Mini stud losing his baby teeth and having big problems chewing

[Lil Timber Buck]

My little mini stud is 2 1/2 years old. He started losing his front teeth about 3 months ago and lost three very quickly. The top top and a bottom one, all on the front. Now, when I give him his daily grain, he grabs a bite and immediately opens his mouth really wide and lets it fall out. He gaps his mouth really wide and shakes his head up and down, He begins to paw at the ground right by his feed in frustration. Then, he goes for another bite and chews for a minute and does the same thing over again. His teeth were just vet checked to ensure they did not need floating. Is there anything I should be doing right now like soaking his feed first or anything. I am hesitant to do that as he is a speedy eater and I am afraid he will choke.

I opened his mouth and pulled out his tongue to try to see way back in his mouth and couldn't see anything.

He is not losing any weight and eventually manages to eat his grain and hay. The hay seems to be much easier to eat for him. I feed straight bermuda so it is nice and soft - easy to chew.

Any help or advice would be great. I intend on contacting the vet again soon if I can't figure it out.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Has he ever had a dental floating and exam? you would be surprised how bad the teeth can get in 2 1/2 years. I would get him a proper mouth exam right away. He could even have gotten something stuck or have a cap that is jammed or something or have sharp points jabbing him. They can jack the mouth open with something where he cannot struggle or bite down on you and without stress and take a good look.

I had a yearling that had teeth that could cut paper they were so sharp. My rookie exam showed nothing but when the vet had his mouth open and showed me how sharp the points were I cried.

I don't do my own mouth exams anymore. I once got my thumb crunched and broken and the nail bitten right off. Happened in a blink.

take care. thanks for posting.

 

[Minimor]

It does sound like he has a cap causing problems for him--it won't be the 3 front teeth that cause him to eat the way you describe; the problem will be back in the molars. I would expect that there is a cap that is a bit loose and when he tries to chew it moves and causes discomfort or pain--or else it is simply stuck on too tightly, causing extreme awkwardness when chewing. If the latter then the vet or dentist can pop it off very easily. If the cap is loose, chances are good that before long he will take a bite of food and the cap will come loose & be gone--problem solved. I've had that happen a few times--horse suddenly has difficulties chewing grain, and then by next feeding (or even after a few bites of the current feeding) the problem is gone.

How long ago were his teeth checked by the vet? It is quite possible that everything looked fine at the time, but now a cap has started causing trouble, even in a very short time frame.

 

[Mona]

I agree...sounds like a dental problem. It sounds like this tooth thing has started since the vet checked his teeth.

 

[Jean_B]

I had a mare that was losing weight - had the certified equine dentist look at her. She had a loose cap (molar) that was so loose it was sitting up almost 1/2 inch and preventing her from grinding her feed properly. Now, he's a lot braver (and has the proper equipment) than me - was able to simply reach in with a hand and remove the cap by hand. Problem solved. Would recommend you have a dentist or a veterinarian who has the proper equipment and training look at him.

 

[disneyhorse]

Caps can quickly cause problems. I've not had a baby with eating issues for more than a day or two, so I'd have another vet look at him.

 

[Lil Timber Buck]

Thanks for the quick responses! Yes he has had a full vet exam and dental exam every year since he was 4 months old. The vet actually checked his teeth in November. I have never had a young horse so this is all new to me. I suppose I need to take him back in for a look. He has been like this for a week. It doesn't bother him at all unless he is eating grain. Hay is going down just fine. He has no pain or agitation just standing or even working at a lunge with the halter and lead, etc. That is the odd part to me.

Time to call up the vet THANKS again ladies!

 

[stormy]

I think it is a little early for caps to be causing this issue, I am thinking ulcers esp since he is not having problems with hay. Grain will cause stomach pain in a horse with ulcers.

 

[Watcheye]

I had a younger one who had trouble eating and we found out that he had a baby tooth in the back that had cracked but wasnt coming out and his adult tooth was under it. It made him drop a lot of food. Stormy had a good thought too.

 

[Lil Timber Buck]

Relief! He must have finally dislodged the tooth. I talked to the vet about it and she told me to give it another day. Thanks for all the help! He's back to being his little piggy self!!