Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE: Teeth trimming
Heather, I have a question that might benefit everyone too. Our old vet
broke one of our herdsire's incisors trimming it with an OB wire and now I'm
afraid to try it. How do you avoid this outcome and has it ever happened to
you? Any advice on how much pressure to use? Thanks.
SUSAN OLSON
Alpaca Loco
Riverside, CA
In a message dated 1/27/2009 10:56:35 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
alpacatalk@westwind
Yes, the incisors are the ones in the front. With a new wire, there
is no smoke, just a bit of dust. And it goes so fast the teeth are
trimmed before you know it!
We just trimmed a yearling's teeth the other day and it literally
took only about 5 strokes with the wire. And since the wire is so
cheap at Valley Vet, you can always have a fresh one when the last
one starts losing its cutting power. Adult teeth are much more
substantial than baby teeth, but they still cut quickly and easily
with a new-ish piece of wire.
Oooo, price has gone up, $12.75 for 11 yards. And free shipping!
_http://www.valleyve
(http://www.valleyve
a192-00b0d0204ae5
I cut off about 2 feet of wire for tooth trimming, That's 16 lengths
for teeth! Most people will never have to buy more than one of these,
as long as it doesn't get lost between uses! You can also buy
handles, but the handle they sell at valleyvet doesn't look like what
we need for tooth trimming. It's also just as easy to wrap the ends
of the wire around a 6" length of 1/2" or so dowel if you don't want
to wrap them around your fingers, or even a stick from an oak tree!
I did wear out a piece doing the boys' incisors and fighting teeth
last summer, but we have 15 adult males. Not everyone needed trims,
but I'd say we did at least 5 sets of fighting teeth and incisors
from all the boys. The piece we have down at the girls area doesn't
get used as much for some reason.
I'm not really sure how much pain or discomfort is caused by trimming
teeth. Of course an old dull wire will generate heat which will
probably be alarming to the alpaca. With new length of new wire, the
fighting teeth also take 5 good strong strokes or less.
With incisors, just be careful not to take more than 1/3 of the tooth
off at a time to give the pulp opportunity to recede. Otherwise there
will be bleeding, and I don't know if there are nerves in the pulp or
not, but I'd rather trim the teeth again in a month or two than risk
it. That reminds me, we do have some boys who need those touch-ups.
And, here's a personal observation on trimming teeth. I think they
like having teeth at the right length. The little maiden whose teeth
we trimmed the other day wouldn't let us look at her teeth before we
trimmed them. Afterward, she stood calmly for me to take pics of her
bite, while my mom opened her lips. This girl's sire had his teeth
trimmed a couple of years ago, and I'd see him feeling the edge of
his "new" teeth with his tongue for months afterward. He'd always had
trouble keeping them worn down uniformly so one side was longer than
the other.
I like trimming teeth. :)
Heather
On Jan 27, 2009, at 7:30 AM, _houckj@aol.
> <<<<We trim incisors and fighting teeth with an OB wire, available
> from
> Valley Vet >>>>
>
> OK, really dumb question that I should know the answer to.....are the
> incisors the bottom 2 teeth (that on mine are incredibly long)?
> Those are the teeth I am concerned with needing to trim back. I have
> seen the fighting teeth trimming with OB wire.....created a LOT of
> smoke
> and pain/discomfort in the one that it was done to.
>
> Thanks Heather.
> Janice
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