Horse Wolf Teeth
December 15, 2011
It’s a standard procedure to pull the wolf teeth in a riding horse.
This diagram shows the location of wolf teeth. Journal illustration.
From The American Quarter Horse Journal
They say they are annoying to the horse.
They cause bitting problems.
They are not needed.
They need to be pulled.
These are the comments from trainer who routinely have wolf teeth pulled from riding horses.
“As a general rule, I recommend that wolf teeth be pulled on all horses, and I would especially advise doing so on performance horses and racehorses,” says equine practitioner and reining horse competitor Dr. Tim Bartlett of Vincennes, Indiana. “It’s one less problem to worry about, and there is no purpose for them.”
Wolf teeth are frequently present in front of the second premolar, or first cheek tooth, and are the first permanent premolars to erupt in the horse’s mouth. They are usually located on both sides of the upper jaw, but they can also form in the lower jaw and if found there are often smaller.
“Occasionally, only one tooth may develop,” Dr. Bartlett says.
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These horse wolf teeth appear in both sexes, and generally erupt by the fifth or sixth month, whereas the neighboring permanent second premolar doesn’t surface until 2 1/2 years. Wolf teeth have considerable variation in shape, size and location. They could be two to three centimeters in front of the second premolar or could even be imbedded against it. Usually they are somewhat tubercular, but occasionally one is observed with a crown, resembling a small molar.
“They can be anywhere from flat and sharp to round. The size of a wolf tooth can be from five to approximately 15 millimeters wide,” Dr. Bartlett says.
Wolf teeth are vestigial teeth, meaning they are remnants of teeth that were well developed in the Eocene ancestors of the horse. However, in the modern horse, they appear to have no function. Dr. Bartlett speculates that since horse wolf teeth are similar in appearance to canine teeth but smaller, that is probably why they are called wolf teeth.
Horses that shake or throw their heads, duck away and mouth the bit could be experiencing wolf-teeth problems.
“People have become more aware of mouth problems, rather than thinking it’s just the horse’s attitude,” Dr. Bartlett says. “I have found that as a veterinarian and rider, a lot of training problems can be eliminated by routine dental care.”
When a rider is having trouble bitting a horse, he should look in the animal’s mouth or have his veterinarian examine the horse to see if there might be a reason why the horse is rejecting the bit.
Often, snaffle bits will irritate wolf teeth when they are pulled up into the corners of the horse’s mouth. Wolf teeth are even more of a problem in the lower jaw.
“Any bit, but particularly one with a heavy, solid mouthpiece, can cause swelling and pain when it hits the tooth,” Dr. Bartlett says. “There are some cases where wolf teeth won’t bother a horse and he adapts to having them. But I’ve also known where bitting has caused wolf teeth to shatter and break off, which may result in abscesses and a more compound problem. Although it may be possible to fight through such situations, it’s much better to remove the teeth.”
Dr. Bartlett explains that the easiest time to remove wolf teeth is when they first erupt through the gum line.
“I like to remove them when the horse is a long yearling or 2-year-old, and before you put a bit in its mouth,” he says.
One of the problems of removing the teeth too early is that they will tend to break off. Also, if the teeth have not broken the gum line, it’s more painful to the horse to dig them out.
“I think it’s important to remove the tooth intact – the whole tooth and the root. Occasionally, I might break one off, particularly a small, deeply rooted tooth that’s somewhat fragile. Usually, it won’t cause any problems if it’s broken off below the gum line. I’ll smooth that tooth to remove any rough edges, and I advise the owner to make sure that the tooth does not grow back through the gum line at a later date.”
The removal of wolf teeth is much simpler than extracting permanent cheek teeth, which is a difficult job, requiring considerable force and usually performed under general anesthesia. Since wolf teeth are normally small, with short roots, they usually can be removed relatively easily by using only a tranquilizer-analgesic combination.
“I almost always use a twitch on the horse or other forms of mechanical restraint, and I will use stocks if they are available,” Dr. Bartlett says. “Also, if I happen to have a young horse under general anesthesia for a minor or routine procedure, such as castration, and if time and conditions permit, I will examine the mouth and perform dental procedures such as the removal of wolf teeth. There are also some difficult wolf teeth extractions that require general anesthesia.”
After examining the mouth and before extracting wolf teeth, the veterinarian will flush the mouth with water and a mild disinfectant. He will begin by floating the horse’s teeth. “I’m careful not to disturb the wolf teeth,” Dr. Bartlett says.
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When Dr. Bartlett is ready to detach the wolf teeth, he uses dental elevators, which loosen the gum tissue around the tooth. With the elevators, he will work up under the tooth and then pry it loose. He may also use wolf teeth forceps to aid in the tooth’s removal.
While extracting wolf teeth, Dr. Bartlett will often pull the deciduous incisors (caps) and the deciduous premolars and molars as needed.
“You need to pull the teeth when they are ready to come out or these teeth will fall out, but a lot of these will have to be manually extracted.”
After removing the teeth, Dr. Bartlett re-examines the mouth and may choose to refloat the teeth near the wolf teeth. He recommends giving the horse a week to 10 days of rest in order to heal.
“If you are on a tight training schedule, you can ride the colt with a hackamore or side-pull,” Dr. Bartlett says.
