We’ve been slowly getting Onyx caught up on all of her vaccinations this past month or so, and today she was healthy enough to get her teeth done! In the horse world, we will “float” the horse’s teeth, which is essentially filing down any sharp points and making sure the teeth on the bottom “match” the teeth on the top. In the wild, horses eat for eight hours a day, so they naturally wear their teeth down. In domestic situations, even when we feed them several times a day, their teeth still grow a little faster than they can wear down naturally, so we need to call the vet to have any waves or sharp edges filed down. This helps keep the horse from getting ulcers in their cheeks from the points, plus it allows them to better chew their food.
Onyx had a few very sharp points (the vet called her sabre tooth!), and her front teeth have not been cared for, so the teeth grow at an angle. The vet made sure to file everything to the point that she was able to grind her teeth, which will help her get more nutrition out of her food. There was only so much of the crossbite that the vet could fix, but at least Onyx no longer has any sharp points poking at her cheeks as she eats. She also has a cracked tooth, but we decided to leave it in for now, as it doesn’t appear to be too badly damaged, and it is a molar that will help her eat more effectively. We will keep an eye on it, and make sure to check it when she gets her teeth done again.
Overall, Onyx was a very good patient during the float, and came out of the sedation relatively quickly. We are hopeful that she will begin to gain weight more quickly now!
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- Filing down the front teeth- you can see how they are higher on the left side than the right.
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- Dr. Bowen works to file down the sharp edges while Megan stands next to Onyx for reassurance
