Welcome to Lake Area Animal Hospital!

Lake Area Animal Hospital

Lake Area Animal Hospital
8762 State Rd 21
 Melrose, FL 32666
(352)475-2326

Clinic Email:
lakevets@yahoo.com
(NOT for urgent situations:
please expect a 4-5 day delay 
for response to your email)

Lake Area Animal Hospital
7410 State Hwy 301
 Hawthorne, FL 32640
(352)481-4333

Routine Dentistry


Horses need regular preventive dental maintenance every six months to one year. Unlike people, horses' teeth have an eruption rate of two-three mm per year. The teeth should wear in correspondence to yearly eruption rate. Malocclusions, or improper position of the teeth, can lead to many health issues and behavioral problems.

Identifying dental problems as early as possible is important. There are several factors that come into play at a young age that might increase treatment needed, or make a remedy even possible: loss of food while eating; eats hay before his grain; grain in water bucket; difficulty chewing or excess salivation; loss of body condition; large undigested food particles in manure larger than one quarter inch; head tilting or tossing; bit chewing; tongue lolling; tries to rear while bridling; fighting the bit or resisting the bridal; bucking or failing to stop or turn; foul odor from the mouth or nostrils; traces of blood in the mouth; or nasal discharge or swelling of the face. Other horses may not show noticeable signs, because they just simply adapt to their discomfort.