Dental Care -Floating Teeth
June 1, 2001

Miniature Donkeys need to be vaccinated, wormed, hooves trimmed, grooming, quality hay, correct salt block, shelter, fresh water, other miniature donkey friends and their teeth floated when needed. The last is probably the most neglected besides their hooves not being trimmed.

Our old miniature donkey girl Moana has her teeth floated every year. We noticed when we purchased Moana that she had a difficult time chewing her food and it seemed to take her forever to eat. Upon inspection of her mouth we realized she needed her teeth floated and some rasping done to both sides.

We made an appointment with our farm Veterinarian Debbie Fox for the floating of teeth and to give a dental exam to all the miniature donkeys. While giving a dental exam Debbie also looks for other problems such as sores, broken teeth, tumors, abscesses, as well as anomalies before starting any procedure.

The veterinarian should take into consideration many variables before starting any dental procedure regarding the temperament, health and age of the miniature donkey. In our case Moana was 17 years old at the time of her first floating and this last time was 19. Moana needs a slight sedative to relax her because she had not had her mouth handled much, therefore is Leary of a stranger and foreign objects roaming around in her mouth. The sedative is just enough to relax her, not put her to sleep. She is aware of what is going on and our veterinarian converses good thoughts to her during the procedure. Barbara an animal technician assistant loves animals and gives lots of hugs while the veterinarian continues to perfect Moana’s bite.

Because Miniature Donkeys are so small the proper dental equipment is necessary for the floating of teeth. Our veterinarian uses small head and mouth gear as well as the correct size rasp. Miniature donkey’s mouths are very small compared to a regular size horse or mule and using the incorrect equipment can cause difficulties not only for the veterinarian but also discomfort to the donkey.

Sometimes because the miniature donkey has been chewing unnaturally it well create sore ligaments when the bite has been corrected therefore our veterinarian administers phenobutezol (bute) to help with any discomfort or pain the animal may be experiencing.

The age of a miniature donkey needing their teeth floated varies depending on the individual animal. Usually a middle age miniature donkey can be a prime candidate for floating, but we have a miniature donkey that is only 3 and she is already showing signs of needing regular dental care due to sharp points and hooks.

Not all miniature donkeys that start out with regular dental care need to be sedated because just a few swipes with a rasp does the job. A yearly dental check up by your local veterinarian should be sufficient to discover any problems. Your veterinarian will make proper recommendations in regards to future regular exams and the floating of teeth according to your animals needs.

Not all veterinarians have floated teeth or have experience in floating miniature donkey’s teeth therefore ask questions and find a qualified equine dentist. Patience, understanding and gentle handling of our animals are very important. We would like to give our Veterinarian Debbie Fox and her assistant Barbara a couple of big HEE HAWS for a job well done.

Caroline of Carousel Gardens

carouselgardens@theskybeam.com

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