Bruce's EOTRH Dental Case
BRUCE'S STORY
How It Began
Bruce joined The Big Purple Barn herd in April after coming to us from Central Virginia Horse Rescue. He quickly showed us that he was a big, gentle soul, but it also became clear that he had health issues we needed to understand.
AGE
~17
CONDITION
EORTH
RELATED CONDITIONS
Choke Risk, Weight Loss, Dental Pain
INITIAL CONCERNS
Early warning signs
Only a few weeks after first meeting him, we noticed that his weight had declined, his hair coat looked worse, and one of his incisors was missing. We began supporting him with blanketing, his own stall, and custom meals, but he still struggled to gain weight and muscle.
Bruce’s care became more urgent when he choked and needed an emergency veterinary visit. Unfortunately, this happened more than once over the next few months.
While we worked to figure out why he was choking and losing condition, we noticed another serious issue: two of his incisors had shifted completely out of place. His bottom teeth should have angled upward to meet the top teeth, but instead they had pulled forward dramatically.
CLINICAL PRESENTATION
EOTRH
Bruce was sent to Wolf Creek Equine Hospital for a week-long stay, where he received dental X-rays, extractions, dental care, and follow-up treatment. The X-rays were especially important because dental disease can extend below the gumline, where it cannot be fully understood just by looking inside the mouth.
Bruce returned home with a diagnosis of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis, commonly known as EOTRH. EOTRH is a progressive dental disease that most often affects the incisors and canine teeth. It causes the roots of affected teeth to resorb, or break down, which can lead to teeth becoming loose, shifting out of place, breaking, or falling out.
Although the condition can sound frightening, the good news is that horses do most of their chewing with their molars. The front teeth are mainly used for biting and ripping grass, while the molars grind hay and feed. This means that horses can often live happy, healthy lives even after incisor extractions.
RECOVERY
After the extraction
During his hospital stay, Bruce had two incisor extractions and one root extraction to remove the damaged teeth that caused him pain. His veterinary team also completed a thorough exam to determine whether any additional teeth needed to be removed, and thankfully no further extractions were needed at that time.
Once the painful teeth were removed, Bruce was started on medication and placed on a monitoring plan for EOTRH. Because the disease is progressive, he required continued observation and regular veterinary dental exams so any future dental problems could be caught early.
When Bruce came home, the difference was already noticeable. He was more comfortable, and he began eating better.
PROGRESS
Removing the pain
At first, we hoped that removing Bruce’s painful teeth would fully resolve the issues contributing to his choke episodes and weight loss. But within a week of returning home, Bruce choked again. His case reminded us that recovery is rarely simple, especially when multiple health concerns overlap.
We continued adjusting his routine, his meals, and the way he was managed during feeding. Over time, we found a system that helped reduce his choke risk as much as possible while supporting his weight gain and comfort.
After battling weight and muscle loss throughout the summer, Bruce finally began making progress.
ADJUSTMENT
Settling in
Bruce will continue to be monitored for EOTRH with regular veterinary dental exams so future problems can be caught early. We do not know much about his past, but we suspect he may have once been used as a cart or light plow horse.
What matters now is that Bruce is safe, cared for, and more comfortable. As his health improves, he is also beginning to settle into life with the herd. He has been slowly warming up to the other horses, learning their routines, and finding his place among them at his own pace.
