Equine dentistry lesson

Don't be scared, no horses were harmed in the writing of this post! Sizzle had her teeth "floated" yesterday, a procedure which looks much worse than it is.

"Floating" is done to remove sharp points from the teeth, and it's important to keep horses healthy and comfortable. Especially old horses like Sizzle who will decline fast if they can't eat enough.

First, the veterinarian arrives in his truck, and your horse eyes it very suspiciously. Not only does she recognize his voice, but she knows the truck is filled with things that she doesn't like.

But no worries, because one quick shot later, and Sizzle has enough tranquilizer to send a 1,000 pound animal way off to la-la land for about an hour. Soon the harness is on, and the big, heavy, uncooperative head is hoisted up (grunt! pull!) and tied. Sizzle stays standing through the entire thing, but her thoughts are elsewhere...

Now the vet is ready to begin.
First, the examination. Not bad for an old mouth, plenty of teeth left. Those aren't cavities and fillings, but just the remains of breakfast, and that granola bar she ate before the vet arrived.
The "floating" is done with a round, rotating "float"on the end of a long pipe attached to an electric drill. (No kidding.)
The "drilling" makes a horrible grinding noise which bothers the owner much more than the horse-- they feel vibration, but don't have nerves in their teeth like we do. And of course a dose of horse tranquillizer never hurts when you go to the dentist. It's too bad my hygienist doesn't supply it!

In just a few seconds, the razor sharp "points" are off. A final polish on the front teeth, and she's awake and good to go.

Here's a little U-Tube video , for those of you who made it this far :-)