Possible "retained caps" tip

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AJ

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After noticing swelling on the nose of a three year old, contacted vet . Recalled a past incident and thought it might be retained caps. Vet agreed and asked if I could see them. Did not know what to look for, and my horses do not respond to the "say aahh" to open their mouth. To help keep mouth open I put the round handle of a tool between her teeth to see if that would allow me to see her teeth. Horses chew on anything you put in their mouth. In about 2 seconds a cap came off. I remembered they always bite down on the "float" tool when I want to float teeth, so I tried that and another cap came out in two pieces within moments. This was a few weeks ago and the swelling is almost gone. For the little effort it takes, I will do this intermittently on the 3 yr old horses, since it can't hurt and may help. Might this trick help to minimize tooth bumps?
 
What type of tool did you use?Was it like a screwdriver handle? This is such a timely tip, because I just got a 4 year old horse two days ago that I knew had huge bumps under her jaw and a bit of an underbite (yes, I know it was an unwise purchase, but I couldn't help myself!!) I'd love to be able to help her out without spending huge $$ on a dentist.
 
AJ,

I was also wondering what kind of "tool handle" you used. Sounds like a good idea.

MA
 
Similar to a broomstick handle, but harder wood and short.

Minx - caps are what comes off the molars when new teeth push up. Normally , if you have a 3 yr old you might find them in the feeder or on the ground.

Really, any hard item , be it wood or metal would work. They won't hurt themselves by biting on it and it can put pressure on the caps that would not get from just eating.
 
Something else that is food for thought, although not very preventable. A friend's stallion recently had to have colic surgery. The enterolith they removed (softball size) had the remains of an old cap in the center of it that he evidently swallowed when it came loose.

Jan
 

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