with no bones showing. I hate to know how long he has had that hole there and that infected tooth! I am going to have to keep him away from grass. Vet says we will know more tomorrow. He is going to try a few other things. He has already tried some things but Wishbone would not go along with it. My vet knows how inexperienced I am. He is really good. I know this is a long post. I was just sad. I was hoping to have a quick fix. I had no idea what was causing this, I just thought that it was snot draining and wanted my vet to fix it and make it right. He is out of pain now though. Just have to figure out how to deal with this!

 

[chandab]

Sorry to hear about poor Wishbone, but there are lots of feeds out there that should keep weight on him. Most senior feeds are a complete diet in a bag, so talk to your vet about feeding him a soaked senior feed while he recovers and you figure out your next step. Just feed the full recommended amount for a horse his size that can not eat hay or pasture. Triple Crown senior is one of the lowest senior feeds for sugar and starch levels, so quite safe to feed miniatures. It doesn't matter that he isn't a senior, it will still be a good diet for him. There are other options as well, this would just be the easiest to manage.

 

[shorthorsemom]

awww poor wishbone.

There are things you can do to get weight on him and minimize chewing. You can soak 50/50 alfalfa and timothy hay cubes into a slop. I used to set up the pm feed in the morning and the am feed in the pm, so it was basically soaking in a bucket for about 12 hours before feeding. A quarter horse I rehabilitated a number of years ago had horrible teeth and was unable to chew properly and he was emaciated. This hay slop was the ticket. You can also add some pelleted feed and soak that too or some senior feed. Ask your vet, but basically soaking can really help. The horse I fed the soaked hay cubes to was pretty close to 30 years old. He looked like a million bucks in 6 months..

I wonder if he has formed a fistula with this dental issue. Poor guy.

 

[Kim P]

What is a fistula? I am supposed to pick him up today. I am a bit nervous about bringing him home bc my eye does not know exactly what all to look for. The vet is probably going to want to shoot me bc I am nervous and will be calling a lot. I think he is going out of town this weekend. Has a wedding so I may be burning up this forum! Any way it know he will be alright. Glad you guys are here.

 

[shorthorsemom]

An oral nasal fistula is where a chronic bad tooth or infection can make a hole up from the oral cavity up into the nasal cavity. I think that is pretty close to a description without going looking on the internet. A fistula can be on other parts of the body, basically can be a non healing sore created usually by infection I think.

I am not a vet... I am projecting a guess here based on past experience. You vet should be able to tell you exactly what you have and your chances of decent recovery..

best wishes.

 

[Kim P]

Wishbone is doing good now. You would not believe what I had to do! I had to run a tube down the hole in his nose pass his sinus and keep it flushed then back it back into his sinus and shoot it with antibiotic. Then I had to give him oral antibiotic. He was really good about it. He feels much better. I still have to flush it from the inside of his mouth just to keep the grass from building up in the hole for a little while. He is so good natured.

 

[Kim P]

You know that may be what happened to him. That oral fistula. We have no idea. I just assumed someone put that hole in his nose!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Sounds to me very much as if it was the sinus blocking that has caused all the trouble (that is the fistula, btw) The gunk then needs somewhere to come out and it comes out through the sinus and bursts on the outside of the nose- if you look at a diagram of the horses skull you will see the hole in the skull through which it all comes out. I have had a pony with this problem- two actually, now. One it was just ongoing, it never came to the point where it rotted the tooth, the other one seems to have spontaneously cleared itself up now, after intensive Vet input in the early days. Your boy should eventually clear himself now the tooth is out, it is better that it is a top tooth involved as a lot of food will fall free by gravity.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Animals that you "go through the fire and back out the other side with" will stay special in your heart forever.

So glad he is doing better and that he has you doing whatever is necessary to help him get better.

 

[HGFarm]

My neighbors horse had a hole in the face due to a tooth problem- it happened because of the tooth, not because someone put it there. Now with your problem tooth gone, it should heal.

I would NOT feed just grain. That is not a good or complete feed for a horse, and they really dont need it.

I would try something like Purina Equine Sr. The pellets are very tiny, easy to chew, and its a complete feed. I had an old mare that hardly had any teeth left at all to chew with, and she could not eat ANY hay as she would choke, but lived her last several years on this and did fantastic!!

Your little guy will need dental care once or twice a year, as now with a tooth missing, the other teeth will shift and the opposite tooth will not have anything to keep it worn down where it should be and that tooth will then start to cause trouble.

So glad your vet was able to get that tooth out so he can heal and feel better!!

 

[Kim P]

I feed them grain but he gets lots of grass and some hay. My vet says with the condition of their teeth they can graze all day. The old guys. I give him purine senior. He likes it. He looks healthy. He did not lose any weight that I noticed. Maybe a pound or two. But he seems to be doing fine. The hole is just about healed! I am so glad! He has been a bit skid dish ever since we got him. He seems to be warming up to others a little faster than he used to. Maybe he was just hurting all that time? But was always still so sweet.