Equine Dentist~ ever seen the inside of a horse's mouth?

[arabianequine]

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I had one that had to be twitched, or we would have had to put him completely down. Unless, absolutely necessary I really don't like having to put one completely down, I think too many times is bad for their health.

I really don't like either way.

True....I was lied to when that happened and it won't again is all. Nothing against what you had or have to do. I am pretty sure it is not the right thing to do with the horse I have ever again.

 

[welsummerchicks]

The instrument being used is called a Speculum. Without the Speculum it is not possible for the dentist to do a really good job on the furthest back teeth, or to fully visualize the whole mouth.

I have a dentist that does not need to twitch most horses to do their mouths; if he does need to restrain a horse, he generally prefers a very light dose of sedative because the OWNERS seem to prefer it, but he has no problem with a twitch.

He's brilliant, has a brilliant understanding of horse behavior and responses. He puts on the speculum, they champ at it a bit('you mean I have to not eat anything for fifteen minutes? Sacrilege!!!'), he gives them a little time to realize it's inconvenient rather than painful, and he does half the work, removes the Speculum, gives them a rest, we chat, and then he does the other half of the work.

I've also seen him use a speculum only for the back teeth, and do the rest of the mouth without it.

Twitching is not painful to a horse, and it doesn't traumatize or damage them - IF used properly.

Many times the problem is NOT the twitch, but the inept and unskilled APPROACH to the horse to put it on - too - a horse that's been hit in the head with a stick is going to see the twitch as 'oh, no, not another stick, I'm not going to stand still for this - GOOOOOD BYE!'

It is very important to approach the horse properly, and not try to 'muscle' the horse or 'over restrain' it to get the twitch on. MANY people approach the horse with the twitch, in a very unskilled fashion.

If it is done correctly, it works very well for restraining a horse in emergencies or for specific procedures.

It can be the difference between life and death for a horse, and every conscientious horse person should have a twitch and understand when and how to use it.

Otherwise they are taking a terrible chance that something will happen some day and they will be completely powerless to cope with it. It only takes one thrashing, struggling horse dying while you look on able to do nothing, to convince you.

Horses have been twitched to prevent them from struggling in a wrecked trailer with the emergency vet still an hour away, or while a sedative takes effect, or to prevent them from struggling when they are tangled in wire. They've been twitched when they get trapped in a ditch or obstacle.

And yes, it's quite routine to twitch a horse for medical procedures.

If the owner refuses to allow a tranquilizer, if the horse's reaction to a tranquilizer is unknown or if he's allergic to several tranquiliers, if you cannot weigh the horse or get any information about possible allergies to medications, a twitch can be a far more prudent choice.

When time (and information!!!!) allows, a medication like Ace or Rompun can be used - but many times, a medication cannot be used at all. It's an emergency, the animal is in shock, or any tranquilizer would depress the Central Nervous System even more (than the injury or what have you).

SOMETIMES - a sedative is useless. If the horse's circulatory system is depressed, a sedative won't circulate properly or take effect.

How does the twitch work? Not by pain. But by a simple fact that has been understood by horse people for many centuries: A horse can only think of one thing at a time.

The pressure on the lip isn't painful, but it does take their attention off of other things.

Many horses resist being twitched because either they realize that it means they will have to hold still for a while, or because the twitch has been put on too tight (becomes less effective and more annoying) or too loose (horse's full attention is on what ever else is being done to him, and it's something he doesn't like). Or again, as I mentioned, the person approaches with the twitch like Atilla the Hun.

OR....because the OWNER dislikes the twitch! Yup! Some owners are just awful about their baby being twitched. We used to have a vet years ago who would walk up and start telling the horse owner horrible, horrible jokes and holding their rapt attention by keeping up a constant fast paced chatter. It was hysterically funny to see the horses accept the twitch quietly, and get through their stitches or wound cleanup peacefully, while the vet kept up his constant stream of jokes and stories.

As long as the owner was distracted, the horse would accept the twitch, stand quietly restrained during his procedure, and end it without any objection. Quite often the vet would put on the twitch, hand the handle to the owner, and go about his business, say, picking dirt out of a cut and stitching it up.

