Pets: Toothache can be a real problem for many horses

For horses, too, the problem of painful teeth must not be taken lightly. Experts recommend treatment once a year to prevent a horse from suffering ulcers and overgrowth of tooth enamel.

One of the vets at the Equine Clinic of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at Edinburgh University, Kirstie Pickles, who has treated horses for 13 years, explains that unlike humans, horses' teeth are constantly worn down as they eat. The enamel is ground away by the extremely abrasive elements in the grass and hay that make up a horse's diet.

To compensate for this constant wear, horses have a very long tooth. In a young horse most of this is embedded in the gum and in the bone. The tooth "erupts" out of the gum at a rate of a couple of millimetres per year to make up for the wear.

Kirstie adds: "By the time the horse is 30 or 40 years old, there is no tooth left. In the wild, the horse would die of starvation."

Now it is increasingly common for horses to be kept domestically without any teeth. They can be given mashes made up of cereals to prevent chewing.

To make this mash, it is advised to avoid all vegetables such as carrots which would be too hard. A mix of bran and horse cubes is best. It is also possible to buy special geriatric horse cubes that can be mashed in water. Kirstie says: "The end result is something like porridge for horses."

This process of wear on the tooth enamel is natural and owners should remember that the normal habitat for a horse is grazing grass. If a horse is kept in a stable for the long term and fed exclusively on cereals, concentrate and high energy food, it will have more problems with teeth overgrowth and ulceration.

If the horse is stabled for just a short amount of time for warmth or shelter, however, then this is not a concern. A lot of horse owners leave their horses out during the day and in the stable at night, which is a fine solution.

It is very difficult for the owner to examine their own horse. Kirstie explains: "A gag must be applied so that the teeth can be reached at the very back of the jaw. The gag allows you to get your arm in there and have a feel. To get to the back tooth your arm would be in up to the elbow."

Experts recommend calling in a vet. Kirstie uses tools made of hard material to grind down the teeth. She says: "It is just like filing nails. For large overgrowths we use motorised equipment as it makes the job much safer, quicker and easier. The horses don't suffer at all; they are normally sedated if we are using a motorised tool.

"Most times the horse accepts it without struggling. But sometimes you have to sedate them even just for manual filing. It totally depends on the horse. I've certainly had horses that have been very difficult to treat. Usually it is because they have had a bad experience before."

• The Dick Vet Equine Practice covers Peebles and East Lothian, as well as a 15-mile radius from the practice at Easter Bush in Midlothian. The practice also runs an Equine Health Scheme, which costs 120 plus VAT annually, and includes a visit, clinical examination equivalent of a two-stage vetting, flu and tetanus vaccinations, dental check and faecal egg counts. Contact number for the Dick Vet Equine Practice is 0131-445 4468.

Kirstie is speaking at a lecture as part of the vet school's preventative health care series. "Why the Long Face?: Preventative Healthcare for Horses" takes place on March 24, 7-8pm, at the Lecture Theatre G.08, William Robertson Building, George Square. Free but ticketed, bookings can be made on www.ed.ac.uk/vet/events