SHERLOCK'S PAGE 11
Wolf Teeth

© 2006 Cherry Hill

 Sherlock was gelded at 6 months. Since his wolf teeth hadn't appeared yet, they were not removed at that customary time. At 18 months of age, I saw that he had two medium sized upper wolf teeth. Most wolf teeth are located right next to the premolars but Sherlock's were about an inch in front of his premolars - this left a dangerous gap that could allow the mouthpiece of a snaffle bit to either bang on the wolf teeth or get caught in between the wolf teeth and the premolars.

     So this spring, at 24 months of age, with Sherlock backed into the loose stocks, my new veterinarian, Dr. Greg Farrand, sedated Sherlock and removed his wolf teeth. A simple on-the-farm procedure that took about 10 minutes.

	Dr. Greg Farrand uses an adjustable crutch to support a sedated horse's head. He added extra padding to the underarm pad and it serves as an underchin pad to hold up Sherlock's head as he works. Richard really liked the crutch!
	Dr. Greg Farrand uses a headlamp to help him see into the dark recesses of Sherlock's mouth.
	Sherlock's wolf teeth, showing the very shallow roots. There is about 1/2" of tooth above the gum and 1/2" of root below the gum. The wolf tooth on the left has more tissue debris so it only looks longer.