Wolf Teeth

[wingnut]

This spring I'm am going to continue my work with our three year old to get her trained to pull a cart. We've been working on ground manners and began some lunge work last fall. I hope to get a bridle on her and be ground driving by summer. I know before a bit gets anywhere near her though, we need to deal with her wolf teeth.

When our equine dentist examined her last last year, he could just see the beginnings of her wolf teeth coming through the gums. I have scheduled him to come out in a couple of weeks to float our oldest, float the 3 yr old as necessary and give the 2 yr olds a once over to make sure their teeth are growing in properly. He will determine at this appointment how we will proceed with extracting the wolf teeth. I've tentatively coordinated a follow-up appointment the following week so that he and our vet come at the same time so the vet can administer sedatives as needed for the extraction.

Having never experienced this before, I was wondering if you could share your experiences with this. Do all minis need their wolf teeth pulled? What about full size horses?

I appreciate any information you could share.

 

[RhineStone]

If you are going to drive them, then yes, I'd say get the wolf teeth pulled. It can be as simple as the vet grabbing the tooth and twisting, and whalla, it is out. Or it could be more of a production. It just depends on the tooth.

If you aren't going to do anything with them other than feed them and lead them, then wolf teeth don't matter.

 

[Riverrose28]

I am so totally afraid of the dentist, put me out, put me out, I have had several of my horses wolf teeth removed and am amazed at how they just stand there like nothing is happening. It is as if they don't feel anything. The vet just goes in and pulls out the teeth. Anyway, get it done and over with, believe me the horse don't mind it at all, not like us scared humans.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Out of 5 horses, I've only had one with wolf teeth. The dentist has a tool that he puts over the tooth. One of Dusty's came right out. The other he had to sedate him slightly to get it out, as he had to work on it pretty hard; I was beginning to worry that he would have to go to Plan B. Finally the tooth came out. There was a little blood, but not bad. He asked me if I wanted it, but I didn't take it. He said HE didn't want it--he had plenty already! I'm sorry now I didn't keep it, for a learning thing.

The dentist is also a vet so sedation wasn't a problem. And he works on several miniatures so he has appropriate tools. He said often they come right out with no problem.

Good luck. It's sort of like taking your child to the dentist, but it has to be done.

Did you see the picture of the horse skull I posted that showed the location and size of the wolf teeth?

 

[CharlesFamily]

My Toy just had his taken out on March 7. It was really easy. Our vet did it. She did sedate him, then used a tool to loosen it up some and pulled them right out. I was amazed at how tiny they are! He was fine. Our vet advised us to not put a bit in his mouth for at least a week - two would be better. Between that and weather, I haven't had the bit back in his mouth but I am anxious to see if he tolerates it better than he did before.

I had the vet look at my other two and they both did not have wolf teeth. She said some horses don't get them, but couldn't tell if they had already been removed or if they just never grew in.

Good luck!

Barbara

 

[chandab]

The only wolf teeth I remember having removed were in two AQHA geldings, the vet removed them while the colts were out for gelding proceedure (they were already sedated, so got it done while they were already out, they were both yearlings).

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Most are easy to remove. I do many with no sedation or pain meds, just a twitch. And I'm a big advocate of pain management.

Some need a little sedative which will also provide some pain relief. For some very difficult or large ones I have also provided a local nerve block.

Dr Taylor

 

[disneyhorse]

Some horses have large wolf teeth, some have small ones, and some have none at all.

It's usually not a big deal to have them removed, and often times the vet will sedate as needed depending on the situation.

It's a good idea to remove wolf teeth, especially if you are going to have a bit in their mouth, even if it doesn't cause the horse pain or interfere with the bit. Since it's a one-time thing, once the teeth are gone, they are gone forever and will never bother the horse either way.

Often, colts have theirs removed when they are sedated for gelding procedures in the "big horse world."

My vet has me rinse their mouths out with cool water daily for a week, and he's over-cautious and has me refrain from putting a bit in their mouth for four weeks even though they won't be painful that long.

Andrea

 

[Knottymare]

Yeah, what they all said!!! Hee hee...

But just do it. Even if you are never going to put a bit in their mouth, the next owner might. Do the horse a favor and have them out. I've had so many rescues that still had theirs and had never had a bit seat done that it was no wonder the horse had bitting issues.