The vet then would rub the horse's nose and face gently, praise it with a soft voice, and move onto his next 'Perfect Patient'!!!!! LOL!!!!

Once I asked him about it, and he ribbed me and said I was perfectly welcome to watch some time what happens if he works while he has Laryngitis!

On a horse the upper lip is a hard, firm tissue unlike a human lip, it is not so very sensitive like a person's upper lip. If you were to bend one finger sharply, keep it bent, and then squeeze on the fat part of the finger right at a joint, using the thumb and forefinger of your other hand, that's what being twitched feels like. It's an odd sensation, not painful, nor pleasant, just rather odd and it holds their attention.

 

[bufforp89]

I personally prefer to have my horses twitched rather then sedated, cheaper too

I have a mare that sat in a field for 5 years before I got her a few months ago. Needless to say her feet were overgrown and painful. She would not pick up her feet for anyone and I didnt want to sedate her if I didnt have too. The farrier came out and twitched her and it worked instantly...She was so worried about the 'thing' that was on her lip she didnt even care that the farrier was trimming her feet. And this is a horse that would occasionally lash out and try to strike when you messed with her feet.

After that I am a big believer in the twitch, I have used it durring clipping, shoing/trimming the difficult horse, medical procedures ect. and it work the same every time if done correctly and does not seem to cause my horses pain at all.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Many people assume that it is pain from the twitch that causes them to stand still. It's not pain. It's a weird sort of pressure sensation - not pleasant nor unpleasant, but simply odd.

If the twitch itself HURT - the horse would be dancing around all over the place. Instead he stands there with this funny look on his face....'hmmm....what is that....what is that....' and ignores everything else.

 

[carolinagirl58]

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lol...horses are not the brightest creatures, are they?

 

[bufforp89]

Nope not mine...thats exactly how mine act too "wow what is this thing" and they just stand there quietly trying to puzzle it out

 

[chickbea]

After watching us briefly twitch one of the horses so the vet could give a shot prior to a stitch job, my husband asked me what it was for. I grabbed his nose and said to him "Doesn't it make you want to do as you're told?" He responded, "Absolutely!"

A twitch shouldn't hurt. Properly applied and used judiciously, a twitch shouldn't hurt at all, and the horse shouldn't be scared of the sight of it. The sight of it should simply tell the horse that you need him to stand very still for a minute. Is it nice to have someone grab your nose? Of course not; it's a bit uncomfortable. Does it make you listen? Yup.

 

[welsummerchicks]

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lol...horses are not the brightest creatures, are they?

Horses are EXTREMELY intelligent, but it is a horse intelligence, not a human intelligence. You can't evaluate it in terms of 'a human wouldn't think like that'....well you CAN, but they wind up looking very...stupid...LOL.

What seems 'stupid' to us is a super survival mechanism. Horses are designed to function in a herd, to protect themselves from predators, etc.

Predators sneak up on horses. That's why horses 'spook' at little noises and changes in the environment we would ignore. That little rustle in the grass from a cat, or a CHICKEN....(let me tell you about my yesterday....).

But horses are also built to ignore pain and keep running away from that predator - so they can ignore minor discomforts - IF something else is drawing their attention.

All successful animal training is based on an in-depth knowledge of how that particular species functions and thinks and behaves....otherwise the trainer makes assumptions that lead him to unsuccessful and inefficient training methods....anytime he assumes an animal uses 'human thinking', he'll be very disappointed in how his training turns out.....

 

[Funky Feathers]

My horse is a very good patient. No twitching necessary. Every time she has her teeth floated she needs less and less sedation. This time she only needed very light sedation and did fine, and was wide awake 10 minutes later. She even gave me and the dentist kisses! She is such a sweet old girl. I think she felt more comfortable (in her mouth) right away. She has excellent teeth for her age (28).

 

[kidcody]

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I find it interesting that you feel twitching a horse is not painful. I don't know where you got that information from? But twitching a horse is painful. Here at the clinic we try to limit how long and often we twitch a horse for medical procedures, if you have ever looked under the horses lip the next day it some times can by very bruised. Horses are very sensitive to there nose?lips Why do you think the horse stands quietly? because it hurts and painful where they don't want to move. Just some thing I see every day. I agree it is necessary.