Any advice for caring/managing a mini with an undershot jaw..

[Calekio]

Haven't posted on here in a while... my baby boy, Locket who was born with various other problems a long with an undershot jaw is now 2yrs old and was discussing him with vet today when getting his teeth checked.

He still has a few niggly problems and dispite vet/edt trying a new thing to see if it would correct his jaw alignment he still has his bottom jaw about 2" longer than his top. Me and vet were discussing his best management today and could do with some advice.

So he can graze.. not great on short grass but fine on long, but i still have to watch for laminitis (founders) in him on long grass. So thinking of a routine that allows him some time on the long grass, some time in the paddock with short grass so he can still play with his friend and sometime in another paddock with hay.

I've also been advised that the way he is angling his middle front teeth on the bottom he is likely to loose them... (at the moment they is still his baby ones but he is likely to loose the adult ones as well eventually)

Weight wise he doesn't do great. He is still on hard feed now when everyone else isn't really on any as all looking fat and happy, he is still ribby. He also struggles to keep himself warm, vet said its quite likely due to the fact it could be linked to his eating problems, as not getting enough energy from his feed to keep himself warm and hence loosing more weight keeping himself warm... so i do rug him as well.

Whilst i've had locket since he was born this is still a very new thing for me to deal with, even vets don't have much experiance with it as its not so common (and whilst it has been mention on here by people that he could be a minimal dwarf.. even less is know about that over here in the UK... my vet has no experiance with that!)

I'm hoping we've cracked his digestive problems, last summer i discovered he couldn't have hay and certain hard feeds as would give him cronic diaorhea and make him really bloated. He was given haylage over winter, fed well and given supplements to help the digestive system and (fingers crossed/touchwood) we seem to be settling that side down.. he has since manage to cope with hay this spring so hopefully we are getting somewhere.

Any advice on how best to care for my little man? I want to do the best by him.. but don't want to have to seperate him from the large group of minis he calls his friends/family as i don't think he'd be very happy at all!

Rarely able to feed him anymore than twice a day and they don't need hay.

 

[Genie]

Reble just posted a topic last week for the undershot jaw problem.

 

[Joanne]

The gap of 2 inches on the jaw on this colt is certainly a genetic defect and as such it would be best to geld him so as not to pass on this trait. It is likely that this colt is a dwarf so you might think carefully about rebreeding the mare and stallion this colt came from.

It does sound like he would do best having some soft food in the morning and evening by himself to put on weight. A bowl of beet pulp and some corn oil mixed with warm water twice a day should put some weight on him. If he is that low in weight he might do best in a barn stall overnight and then out in the day with his herd buddies if the weather permits.

 

[Calekio]

Thanks.

Some interesting reading on that post.. unfortantly i dare say he is far too old to have it corrected now.. wish i'd of seen that post though 2 years ago!

He is currently on a fibre based mash, beet pulp and some high fibre cubes, have just upped his ration of the fast fibre and increased to twice a day meals. But i do worry about him not eating in his field and there for getting problems assocated with a horse who isn't eating round the clock like they are designed to.. having said that.. every time i'm there he is either grazing, playing with his friends or flat out asleep on the floor! lol

Re the other comment.. rest assured.. he was gelded end of last year, his sire was gelded 2 yrs ago.. partly due to producing him and partly due to having developed sweet itch.. and he was the dam's last foal as she was retired being 15yrs (but quite a old 15.. if that make sense) and currentl making a lovely kids pony

He himself works as an adored therapy pony so also has a purpose to his life

This is my little boy.. hard at work..

 

[HGFarm]

Not every horse with an underbite is a dwarf. Poor guy, sounds like dental care a couple of times of year is in order, to make SURE his molars stay level so he can chew and no bad hooks cut into the opposite jaw. I wonder about adding some type of supplement to his diet and maybe some probiotics too if he cannot chew his food as well as he should.

Sounds like he has a good disposition and is doing nice work visiting folks and making them smile. I cant help you much other than what little I have thought about there.... good luck and hope your guy does ok. Sounds like it may be a rough go of it though.

 

[Bess Kelly]

You may want to check into some "senior" feeds as they generally have fibre, yeast, probiotics, multi vit/min, ease of digestion and chewing. Don't know what brands you have there but, this may be helpful and easier for you. The beet pulp and supplements seem to be working for you, also. It may be that you would need to arrange to give 3X day feedings (for more calories)? And barn or blanket at night/cold days may help.

Sounds like you are addressing his concerns very well, sometimes it's just tough to get the "perfect" fix. Sounds like he is having a good life, overall. Congrats, good job.

 

[Calekio]

Thanks.

He is currently on naf pink powder which is a digestive supplement, he's done amazing on that over winter.

We've tried some of the senior feeds... but we found he had an intollarence to them.. its a bit hit and miss to find what works and what doesn't but i'd like to think we are getting there!

He has a blanket on over night still and during cold/wet days, still in a heavy weight when every one is unrugged and not too hot underneath (i actually have a clipped yearling who is hotter to touch under his medium weight banket than locket is under his heavy weight! Which is just weird!)

He's getting booked into to have his teeth floated.. couple of weeks to give me time to save the money for it.. and vet time to figure out how to get the gag to stay on him.. as when we check his teeth yesterday due to the misalignment his top teeth kept falling off the plate.... so... new for her as well!

With my other mini who has problems with weight/temperature control in the winter... its taken me nearly 4 years to find just the right way of managing him.... so hopefully can do the same with locket! Although totally oppisite as locket cannot get put into a stall as it makes his digestive problems worse if he isn't able to move around freely 24/7! (wish i had a large barn! lol Would solve a lot of problems! lol)

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Do you have a picture of his bite? I have a filly with an underbite but she doesn't seem to be having all of the troubles your boy has. I am curious about what his bite looks like compared to my girls. I hope you get all of the other issues figured out. I love his name! How did you decide on it?

 

[Calekio]

Do you have a picture of his bite? I have a filly with an underbite but she doesn't seem to be having all of the troubles your boy has. I am curious about what his bite looks like compared to my girls. I hope you get all of the other issues figured out. I love his name! How did you decide on it?

I'll have to take some more.. i have some of him last year so will dig them out.

Little locket is quite special... my sisters friend's little girl died shortly before he was born in a tragic accident and he was born on the morning of her funeral.... Lucy was disabled and often called lucy locket, she was only about 2yrs old.. and since my new boy wasn't quite right... i like lucy's mum name him & i thought the name fit... his reg'd name is Calekio Heavensent.. i was often told to just shoot him when he was baby... but he is my special little boy and i actually couldn't imagine life without him now.