Fall is Ideal Time for Senior Horse Dental Checks

With winter approaching, schedule a dental check-up and nutritional status assessment, especially for older horses.
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Fall is Ideal Time for Senior Horse Dental Checks
Remember that senior horses often need more frequent dental exams than the routine once a year check-up. | Photo: Stephanie L. Church/The Horse
With winter around the corner, now is the time for a dental check-up and nutritional status assessment, especially for older horses.

Compared to spring and summer, horses burn significantly more calories through fall and winter simply to stay warm. As a result, they need to eat more, which places increased strain on the teeth and jaw. Further, with the dietary shift from pasture to hay, your horse will have to chew with more force to meet its nutritional requirements.

Perhaps it’s time for a routine dental float? Or, maybe it’s the season to think about changing from hay to soaked hay cubes to maximize your aging horse’s feed efficiency during the upcoming winter season.

Learn more about dental care for your senior horse on Equine Guelph’s online healthcare tool—the Senior Horse Challenge

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Equine Guelph is the horse owners’ and caretakers’ center at the University of Guelph, supported and overseen by equine industry groups, and dedicated to improving the health and well-being of horses.

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