We believe your horse’s dental care is essential to your horse’s well-being. Maintaining proper dental care rewards your horse with a longer, more comfortable future regular exams and routine maintenance is especially necessary for today’s horses. It is important to have your horse’s teeth checked at a minimum of once yearly, or twice yearly for horses over the age of 15 years. Checking a horse’s teeth is simple, painless, and easily done at time of vaccines or any other visit.

​

The following things can be a sign of dental problems and you should consult your 3H Veterinarian to have your horse evaluated:

​

• Drops wads of feed (especially hay) while eating or drools

• Large amounts of hay or grain in the water bucket

• Holds his/her head at an odd angle while chewing

• Refuses to eat

• Poor body condition

• A bad mouth odor

• Tosses or shakes his/her head when wearing a bridle

• Pushes his/her nose in the air when you apply pressure on the reins

• Resists turning in one or both directions

• Flinches when you touch in the mouth

• Eats hay before grain

• Difficulty chewing

• Excess salivation

• Undigested food in manure

• Bit chewing

• Tongue rolling

• Fighting the bit

• Bucking

• Failing to stop or turn

• Swelling of the face

• Nasal discharge​

​​

Many horses with dental problems do not show any signs. They simply adapt to their discomfort which is why at 3H Equine we recommend routine evaluations.