Good for you, taking good care of your cuties!!!!!!!!!

 

[shorthorsemom]

I have had two minis that had small rock hard wolf teeth straight up tight against the next tooth. The vet could not get them out (under anesthesia). They didn't rock and they didn't bother my boys, I just thought "these are wolf teeth, they need to come out". They didn't come out. They also never have seemed to cause a problem either. this vet was afraid they would cause more problems by trying to get them out than leaving them in. This vet has experience in doing dentals, even teaches vet students how to do dentals.

It really bothered me that they couldn't get them out, still does.

I am interested if anybody else experienced trying to have wolf teeth removed and not being able to get them out.

I still have one of these two boys and hope to drive him someday.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Minor sedation and 2 minutes of work is all that's needed. If you intend to put a bit in your horses mouth, chances are you'll need the wolf teeth removed. Otherwise you can cause severe pain, and that is NOT what's needed while trying to convince a horse a bit is a good thing

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

I have had two minis that had small rock hard wolf teeth straight up tight against the next tooth. The vet could not get them out (under anesthesia). They didn't rock and they didn't bother my boys, I just thought "these are wolf teeth, they need to come out". They didn't come out. They also never have seemed to cause a problem either. this vet was afraid they would cause more problems by trying to get them out than leaving them in. This vet has experience in doing dentals, even teaches vet students how to do dentals.

It really bothered me that they couldn't get them out, still does.

I am interested if anybody else experienced trying to have wolf teeth removed and not being able to get them out.

I still have one of these two boys and hope to drive him someday.

I had one in a clydesdale that was so large and so tough it bent my tool.

Little unusual to not be able to remove one and 2 on the same farm seems stranger.

Study done years ago did not show wolf teeth to be the problem horsemen perceived them to be. Plus many horses will lose them on their own when they lose their molars.

Dr Taylor

 

[wingnut]

Thanks all for this great input. It sounds like we're on the right track. The equine dentist will be here for the initial visit a week before the vet visit, so we'll know what we have to work with. Maybe we'll get luck and it'll be one of the real easy ones : )

I don't anticipate having her ready for a bridle and bit before late May so our timing will allow a good month of healing, if necessary.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

They heal very quickly. There will be lots of blood, but it'll heal very rapidly, just a few days.

 

[Minimor]

I have one gelding that still has his wolf teeth because the vet couldn't get them out. I can't remember now if he left both, or if just one is left and the other came out. This vet is very good at popping the wolf teeth out (I've had a couple horses whose wolf teeth did put up a very good fight before they finally came out!) so when he said that tooth wasn't coming out I figure that it was really in there good & tight. Normally he removed the wolf teeth at time of gelding, so it costs me only $15 extra over the cost of the gelding procedure.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I've only had wolf teeth removed on one horse as it had already been done to my other geldings. The vet/dentist I really like declared he was going to be moving to California last May so we had him out to do floatings in March. Turbo's wolf teeth were coming in but way too small to get a grip on so we tried one more time right before the vet left. It was a fight! The horse was sedated, given locals, and then had to get additional of both because it was taking so long to get the teeth out!

One came out without too much struggle but the other was tiny, tight up against the molar, and seemed to be pretty deeply rooted and he thought for awhile he wouldn't be able to get it. He said he'd be inclined to leave it but it was just loose enough he thought it might cause problems for bitting as it might tingle or twinge or otherwise be nasty if the bit hit it. In the end we got it out right before we were going to quit and try again in another few months with a vet I liked much less.

Leia

 

[Marty]

THERE'S A LOT OF BLOOD!

Yup, don't faint but it can get pretty bloody. If you have a weakness for blood, go in the house!

But its a smart thing to do!

 

[wingnut]

Thanks for the input on the blood. I'm not squeamish but it's not my favorite thing to see either!

 

[Sandee]

My mare had wolf teeth and they were removed with no trouble and no sedation. They were really little. My stallion has never gotten his wolf teeth and I doubt that he could have "lost" them as he seemed to hold onto his baby teeth way longer than necessary. He had to have 2 baby ones pulled as the adult teeth were growing in behind them. Now that was bloody!

I believe that miniature owners tend to take more and better care of their horses teeth than big horse people. When I bought my QH mare some years back, we had her checked and discovered that she had her wolf teeth and one was broken. No wonder we were having problems with her bit.