Imagine having toothache so severe that it affects your eating and digestion. Dental disease in working animals is a common issue, and it can put their lives at risk.
SPANA’s vets treat many working animals with dental problems at our veterinary centres and mobile clinics across the globe. In fact, our vets carried out 14,874 dental treatments on equines during 2023.
Poor dental health can have unbearable consequences for working animals. Unchecked dental problems can lead to exposed, bleeding sores, throbbing ulcers and horrific infections. At their worst, dental issues can lead to malnutrition if an animal is unable to eat.
If you’re looking to find out more about equine dentistry and common teeth problems in horses, donkeys and mules, read on to learn how the global animal welfare charity SPANA is transforming the lives of working animals suffering from the agony of toothache and other dental problems.
Common equine dental problems
Just like people, equines can experience dental problems. These include – but are not limited to – overgrown teeth, irregular wear that causes sharp points or sharp edges, fractured teeth, tooth root infections and caps (retained baby teeth).
The teeth of working horses, donkeys and mules grow continuously throughout their lives. Natural wear of their teeth should occur when animals have access to grazing 24 hours a day. However, in the countries where SPANA works – and for the working horses, donkeys and mules that our charity provides veterinary care to – there is often no grazing available. Instead, working animals are fed grains, so the natural wear of their teeth is insufficient or irregular. As a result, the teeth of equines can overgrow and wear unevenly. This can lead to sharp points and razor-sharp edges forming on their pre-molars and molars, which can cut their tongue and cheeks and cause chronic ulcerated sores, pain and swelling.
Another equine dental problem is a fractured tooth. Broken teeth can be extremely painful for a working animal if their tooth breaks and exposes a nerve. In addition, the edges of a fractured tooth can be sharp, which can cause damage to an animal’s tongue or cheeks. A decayed tooth, infected gum i or tooth root abscess can also cause excruciating pain, swelling and discharge.
Meanwhile, in young equines, an animal’s milk teeth can cause extreme discomfort if they remain trapped on top of their erupting adult teeth.
Symptoms of dental issues in horses and donkeys
The main symptoms of dental issues in horses and donkeys are:
- Dropping their food from their mouth while eating – this is called quidding and is because the animal is finding it too painful to eat.
- Weight loss – because an animal’s dental problem has caused them to drop their food, so they are not eating as much as they should be.
- Struggling against their bit – for example, fighting their owner when asked to turn, raising their head high, or shying away when their owner tries to fit their bit.
- Cuts and ulcers inside their mouth – caused by sharp points and razor-sharp edges from tooth overgrowth or fractured teeth.
- Sinusitis – from upper tooth root infections.
- Pus– this is discharge from tooth infections.
To diagnose dental issues in horses and donkeys, a SPANA vet will examine the animal’s mouth.
If an animal is suffering from tooth overgrowth or there are sharp edges to the teeth, they will rasp their teeth using specialist equine dental equipment to ensure there are no sharp edges. Issues such as tooth fractures, tooth root infections and caps may also require the vets to extract the offending tooth or teeth.
After treatment, the vets will provide the animal’s owner with anti-inflammatory pain relief, if needed, and show them how to administer them to their animal so that they can continue their treatment at home. If the horse or donkey was suffering from an infection, the vets will also start the animal on a course of antibiotics.
How to prevent poor dental health in equids
Thankfully, prevention of poor dental health in equids is simple. Just like we are recommended to visit the dentist regularly, access to regular oral examinations is all that’s needed to stop the potentially life-threatening consequences of many dental problems in horses, donkeys and mules.
When a SPANA vet has provided a working animal with dental treatment, they will advise the owner to ensure their animal receives plenty of rest, and owners will be encouraged to bring their animal to SPANA regularly for check-ups and treatment.
Thanks to the compassion of our charity’s supporters, SPANA is able to provide working animals with essential treatment for dental problems and offer much-needed relief from pain. SPANA provides expert veterinary care to sick and injured working animals, empowers their owners by providing training in good animal welfare and teaches children about the importance of working animals, all so that we can achieve a long-term, sustainable transformation in the welfare of working animals. If you’re interested in supporting animals with dental issues, you can donate to SPANA’s Dental Appeal or learn how you can get involved.