Floating Teeth

[horselover]

There is one horse at the stable where i work who I think needs his teeth floated. I was feeding him grain yesterday, holding the bucket for him because he gets fed in the pasture and, otherwise, the other two horses out there at the same time eat his grain.

Anyway, as he chewed, grain spilled out the sides off his mouth- this, of course, set off warning bells in my head. I had noticed that he was losing weight lately, but I thought it was just becasue it's winter. He also is head shy when you put his halter on. Now that I put all the pieces together, it sounds like he needs floating.

But he's not my horse, and the owner has been having financial difficulties lately. i don't want her to pay for this if it isn't really the problem. Any suggestions????

[Maci]

If you think his teeth need to be floated, and it's effecting his diet, than I think you should help do something if it's bothering you. Perhaps you could discuss this with the owner and offer to help pay for the dentist to come in, and she can pay you back later, when she is financially secure, and has the money.

Maci :)

REMEMBER: No one likes charity! Tell her and present your offer softly. I'm only telling you this because some people are unpredictable in their reactions to offers of kindness, especially when it has to do with lending money; to avoid a fight!

[Sharon H]

I do think you should mention it to the owner. Having the dentist out doesn't necessarily mean she will have to take out a second mortgage. The dentist that I use charged me fifty pounds to do both my ponies and that included travelling. It can save money in the long run as you aren't having to feed the horse twice as much as you need to in order to keep them well because they are getting the full benefit of everything that you feed them. I've known people who end up spending much more than the cost of a dentist's visit on extra feed and wormers.

[Dizzy]

the other owners at the yard if thier horses teeth need a check up. If they are agreeable then you could tell this horses owner that the horse dentist is coming and it would be a saving financially to have hers included.

At both the yards I've been at we do it this way and normally get the dentistry cheaper because of a block booking and everyone pays their share of the travel/call out fee.

Lesley

[horselover]

I appreciate evertone's input. Sharon, you are right about the food thing. I have mentioned Huck's loss in wieght, and the owner upped the grain he was getting. having his teeth floated would probably be cheaper in the long run.

Dizzy- great idea, only problem is all the horses at the stable are hers. She's the owner of the farm, and she doesn't board. There is about 15 horses, so it can get expensive. I know that when you have horses, you accept the responsibility, and she knows that too. Problem is her husband left her (he's a real jerk) and she is having financial difficulties becasue of it. It makes me feel so bad to add to her problems.

Maci, I wish I could offer to loan her the money, but I am just a poor college student with about 20 bucks in my account. Since the stable is a not-for-profit therapeutic riding stable, I am hoping the dentist will give her a slight break.

All of you had really helpful suggestions, and I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I am just going to have to tell her because I care too much about Huck to let him suffer.

Thanks again, so much!

[Outrider]

It sounds like a need for teeth floating to me too, or at least a dentist to check him. As for weight loss, could he be wormy? When was the last time the horse was wormed and is he wormed on a regular basis? Happy Trails!