Horses and their mouth....?

Question

I was talking to the vet today and he said that a horse having a pale colored mouth is not normal. What does that mean? I know horses are supppose to have darker pink mouthes just like us. So what does it mean when a horse has a paleish colored mouth?

Answer 1

Pale gums are a sign of anemia.... Meaning a lack of red blood cells in the animals blood.

Check to see if there is a cut, ticks, flys biting or sucking your horses blood, or possibly if the horse has a disease that is killing off its red blood cells.

Anemia can lead to a lethargic horse, or worse, a dead horse!

I would suggest getting your vet to do a blood sample on your horse and see if it has any blood diseases.

Answer 2

Get a blood test done, could be something simple, but don't put it off, your horse could be seriously ill...  Better safe than sorry...

My cousins horse had something like that, she was also a bit nasty in the barn to other horses, turned out she had ovarian cysts, which are quite painful...

So, my cousin had the surgery performed to remove them.  She is doing great now..

Horses are like us, get malnourished, diseases, growths, etc, so please get a good vet to come and take a look at her/him...

Also, get a scan to make sure there are no internal problems..it is well worth the money, many animals suffer needlessly because people are so thoughtless, they don't get the animal  proper health  care,  and it suffers...

In my opinion, these people shouldn't own any animals...

Answer 3

Pale mouths are typically a result of anemia or shock in most animals.  It basically just means the horse has some sort of systemic problem like an infection or malnutrition that's causing it to be very sick.

Answer 4

Oxygen in blood is carried in the hemoglobin of red blood cells.  If the numbers of red blood cells are low, or the amount of oxygen present in the hemoglobin is low, the gums will appear pale.  This indicates that anemia is present.  Anemia is a term that is used to describe a number of disorders that result in a reduced capacity for oxygenation of the tissue cells.  For example, if your horse is deficient in iron, he could become anemic since the hemoglobin needs iron to bond with oxygen so it can be carried in the blood cell. That's called iron deficiency anemia.  There are many types of anemia, so the vet would have to do testing to determine the cause.  Another possibility is if blood volume is low.  that can happen if there is blood loss that is ongoing, such as if there is a bleeding ulcer, flea infestation, or other bleeding disorder.  At any rate, the vet will have to determine the cause, and it could be any number of things.

Answer 5

If he was talking about their gums, it means they aren't hydrated enough. Blood flow to the mouth is one of the first places to show when a horse is dehydrated. It could also mean the horse is ill. You know how when a person is really sick they look pale and gray? It's the same concept. So if you don't think your horse is drinking enough, put some electrolytes in its feed to encourage it to drink more. If your horse doesn't have a salt l**k readily available, buy one and stick it in their stall or pasture by the water bucket. To check for hydration, pinch a piece of skin on the neck. When you let go, the skin should spring back quickly. If it takes longer than a second, your horse is dehydrated.