Most trainers are adamant about pulling wolf teeth, and to most veterinarians, it’s a standard procedure. For the horse, it’s one way to keep him liking the bit.
Comments
11 Comments on “Horse Wolf Teeth”
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December 28th, 2011 at 4:22 am
Reading this article by Dr. Bartlett,Makes any experienced horseman shiver with fear when hearing such nonsense from untrained, misinformed half-baked practitioners. Better advise would be to find a good ole Horse dentist, and leave the ‘vet’ to support the drug companies,and sell pills.
I could write a five page story on the misinformation alone in this article!
Adding content about training procedures including use of twitches and ‘side-pulls’ is bordering on criminal, Try gently inspecting your horses mouth after ‘Nose twitching’ (some horse dentist)!!
“Still in the last century Bartlett” catch up for horses sake!
December 28th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Excuse me, Leith, but what Veterinary school did you graduate from? During the course of training in school Veterinarians are tought how to perform equine dentistry. As of today, I do not know of a single school for equine dentistry alone. Those folks (and many are very good) tend to learn by on the job training. I would much prefer to have my horses teeth taken care of by a licensed pratcitioner who has been tought the right way to do things. And twitches are only as hard as the individual on the handle. They tend to release endorfins in the horse that are tranqualizers to help the horse cope with a procedure in a natural way and reduce or eliminate the need for chemical restrain – drugs. Please go to school and LEARN befor making uneducated comments concerning a Board Certified Veterinarian and making yourself look uneducated.
December 28th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Mam: Please reread your last sentence. The words “Veterinary” and “Veterinarians” (lines one and three) are common nouns; they do not need capital letters. If my feeble memory is correct, there is a horse dental school in Texas. Could you please enlighten me as to what a “licensed pratcitioner” is or does, to which you refer in line seven? Tranquilizers is a derivative of the word tranquil…I do not know what a tranqualizer is, please advise. Three lines from the end of your garrulous nonsense, you have made a 4th grade spelling error. Before contains an e on its posterior. Perhaps Mam, you might be better served if you would follow your own advice about school and learning.
December 28th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Well, Leith, Mary Louise, and John, I am from Texas & there are two equine dentists in our fine state;
Strait from the Horse’s Mouth
Samantha Mixon, D.V.M.
210.288.9751
mixondvm@gvtc.com
Serving BOERNE and the Texas Hill Country
—
Stubbs Equine Dental Clinic
Phone: 830-868-7544 Fax: 830-868-9368
Email: stubbs@moment.net
2928 Flat Creek Rd.
Johnson City, TX. 78636
—
and the professionals who teach equine dentistry,
Texas Institute of Equine Dentistry
1320 FM 113 N
Weatherford, TX 76088
(940) 682-2131 office
(940) 682-7591 fax
info@equinedentistryschool.com
—
Our vets do a wonderful job of treating our horses, all rescues, from hoof to mouth. Not to offend, but I thought this article was a good read, bringing the importance of dental care for our ‘other’ best friends, horses! BTW, may y’all have a safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year.
December 29th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Ya’ll are being ridiculous!! First of all, sir, you probably didn’t think of this but it is very likely that when she was typing the word “before” her finger just slipped the letter “e”. It happens all the time. Second, I believe YOU spelled practitioner” wrong so look who is talking! And third, all of the arguing about who has all of the best equine knowledge is just insane. I’m sure every decent horseman or woman out there knows a little different but if you truly love and care for your beloved bud then aren’t we all just right? Personally, as long as my equine friend is cared for and loved that is all I care about, not WHO cares for my BHFF!
January 5th, 2012 at 9:20 pm
Wow. You guys are vicious. I’m not certain that I’ve ever met two horse lovers that would care for their animals in identical fashions. To each his own opinion, and respect for others would be grand. The article does seem a bit harsh, I personally would like my horse mildly sedated at least for most procedures. Dental work isn’t exactly natural, and wouldn’t happen in nature, so I will un-naturally improvise with sedatives to decrease pain, anxiety, and fear in my animals. It doesn’t cost that much, and I’d let my dentist sedate me for anything other than a cleaning. Ever had your teeth filed? Crazy thoughts of chocking the man with the file go through my head as the file nears my mouth, I’d let him sedate me for that too if he would. Especially more than one tooth, and to wiggle or pull. OH my! Enough said. This article may need a second opinion to it.
January 10th, 2012 at 12:38 pm
To the first poster, perhaps you should research twitches and side pulls before you say including their use in the article is bordering criminal. Twitching a horse actually releases endorphins in the brain which relieves pain and makes them relax. It is not cruel or inhumane. And a sidepull is probably the most gentle bridle available. It is a bit less bridle, usually used for the horse’s first rides, it is capable of doing less damage than a bosal.
January 24th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Do mares have canines (tushs) as my mare age 15 does not have bridle teeth or canines. Thanks
July 28th, 2012 at 2:16 am
Some mares get them, but it’s not common
July 28th, 2012 at 2:17 am
Some mares get them, but it’s not common
Oh and their is Idaho and Texas that I know off but I live I’n Australia and we only have 3 schools.
November 23rd, 2012 at 9:44 pm
well I don’t no would it be ok not to have it pulled