Losing baby teeth

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Calico

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Jul 14, 2013
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Location
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I had a big scare a couple of weeks ago when I went out to check on my mini in the evening and found that one of his front teeth was "broken" off! It was 6:00 on a sunday, so I couldn't call the vet. He didn't seem to be in any pain and was eating like normal, but as a fairly new horse owner, I was horrified! I decided I'd call the vet first thing in the morning, and in the meantime, went online to try to find out what kinds of things could possibly cause a horse to break a tooth like that.

That's when I learned about horses' baby teeth :p My mini, Caspian, is about 2 1/2, so it made sense. I did call the vet the next morning anyway, and he agreed that it sounded just like normal baby tooth loss.

It's been about two weeks since then, and Caspian has now lost both bottom front teeth and one top tooth. He still seems to be doing fine. My question is, is there anything special I should be doing or anything in particular I should watch out for? Usually I give him his hay by filling a Busy Snacker, and also giving him an additional 2/3 to 1 flake just loose in a rubber tub, so that way he has loose hay he doesn't have to work for, and the Busy Snacker for if he runs out between feedings or gets bored. Since he started losing teeth, I've upped the amount of loose hay he has, but that's about the only change I've made (aside from also checking his mouth every day.) Is there anything else I should be doing? How long does it usually take for the new teeth to grow in all the way?

I have another question that's unrelated, but that I didn't want to make a separate thread for. Caspian is on a dry lot. Here in California, we're in the middle of an exceptionally dry winter, but we did get a rain a few weeks ago that started some grass growing on the hill outside his pen. It's about 4-6 inches tall and is just random native grass. Is it okay to let him out on a lead to graze for 10 or 15 minutes once a week or so? I know one has to be careful with minis and grazing, but I'd love to be able to let him out every once in a while.

Thanks in advance!
 
The sight of thm losing their baby teeth can be worrying if you are not prepared for it. Your vet is quite correct in that he will be fine. Between now and when he is in his 5th to 6th year he will slowly lose all his front baby teeth, moving from the central ones to those on the outside - usually shedding a pair each year or so. By the time he is 6 years old he will have what is called a 'full mouth', and by the time he is 7 those front teeth will all meet tightly together when his mouth is shut, which due to their positioning usually causes a small 'hook' to form on the outer corner of the top two 'corner' teeth where they slightly 'overlap' the bottom corner ones. (Does this make sense??)

His babyteeth may just pop out as the new teeth push their way through, sometime a baby tooth will break off a bit soon, but any 'bits' remaining of the baby tooth usually get pushed out without a problem by those coming through from below. Some baby teeth can go/look pretty black/grotty coloured as they are shifting, but that does not necessarily mean that there is a problem, just keep an eye open for any inflamation around his gums which might mean a call to your vet to make sure everything is progressing as it should.

And yes, do let him have a nibble at the grass - it will only do him and his system good. 10-15 minutes per day would be better than once a week and he will love it!!
 
Sometimes the baby teeth don't come out by themselves and can cause trouble. It is a good idea to have his teeth checked.

I have a picture of a miniature skull that might be of interest to you. Notice the bottom tooth sticking into the center of the mouth. I'm sure that caused a lot of discomfort for the horse. Also, you can see where the wolf teeth, and canines are. This horse was a mare, so the canines are not prominent.

I gave this skull to my vet, so he could use it to show clients how the mouth looks.

My horses are grazing right now nearly 24/7, as the grass is dry. When/if we get spring rains, I will confine them on dry lot half a day. That seems to work for me.

teeth2.jpg
 
You sound just like me, I got so scared! Minis will start losing their front top and bottom middle teeth around age 2, and then around age 3 they will start losing the teeth beside them. Let the teeth fall out naturally, don't pull them unless you half to, but I would recommend if they do need pulled have a vet do it.
 
Thank you for the advice, everyone! I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner-- I usually check the forum from my phone at work, where it's hard to type replies. I read all your posts right away, but didn't realize that I'd never come back to reply!

Marsha- Wow, that tooth looks like it must have been painful! Since that's a back tooth, it would have been one that came in when the mare was 5 or 6-ish, is that correct?

Anyway, Caspian is doing well. He's since lost that last front tooth, so his mouth is a lot more even now. I think he was getting pretty annoyed having just one tooth in the front. Does anyone know how long it will take for these new teeth to grow in all the way? I will continue to keep an eye on things, of course, but he's looking pretty good for now.

As per AnnaC's advice, I've been letting Caspian out to graze for 10-15 minutes a day. He definitely enjoys it
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