The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Bramley belle on March 17, 2014, 10:34:35 am

Title: Teeth loss
Post by: Bramley belle on March 17, 2014, 10:34:35 am

Hi can anyone shed some light, one of my Shetlands seem to be losing their teeth so far I have found 4 what look like molars, I can't pinpoint which one it is, is this normal? What reasons could there be for this ?

Title: Re: Teeth loss
Post by: Fleecewife on March 17, 2014, 11:56:51 am

How old is she?  Sheep don't usually lose molars until they are very old, and by then they would have no teeth left at the front.  I have only seen 2 molars lost, from my very oldest ewes.
If she's youngish, then I can think of abscesses or a metabolic problem, but she will never grow those molars back.
If she's a hogg then someone else, one of the vets on here maybe, can advise as to whether young sheep replace their molars as they do their front teeth, for adult sized ones, or if they only have one set.
So it really depends on her age I think

Title: Re: Teeth loss
Post by: Bramley belle on March 17, 2014, 01:59:26 pm

Hi haven't pinpointed which sheep yet but they age for 4 years to 18 months old, all are eating at the moment so I guess time will tell which one it is when either can't eat well or drops weight.

Title: Re: Teeth loss
Post by: Marches Farmer on March 17, 2014, 02:31:11 pm

Some breeds or bloodlines within breeds are more prone to tooth loss than others.  Loss of back teeth will impact the ability to cud, whatever the cause.

Title: Re: Teeth loss
Post by: goosepimple on March 17, 2014, 02:43:49 pm

Are they gaining access to anything out there which is a hard chew for example a type of bark on a tree that is particularly tough or even eating a bit of fencing?  Sorry, know it's unlikely, just a thought.

Title: Re: Teeth loss
Post by: farmvet on March 17, 2014, 09:46:04 pm

sheep do change all their teeth.  If they were loosing them through disease I'm sure you would see signs such as weight loss, poor cudding, often with balls of spilt cud evident on the ground and green staining around the mouth.  Premature lose can often be linked to poor vitamin & mineral balance either as lambs or probably in utero when the tooth buds are developing.

Title: Re: Teeth loss
Post by: Pedwardine on March 20, 2014, 10:43:16 pm

Some of our first born Gotlands worried me as they went into their second year and started losing teeth. As Farmvet says they lose them as human babies lose their milk teeth. I was very relieved  :relief: Are you sure it's just the one sheep? Maybe each tooth is from a different sheep and 18 months old seems about the right time for it to be happening.

Title: Re: Teeth loss
Post by: goosepimple on March 21, 2014, 07:13:51 pm

Stick them under her pillow, see how much you get  :innocent: