Scared of the Dentist

[Anna.C]

We had the dentist in to the yard to check all the horses. Six months ago when Harry was last checked, he didn't like it much, but put up with it ok. This time he kept rearing up and made it impossible for anything to be done. I think this might be due to an operation he had in February to have a tooth removed. The dentist said that his teeth weren't too bad this time (he managed to get a quick look at them) but they would really need doing in 6 months time. Could anybody give me some advice on how to get him less worried about having his teeth examined. I know he could be sedated, but I'd really like to get him less scared of the whole experience. He's so laid back about everything else, and doesn't have a problem with having his bridle put on, ears cleaned etc. I think his experience at the vets must have really traumatised him.
Anna

[Sarah]

hello!

Oh dear, sorry to hear about your horse having a bit of a moment with the dentist!

Is it usually just you who looks after him? If so, it may be worth getting a man to groom him and tack him up, clean his ears, etc just so that he isn't worried by men.

Is your dentist really patient? Some of them are straight into the stable, slap the gag on then file away, and no wonder that upsets some horses - i had one like that once. My new dentist spends 10 mins talking to Tagno when he arrives and does as much as he can without the gaga then spends a while getting her used to the gag - putting it on then openingit, then removing it as soon as she relaxes for up to 10-20 mins before he files her teeth. He takes a very long time to do her teeth, but it is getting shorter everytime.

If this doesn't work, it may be worth having your horse sedated. he will then be able to be done without a fight which may help him to see that the dentist really isn't a horse eater. Then perhaps next time just some ACP tablets will work then maybe the next time with a patient dentist you may be ok.

Do let us know how you get on next time.

i have just noticed that you are in Hampshire, same as me. Which dentist do you use? I use Martin Wall - he is the really patient one. I would HIGHLY recommend him to you. His phone no is 023 8064 2740

bye!

[Anna.C]

Hi,
I'm the only one who looks after Harry, and when I'm not there the other people at the yard keep an eye on him (all female!) I know he's always been more wary of men - i believe he had some nasty experiences with them when he was younger, but he's fine with my partner who occasionally comes up to the yard.
The dentist was pretty good with him, he spent a bit of time
talking to him before he did anything. Harry just got really stressed as soon as he tried to even look in his mouth.
Harry was not like this at all last time, before his operation.
The dentist didn't use a gag, just this metal curly thing which he put in like a bit. All the other horses at the yard were fine about it, even the ones we expected trouble with.
I think as soon as he saw a strange person coming into the yard he got worried - he probably remembered what a painful time he had after his operation.

[Allie]

My horse just got her teeth floated about 2 weeks ago, and the vet that does ours sedates all horses regardless of their behavior, becuase then it is sure to not traumatize them. The sedative only lasted about an hour, and he was able to file her teeth without even using a gag, he just stuck his hand in her mouth and held her tongue to the side, so that she was able to relax her jaw in between. The whole thing took about 15 min., he was only at the farm for 20 minutes total. I personally think that is less traumatic than asking the horse to deal with someone sticking rasps in their mouth and filing their teeth.

Allie

[fionahogg]

does your horse have any objection to the bit? how about opening his mouth when you slide a finger in? try asking him to open his mouth but doing this and see how he reacts. does he seem to have a reaction to the actual dentist or to the procedure? if its to the latter, he could have something either physically or mentally wrong with the idea of having his teeth rasped. what exactly did the operation at the vet's entail? perhaps you could try sedating him just once to check if his teeth are ok (but perhaps a bit sharp), but i wouldn't repeatedly sedate him every time he has his teeth rasped. perhaps, once you know he's physically ok, you could try something a little 'different' to try to accustom him to the dentist. have you ever done T touches around his ears? i find they are really good at helping the horse to relax and drop his head. or how about simple body massages, or some kind of herbal/homeopathic remdie to relax him and help him chill out. perhaps try him in a pressure halter when he has his teeth rasped, but be sure that if he does rear up, you do not apply huge amounts of pressure to his poll because otherwise you may hurt him, thus exacerbating the problem!! if he seems to be scared of the dentist (perhaps associates him with the vet and therefore his opp...?) then you need to desensitise him to as many different men with strange objects that to him probably look like objects of torture (!) to accustom him to them. they could also feel around his mouth, sliding fingers into the space where the bit lies, perhaps even bitting him.
hope this helps!!
fiona :-)

p.s. if you want to know more about T touches etc, read back issues of Your Horse magazine...if you can't get hold of any, email me and i'll find the web addresses of usefull sites, and try to give you some ideas as to what i do with my horse.

[Anna.C]

The result of the operation looked very dramatic to me, although I am told its the standard way of dealing with a tooth abscess. He had an incision made in the side of his face (under general anaesthetic) and the tooth removed. He then stayed at the vets for a week while the padding was removed gradually as the swelling went down. There was a strip of padding that poked out through the hole in his face, and they pulled it out a bit more each day. (sounds horrible). Once all the padding was removed the hole was stitched up. He hated being at the vets and as he's used to living out all year round, he found being stabled for 2 weeks very upsetting. It took a couple of months of shoving and nipping and general bad temper till we sorted out the pecking order and he started to trust me again. As soon as he saw the dentist arrive he tensed up again.
He now lets me touch him all over his face, and ears without a problem, but is less happy about having his mouth messed about with. He accepts the bit no problem, but if you just go to look at his mouth you have to go very slowly or he just throws his head in the air. Each time I bring him in I now look at his teeth (then he gets a treat), but he doesn't seem to be getting any better.
Fiona, the T touches idea sounds interesting, I'll try and find some info on it. I think you could be right about the problem with strange men too, although I don't know if I'll have much luck finding strange men to introduce him to!
Sorry about the incredibly long essay, and thanks for the replies!