Floating Teeth???

[TN Belle]

My mini horse and mini donkey had their teeth done this past summer by a vet's office I trust. However, since I trailered them in on a Saturday morning, I had the worst of the four vets there to do it and he had big horse tools. After sedating them both, he pulled the tongues to the side and started filing down and reached in to check everyonce in a while. I thought he was doing a good job, but then the blood and drool came, and kept coming. He had to mop up the mess after he was done and I had to stay there for about an hour until the boys could walk a straight line to the trailer. Once home, the drooled and wobbled for another few hours and neither of them ate anything, they felt that bad. He did give me some bute paste to give them later but I was terrified of what I saw. I could see the inside of their cheeks looked like hamburger meat.

I have seen an horse dentist work before on a full sized horse and have the whole head gear and braces and even sedated those horses too, but I don't remember the bloody mess afterwards.

So, what's normal? How do you find a dentist for mini's?

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Flaoting the insides of their mouths is NOT normal. We have our regular vets do it and they are kind and gentle. They did our 26" guy and didn't leave a mark. Didn't need any bute after, either.

Lucy

 

[JourneysEnd]

Your vet used way too high of dose of drugs.

I just had one of mine done and he was walking back to the trailer without a problem. You may see a little blood, but I've never seen much on a normal float.

Ask questions. Did you check his weight ? What weight are you going to dose him for ? Anything to make sure your horse is not getting drugs for a 500 lb horse.

Finding a vet to do minis correctly is difficult. That's why Texas is fighting so hard to keep Carl Mintz practicing.

I happen to have a vet tech at my vet's office that does a great job and the vet gives me a special rate for using the tech.

My guy uses big horse tools without a problem.

 

[weerunner]

My vet has done my biggies and minis teeth and there has never been any blood!! You're vet is scraping the insides of their mouths with his file. That is cruelty. It's wrong that vets can get away with doing that because they are registered veterinarians, if I or some other person did such a thing the humane society would throw a fit. Make sure for your next appointment you get one of the other more experienced vets. You should not need bute after getting teeth floated!

 

[Reble]

so sorry your horses mouths will be sore now.

I am one that does not believe in using bute for minis but banimine is safe.

 

[MiLo Minis]

so sorry your horses mouths will be sore now.I am one that does not believe in using bute for minis but banimine is safe.

Actually banamine is safe-R and only just. Both drugs are NSAIDS and put your horse at risk of ulcers and kidney failure. Banamine is only safer because it has a slightly lower risk of overdosing than Bute.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I've yet to have a horse who needed sedating for a float (not to say some don't but so far none have and there has been no risk of overdosing there) My E dentist (as in equine) does not have mini tools either and the only time I have ever seen blood from a float was the one time a young stallion decided he'd had enough and tried to rear and pull away. His cheek got scraped but even then it was a SMALL streak of blood when she rinsed his mouth and that was it.

The vet was just too rough and careless of the little mouth he was working in. IMO

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I've always used vets and will not use a layman. My big horses and minis all get sedation for a proper float. I generally give banamine afterwards out of pity, to all the horses. This year I didn't (had them done Monday) except for my lil mini stud who had a wolf tooth pulled, and has horrible teeth anyways which resulted in him getting a few nicks from the float which was unavoidable (his teeth had a whole 1/4" above the gum line). But other than that everyone was great. Normally I ask for power tools to be used (I only use vets who specialize or have a lot of dentistry experience); this was the first year that they weren't used (my new vet doesn't own any power tools, she borrows them when she needs them).

 

[flflyingw]

Hi

I just had my two stallions done, 31&28", for the second time. Last year they had caps pulled and no blood with the floats. This year a few caps pulled and again no blood with the float. My little guy under 28" had a hard time with his upper front two teeth but my vet stopped and said he would wait till the next visit in four months and X-ray them for me and see how to go about pulling them without any major problems. He told me that you can fracture the jaw bone so easy. I think I would question any vet that cause my little ones so much problems and again he may have an answer you can accept but question them.

 

[picasso]

Definitely not normal to have blood like that. Had my Quarter Horse done early last show season by my vet. They sedated him and then floated his teeth. No blood. But then later in the summer I had two minis done by an equine dentist that moved to the area. He didn't sedate and had absolutely no problems with them and no blood.

