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Discussion on Strange yawnlike behaviour | |
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New Member: ezra1 |
Posted on Thursday, Jul 8, 2010 - 5:13 pm: Hi I'm new here but love to read the articles and am hoping I can get some feedback on a strange behaviour our Rocky Mountain gelding has been doing.First some background I bought this gelding from Kentucky back in February and passed the pre-purchase exam. My intention was to get another gaited horse for my 11 year old son to ride with us on trail. The vet indicated he was a little thin but felt he would make a suitable mount for my son. After arriving here in Oregon I noted he was indeed thin and decided to put him out in his little pasture where I could pack some groceries on him. I made sure he was up to date on his worming but didn't think to check his teeth and can only say that was a dumb thing on my part as I know better. Shortly after I put him in pasture I started noticing him do a behaviour I'd never seen before. He would stand and kind of half yawn and draw his mouth open towards his chest and in this arched position pull his head up mouth sill open. He did it often and I honestly felt it was a habit he had developed. Well my son had no interest in riding and Whiskey had put on a little weight after 4 months so I decided to let him go out on a feed lease as it was a waste with Summer him just standing around. Of course as soon as they got him home they did what I should have and checked his teeth which were in desperate need of a float. Turned out he had a broken abscessed wolf tooth also. Yes I feel terrible all my other guys had been done in the Fall. So here's my question his teeth were floated on 6/28 and I know yawning can be a symptom of oral pain among other things. The lady that is leasing him and the trainer she has him at are afraid he has something caught in his throat (alfalfa stem)??? He never had a runny nose or coughing fit as most do when something is irritating the throat nor does he hang his head out stretched. He is eating fine and putting on weight since the float so that's good. No other symptoms except he still does that weird yawn thing? To me it looks like a behaviour a cribbing horse would do except he has nothing to grab ahold of with his teeth and I do believe he is sucking air when he does this. I've discussed this with a couple well-known and very competent horse trainers and my previous vet in Wash. state all believe it is similar to cribbing as he's found a way to release endorphins without grabbing onto something. Mind you when this started he was in our pasture which is fenced in with electrical tape so no place to crib if he wanted to. I really don't want to rush the vet out again just yet and have been told to put a crib collar on him and see if that stops him from doing it. Of course if it continues I will have him checked out as I know excessive yawning can be a symptom of ulcers, liver damage, etc. But I still don't know if I'd even call it a yawn. Please help me with any other suggestions or ideas and if you've ever seen anything like this. Thank you, Tina |
Member: vickiann |
Posted on Thursday, Jul 8, 2010 - 8:19 pm: I've had horses do this due to colic and ulcers but I have also had a whole barn full of horses doing it all at once lately when they come to hang out during the hot weather that we are having.I have to wonder if it is just a general way of expressing kind of a "sigh." How much time does the horse spend doing this each day. Is it repetitive behavior exhibited over and over and over during an extended period of time? |
Member: sodmonst |
Posted on Thursday, Jul 8, 2010 - 9:24 pm: We have a horse at work that does something like you are describe. He's been there for years, and he's cribbing without bracing against anything. It looked like his teeth, but it's not. |
Member: mysi |
Posted on Friday, Jul 9, 2010 - 8:25 am: Christina,I have a horse who yawns and he does it when he is in discomfort. He has only done it when injured, abscess, arthritis discomfort. I don't know if thats the case with all horses but it is with mine. I recently had a friend who had a horse that started yawning, I told her about my horse and she found out he was having arthritis pain and after a few days of bute and putting him on supplements it stopped. |
New Member: ezra1 |
Posted on Friday, Jul 9, 2010 - 12:35 pm: "How much time does the horse spend doing this each day.Is it repetitive behavior exhibited over and over and over during an extended period of time?" Vicki, I first noticed this behaviour a few months back, he didn't do it when I first bought him home so am inclined to believe it originally started as a way to relieve the pain in his mouth, abscessed wolf tooth/dire need of dental. He had this work done on June 28th but behaviour continues. In answer to your question it is a repetitive once he starts he continues for quite some time similar to a cribber/wind sucker. As to how often during the day well it seems he starts it when he has nothing better to do like eat, drink, eliminate, exercise and so on. That is why I really believe what may have started as a way to relieve the pain in his mouth has developed into a habit. I watched him carefully yesterday for quite a while and it appears he is sucking air/getting his fix. After speaking with numerous professionals, Dr. O also answered as I had posted this under stable vices also his opinion "Welcome Tina, Yawning without other symptoms is not likely do to any serious systemic disease like liver failure. Humans suffering from some types of seizures like narcolepsy may also yawn uncontrollably however I too think this sounds like cribbing without latching onto something. DrO" all who I've spoken with agree it has become a habit. My concern now is since he hasn't done it to terribly long and it appears the source of his pain has been eliminated I need to put a halt to it if indeed he is wind sucking. I'm bringing him home today for a couple weeks and putting a crib collar on him and see how that works. I may also as Melissa indicated give him a gram of bute (he's a little guy) and see if that helps too. My thought here is if he is indeed in pain somewhere beside his mouth the bute will help and behaviour should disappear. The crib collar will not keep him from yawning just drawing in and sucking air. I will let you all know what happens and thank you for your insights. This is such a neat place and I have another gelding I need some advice on and will post in appropriate place. Thanks again for your responses and advice. Tina and Whiskey PS I did video tape him doing it yesterday and am going to put it on Youtube. I'll add the link as soon as I get it set up. |
Member: vickiann |
Posted on Friday, Jul 9, 2010 - 4:47 pm: Interesting, Christina. Thanks for clarifying further.I will look forward to looking at the YouTube. You say that he is "eating fine" and gaining weight, but does he eat any more slowly than the others, with extra breaks while eating? Does he exhibit this behavior while eating his grain? The reason that I ask is that endless and very bad jaw pain (as in TMJ) can now and then be triggered by fairly minor dental work. |