Bob and Sue got a visit from Dr. Koehler the equine dentist. Usually our regular veterinarian can handle the routine stuff but when he saw some of the work Sue needed he made a referral. Dental work in horses is pretty important. Unlike humans, horses jars move in two directions. The bottom jaw rotates in a kind of circular grinding motion along with being able to do the open and closing action. Because of the wear pattern, the outsides of the upper and lower molars do not make a contact and can get very sharp over time. When the bit is used it actually pulls the cheeks against the sharp edges and can cause discomfort. Both horses needed to have their molars "floated" and Sue had to have her wolf tooth pulled.To do the dental work the veterinarian gave both horses a small dose of anesthesia to relax them. The funny thing was he gave them a very small amount with the idea that he would add more if he needed to. Despite only giving Bob and Sue a little more that what a pony would get it totally took them to lah lah land. One of the last things Dr. Koehler said, "man, those horse make a cheap date."
