Greenmount Equine Hospital

19/03/2020

Greenmount Equine Hospital is doing business as usual. We are of course taking all the advised precautions due to the virus! Stay safe everyone

27/10/2016

November 1st to January 31st SPECIAL OFFER ON DENTAL - ROUTINE POWERFLOATING €75 (inc. sedation) at hospital!!!

Unlike humans, horse’s teeth continuously erupt until sometime between the ages 25-30. Horses in the wild would graze on very fibrous grasses which would normally be consumed for up to 16 hours a day. This would result in constant grinding and wearing of the horses teeth which would polish off their own molars. Fast forward to the modern day horse, less time spent eating and also eating less abrasive food has resulted in uneven wear and raised edges. Horses chew in a circular motion with the lower jaw sliding along the upper teeth. This sliding movement results in a more uniform wear of the molars. However modern conditions such as feeding a horse above ground level, (preventing mandible from sliding forward) and eating more pelleted feed results in uneven wear of the teeth. Problems with the molars can include hooks, ramps, steps and wave mouth along the dental arcade. These in turn can put a strain on the temporomandibular joint (connection between upper and lower jaw) causing stiffness and tension. These can cause problems with riding, eating and digestion. Head tossing, quidding food, resistance to turning or contact with the bit, weight loss, nutritional inefficiency and undigested food in the manure can all be signs of teeth trouble
Horses under five years of age have mixed dentition (deciduous/baby and permanent/adult). From 12 months to 6 years they shed 24 baby teeth and erupt 36 to 44 permanent teeth. Quite often the deciduous teeth crowns are naturally shed or displaced within the horse’s mouth. Deciduous teeth that have not been lost and sit on top of the permanent teeth are called caps. A failure of the caps to shed can cause problems for the eruption of the permanent tooth as well as behavioural and digestive problems. Sometimes horses develop a wolf tooth or teeth, most commonly in the upper jaw. These frequently cause bitting issues as they sit further forward in the mouth and are sometimes covered with a sensitive layer of soft tissue (blind wolf tooth). Removal of wolf teeth is easiest at 6-12 months of age as they haven’t yet fused to surrounding bone. It is recommended that a horse having a tooth removed be either vaccinated for tetanus or given tetanus antitoxin just prior to tooth removal by your veterinarian. . ‘Floating’ of the teeth helps create a more level grinding surface allowing for full range of motion for the jaw, releasing tension from the TMJ. It also stops sores/ulcers developing inside the cheeks due to sharp edges and allows the horse to better grind and utilise their feed.

30/08/2016

Congratulations to Francis Connors on Capitol Cruis, winner of the Greenmount Equine Hospital Grand Prix at Limerick Horse Show.

23/08/2016

We are delighted to announce that Bluegrass Horse Feeds will be joining us at our stand this Sunday 28th Limerick Show. As well as top nutritional advice and premium horse feeds they have sponsored Greenmount Equine Hospital with a weighbridge, which is free of use to the public (by appointment). Use of a weighbridge allows horse owners to closely monitor weight gain/loss and also correct administration of dewormers, the importance of which is highlighted in our gastrointestinal video!

22/08/2016

In conjunction with our sponsorship of the Grand Prix Limerick Show on the 28th August we are doing a demonstration of our Dynamic Respiratory Scope at 1.45pm before the Grand Prix. Below are a few pics of what the on board scope looks like. A video recording is taken of the upper airway while the horse is being worked and also a live stream of the upper airway is viewable while the horse is within 20 metres of the screen unit. Many respiratory conditions are only induced by strenous exercise including soft palate displacement, intermittent epiglottic entrapment and nasopharyngeal collapse. The Dynamic scope can help with more accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations leading to more favorable outcomes. Video to Follow!

16/08/2016

Veterinary eye specialist Natasha Mitchell, a regular consultant at Greenmount Equine Hospital, strongly advises against travelling horses in trailers with the front top door open

15/08/2016

12/08/2016

16/02/2016

Thanks to everyone who attended our Information Day and a big thanks to all our sponsors with their help in hosting the event!