Re: [AlpacaTalk] Fw: trimming feet etc, trimming teeth
Unforunately, for us anyway, tooth trimming does require at least 3
people, one to hold the head, mouth open and lips back, and another
person to hold the animal from getting away. Oh, and the person to man
the wire or dremel. We do use a chute sometimes, but it's in the barn
and rather a good walk from the boys' feed stalls. :)
Handles are available for the wire, we don't use them but just wrap the
wire around (my) fingers with gloved hands. The person manning the head
will hold a piece of PVC in the alpaca's mouth to keep it open or some
people use a rope dog chew toy to hold the tongue back, then I will
position the wire and begin sawing away. Person #3 will hold the animal
from escaping. Also person #2 will maybe spray some water from a squirt
bottle on the teeth to keep cool. That is not a requirement. It sounds
complicated and a lot of work, but it really is over in about 30
seconds.
For the dremel on fighting teeth, everything is pretty much the same
but I will use a dremel with a diamond bit. I can't find it on the
dremel site, but it's about a 3/8" bit with a rounded top and
impregnated with diamond. The rounded edge prevents cutting the boy's
tongue if the gets it near the tool while I'm trimming the tooth. And
what I do is just sand down the sharp edges with the tool, and take the
whole tooth down to just above gum level. If the tooth is longer than
1/4", I use the OB wire to saw it off. And it takes maybe 5 strokes
with a new-ish wire. Ours is close to 10 years old and requires about
twice as many strokes as it used to and I have to put on a lot more
pressure pulling to get the same cutting effectiveness. But since the
thing is so cheap, you can easily afford a new one every year! :)
Valleyvet has 11 yards for $11.49! Shoot, you can go in on it with 4
other people and have one for years to come!
Heidi, my daughter and I may be coming up in the near future after
AlpacaMania to look at some girls if the owner wasn't too horrified by
my recent faux pas on that other discussion group, maybe we can swing
by and give you a hand.
Heather
Heather Zeleny
West Wind Alpacas
Eugene, OR
Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece
Home of Avatar's West Wind Scirocco, El Bello's Padré, Pluro grandson
Sienna Illusion, and true black full Bolivian Cosby of Chelsea Farms!
http://www.westwind
http://www.alpacana
http://tech.
On Oct 9, 2007, at 8:31 PM, Radched@aol.
>
> I was just going to ask about fighting teeth, knowing that the
> toothomatic won't work on them.
>
> OB wire has handles right? How do you keep the mouth open, or do you
> even need to (with fighting teeth). Lastly, for the dremel, what tool
> do you use, and is it the same for fighting teeth and for incisors.
>
> I have a boy who needs his fighting teeth trimmed, and a couple
> youngster who should soon. I'm hoping I can hold them and my 11 year
> old can do the wire - not something I would try with a toothomatic :)
>
> Heidi
>
> Heidi Christensen
> WingNut Farm Alpacas
> Graham WA
> (253) 846-2168 or (253) 592-0200
> www.wingnut-
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posted by Chaddo at 9:06 PM
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