Equine Dental Disease EORTH

Dental disease 

Dental disease for some is a new phenomenon and for others they have been aware of the issue for a long time. Our interest in it was spawned from specific cases where we saw the value of looking in to the dark hole of the mouth. It is really interesting to see how horse adapt to the issues in there. Often unlike us they don’t stop eating but instead adapt. 

The images shown here are all a condition called EORTH which can often be missed despite looking us right in the face. The condition is characterised by receding gum lines and possible fistula developing at the gum level. On X-ray we see severe changes of the roots. This condition is painful and can be seen when we ask a horse to bite a carrot. Horses suffering from this condition will often not bite the carrot but suck it back in to their mouths and crunch with the back teeth. 

We generally see this condition in horses >14 hrs of age but have seen it in younger horses. 

We are now considering adding screening X-rays of the incisors to our dental exams for our older patients. This allows us to assess them and then we can monitor when it is time to remove the teeth. Removal is often the next treatment.