# Goat Teeth 101



## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Since we don't have much on the dentition of a caprine I thought I would give some basic information. The information is coming from "The Illustrated Standard of the Dairy Goat: A Guide for Evaluating and Judging Conformation" by; Nancy Lee Owen Copyright 1972, 1973, 1977. p. 4-5,Dairy Goat Publishing Corporation, P.O. Box 1908, Scottsdale, Arizona 85252 U. S. A.. 
Any one with information pertinent to this topic such as diseases of the mouth, teeth decay, abcesses, and such please add your input (if information is from a source please cite your source).

_"The dairy goat does not have upper front teeth; instead it has a hadr skin-covered gristle pad. When its mouth is closed this dental pad fits snugly behind the lower incisors. The incisors hold hay or grass against the dental pad while a forward and upward motion or the head causes a shearing action of the hay against the incisors.
Goats have two sets of teeth during their lifetime-twenty decidious teeth or "baby" teeth, and thirty-two permanent or adult teeth. The decidious teeth fall out as the permanent teeth erupt. The chart pictures the lower jaw and lists the approximate age when teeth appear. The molars in the upper jaw correspond to those in the lower jaw. There is considerable variation in the time of eruption of the teeth of individual animals. The teeth can only be a rough guide of actual age. After the sixth year, as the goat ages, the permanent teeth may begin to grow excessively long and gradually spread apart, finally loosening and dropping out. In some goats the incisors have a tendancy to wear down as they age, especially those browsing in sandy or rocky pastures."_










I think we all seem to, at times, not take in to mind the most simplistic yet important part of a goat. Without a proper working jaw, good delineation, and a great set of chompers how can we expect them to thrive? Part of herd management should be a quick check over their teeth...since you gotta get the drencher/syringe in there anyway during de-worming.

Thanks...Tam


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## hammerithot (May 31, 2010)

I'm so glad you posted this. As a horse owner with horses that have had serious dental issues, one of the first things I asked my vet was, "How do their teeth look??" I'm one of those hyper-aware people who believes that animals have pretty much the same medical needs as humans, and that proper dental care is medical care.


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## Poverty Knob Goats (Apr 13, 2010)

Tam,
Thanks for posting this. I am an equind dentist by trade and fully understand the importance of equilabration and group function in the mouth. Small ruminants are often overlooked in the world of dentistry, but as we all know if they can't eat they can't produce!

J.L.


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## Laverne (Apr 4, 2010)

J.L have you ever floated a goats teeth and do you think a mini horse float would fit well in a goats mouth?


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## IXEL (May 17, 2010)

Poster idea for fair!


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## Poverty Knob Goats (Apr 13, 2010)

I have floated some of my goats. I used a slim line float from Capps Mfg.


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