Teething

[romewhip]

Pony boy Jake has all of a sudden seemed to have forgotten all his training, and turned into a wild little monster. There's always a reason for such things, and over the weekend he got a thorough going over with no clues. Then last night when I went to the barn it all came clear- the swollen face, the symmetrical jaw lumps, the crankiness and head shying, poor baby man is teething something fierce.

I've never had one react so strongly to teething, has anyone else? Any idea how long this little stage will last? How common is it for the little guys to retain caps?

He's still eating and drinking and no fever, just a very uncomfortable face. Needless to say he's going to be taking it easy for a while until his teeth settle.

 

[Riverrose28]

I don't know how old he is, but I had a two year old filly that also was having a bad time a few years back. Seems like two incisors one on each side were growing in lopsided. The vet had to pull them, after that all was well. I would recommend having your vet check the teeth and make sure every thing is OK, since these little guys have a limited amount of space for all the teeth to come in.

 

[Margo_C-T]

It actually is NOT UNCOMMON for minis to retain caps and have other issues with tooth growth. I'd strongly recommend having the vet give your horse a thorough tooth exam. I had a tiny mare who was showing 'tooth bumps' in both lower AND upper profile at around age two. Judicious attention to the teeth via knowledgable vet work meant she ended up fine, with a clean facial and underjaw profile. She did need several caps removed over time.

 

[MyMiniGal]

At what age does a mini quit teething? Also, at what age, do they most likely have their wolf teeth come in?

 

[romewhip]

Jake has been checked out, and all the teeth are doing what they're supposed to, he's just got a lot of them moving at the same time. Possibly due to not having the best quality feed as a youngster and he's now getting a vitamin and mineral supplement along with better quality hay. He's just uncomfortable right now, hopefully in a few days the teeth will settle. He's shed all the caps that he needs to at this time, but I still don't know how long he'll be going through this stage.

 

[AnnaC]

Can you tell us how old he is - this might help us tell you what stage he is at with his teeth and how long it might last.

Lisa - horses generally have what is called 'a full mouth' by their 6th year, if that helps you.

 

[romewhip]

Jake supposedly turned 3 on June 15 of this year. I say supposedly because I'm having a little trouble getting his info and getting him registered. His teeth look like 2-3 yr teeth, and he's lost his front caps.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Thank you, this is good to know. Halo is only 2. So we will have more teething to go through. I thought they had most of their teeth by 2. That is how off I was.

 

[AnnaC]

If he has his central front incisors then he probably is 3 years old now. He may well be having some trouble cutting his back molars, if so he should soon feel better and return to his normal sweet self.

Lisa, Halo should get her adult front central teeth somewhere between the ages of 2 and 3 years, so watch out for her to lose her babies and gain a nice new set of central 'nippers'!! Then over the next few years she will change the next pair and so on until she's 6 by which time all her front teeth will have changed to adult ones and top and bottom teeth should be meeting nice and squarely in her mouth.

 

[romewhip]

I agree AnnaC- I think he is three. He's got all his front incisors now. And where his face is swollen is where those molars are, poor kid. His swelling is pretty symmetrical, and not hot, hopefully it'll have gone down today when I go see him.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Will have to keep an eye on her, then. I had the vet look at her teeth a few months back. She does have a slight underbite, so she won't be bred or anything, but we will keep an eye on her teeth.

 

[misty'smom]

My Misty and Josie both just turned a year this past spring. I grew up with the big guys but never got to own a foal to raise!!! So should I be looking for them to loose teeth around their second birthday? How many teeth do they loose at 2? Does this transition make it difficult for them to eat? I have read about the bumps and swelling they can get on their face, is this common? Love my babies and want to be prepared for each phase as they grow!!!!

 

[chandab]

Here's LB Info Pages page on dental health: http://www.lilbeginnings.com/info/health3/

I didn't look this link over too closely, but it does have an eruption chart for when what teeth erupt: http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/AG_Equine_2007-06pr.pdf

 

[romewhip]

Jake's swollen face is much better, and his teeth are settling in. Everything is where it should be, he has a nice clean bite and he's certainly happier now that the main eruption phase is over.