 

[MyBarakah]

YIKES!!!!!!!! That guy does NOT know what he was doing!!!!!!! I would NEVER use anyone unless I "knew" that they were good and reputable! This is my horses/minis mouth we are talking about!! I of course use Carl Mitz on my horses! And would NOT use anyone else! I do know of another equine dentist from NE that is VERY GOOD.... but he mainly does the big horses and hates to do the little ones because he has to get down so low....

But finding a good equine dentist is like finding a good farrier (just AS important!!)......

I hope you minis have or will recover back to normal..... hopefully he didn't do any damage or take too much off of thier teeth!

 

[wildoak]

Everyone who realizes the importance of a good equine dentist - be it a vet or not - needs to be aware of their state laws. Yes it's being contested in Texas, apparently in Oklahoma and other states, but you could very well lose your right to have a non-vet work on your horses teeth wherever you are. Don't take it for granted.

Jan

 

[SilverDollar]

I'm sorry to hear your minis had so much trouble with their teeth floating, and hope they are feeling much better.

My vet does specialize in dentistry and regularly attends clinics and workshops; he's always been quite good with my minis. Just last week he filed off some points without sedation and all went well, though he did use the larger float. He told me the clinic just purchased a miniature horse size speculum, but I don't think they have the smaller floats yet (though I'm not 100% on that). I am considering purchasing them myself for him to use when he does my minis (unless I can get Carl Mitz out here this Spring!). Does anyone have their own floats/files, and if so, what did you purchase and where did you get them?

Thanks in advance.

Rebecca

 

[Jean_B]

I've never seen a mini (and VERY few big horses) that needed to be sedated in order to do their teeth.

An equine dentist - usually - has MUCH more dental training than a vet (yes...I'll grant you there are some vets that go the extra mile and get the extra training, but most do not). Vets typically sedate because they DON'T know how to float teeth and it is a hit or miss operation, and quite frankly, I have yet to meet a vet that wasn't afraid to touch a horse's mouth unless the horse was so doped up it was darn near catatonic.

And I've never seen a horse bleed unless popping some caps that might be just a hair 'green'. I'd be finding me a different vet if you insist on having a vet do your dental work in the future.

 

[HGFarm]

Ha, do you all know who has invented the modern dental tools all your vets use?? Give you 3 guesses and the first two dont count..........

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

We have never experienced that type of situation in having our miniatures and shetland teeth floated. We have our our vet do ours with floats that we purchased from Ozark Tack and they work out way better than trying to use big horse floats. No head gear used for floating teeth for ours either, but they are slighlty sedated while doing the floating.

 

[SaddleTrail]

When do you or how often do you have a minis teeth checked/ floated etc?

ShotGuns wolf teeth look like they should be pulled. They don't seem to bother him but I have noticed he drops a bit of oats when I treat him like this morning. I also need to have him gelded here before summer. I just need to find a decent vet. Will be calling around again Monday to find a vet who will come out to me. I don't have a trailer for him as yet. I am on a fixed budget so am trying to space these things out a bit but think maybe having him gelded, and his teeth done at same time might be better?

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

I have them checked every spring while he is here doing the vaccines for the show horses and then I make an appointment for him to come back out and float teeth on a separate day. I imagine they could float teeth the same day as gelding. We usually do gelding here in January, last year we did three. This year nobody needs gelded, just the regular vet work in March to be done with the show string and check the rest of the horses here for anything else.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I had a similar thing happen years ago when I first got into Minis, a horse vet came and he only had the manual big horse size floats, sedated the horses so they would stand (I have no problem with this, in fact I prefer it), but the float was just too big and it ended also with my mare having a bloody mouth and not able to eat. I had to give her banemine for a few days so she could eat, but I still say her mouth wasn't right for at least a year. I think he knocked something with the float, or something was just "off." Never again will anyone touch my Minis with a full size manual float!

Now my vet uses the power floats which are great! The minis are sedated, they have a speculum to hold the mouth open so they can really see inside and look at what is going on, and they show me and explain it too. She went for more training on dentals, so I know she knows what she is doing too. It's been great, no more problems with teeth or sore mouths!

 

[Marty]

EGADS that's nasty Misty. Somebody dun messed up bad.

And this is why I love the power float. My vet is equipted with miniature size dental equipment and power floats. No mess no blood no nothing.

She did however have to sedate my QH Sonny of course because he was having none ot it. Still no blood or cut up insides.