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Discussion on Ear Tooth, what to do
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New Member:
Jmalin
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Posted on Saturday, May 3, 2003 - 8:37 am:
Hi Dr. O
A friend of mine bought a horse in the fall with an odd unhealing wound between the ear and eye. Of course we thought it was because something like a sliver was causing irritation. We tried ointments, a dose of antibiotics(he also had a bad case of scrathes) The scratches healed well but the area around the head continued to drain. He is a very nice horse to handle and shows no real signs of discomfort and even let us prod around the area. The problem only showed when ridden and his resentment of pressure on the bit. We thought it was previous bad training and went about to help him better understand the aids. Last week we had the vet out to do spring innoculations and he looked at it and proptly said it was an ear tooth or dentigerous cyst that would require surgery to fix. Now with this knowledge in hand, we started riding in a side pull and he is sooo much happier under saddle and we also now realize the anguish he was going through with the bit in his mouth. My question is this: What does surgery involve and have you had any experience dealing with this? We want to do whats best for him but there is little written about this type of problem and it seems very rare. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Julie
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, May 4, 2003 - 4:49 am:
Hello Julie,
Much depends on the size of the cyst and its involvment with the surrounding tissue Julie so a thorough exam would need to be done and possibly radiographs if the skull is involved before your question can be answered.
There is a common cyst of the horse that is found at the base of the ear. It generally appears as a small hole, difficult to see because of the hair and secretes a small amount of thick greasy brown fluid: but it is not a dentigerous cyst. These are generally easily removed though they can be quiet long.
DrO
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