Please give a brief description of the following diseases/conditions. Include treatment and prevention aspects as well: IN HORSES

Horse Diastema: Treatments and Prevention

Diastema refers to a horse condition where the gap between two of their upper incisors is present. It can be as small as a tiny gap or as large and wide. Because the condition looks like a parrot beak, it is sometimes called “parrot lips”. The condition is common in domestic and wild horses and can also affect Arabians or Thoroughbreds. (Hendrix et al., 2020). It is not known what causes diastema, although it may be caused by environmental factors or genetics (O’Neill et.al., 2018). This can either be an inheritance trait or the result of poor nutrition (Hendrix et al., 2020). The treatment of diastema involves teeth work. You can either file the teeth, or use special equipment to put a wedge between them to make them fit together (Hendrix 2020). Some cases may require surgery to close the gaps.