It took a while to get here, but Montana had his first dental this week. Getting a sensitive horse like Montana OK with being haltered and caught is one thing, getting him to the point where he is OK with the rigamarole of a dental float is quite another. It means a stranger approaching him to sedate (it would be so nice if we could speak a common language with our horses, one where they would understand how relaxed they were about to feel after the mosquito-poke of a needle), and the sounds and sensations (even under drugs) of having a drill running in his mouth. But after a good deal of work and practice with replica situations, like having people unknown to him approach with a ‘tool,’ it was time to get Montana on the books for his doctor appointment.
And our hard work paid off! He was a little bit nervous about the needle, but once that sweet sedation hit, he didn’t fight it at all. The rest of his visit was a breeze, and, for risk of giving TMI, he was a model student for his sheath cleaning.
Another interesting discovery — when we scanned him for a microchip before implanting one of our own, we found that he already had one. Not completely unheard of, but still really interesting when it happens.*
*(Editors note: since the time of this article’s publication, we have discovered an additional microchip in Montana’s neck. Two! Neither one was registered, and we were unable to track them in any meaningful way. Nuts!)
Montana getting his teeth done was not only an important check-in for his health, but also a great step towards ensuring his fully domestic future.
