As Lady Macbeth Might Say

   
Out, damned tooth! out, I say!

Misty spent three days and two nights at the vet clinic last week while they worked on extracting her bad tooth.  

Day 1:  They patiently wiggled the tooth to loosen it.  We're dealing with tooth number 207 on the chart below. (the 2nd upper left premolar)

Day 2:  They spent almost five hours extracting the tooth but could not get all of it out.  It fractured more and they had to remove it in pieces.  Fracturing has been our problem since this ordeal began. The vet has several molar extractors that have worked well for 10 years on all dental cases.  But now they cannot get a good grip on the remaining tooth with their extractors.  They need to acquire some more specialized dental tools; extractors with multiple prongs on the end, I think.

Day 3:  They observed Misty to make sure she was comfortable and eating normally.  The decision was made to send her home for a break.  Misty will return later this week.  About 1/3rd of the tooth remains; hopefully they'll get the rest out without another overnight stay.  Worse case is they'll have to drill into her jaw and punch the tooth out.  I hope it doesn't come to that.

While Misty is home, I am flushing the left side of her mouth twice a day with Chlorhexidine solution mixed in water.  Coincidentally, my own dental hygienist has me using a Chlorhexidine rinse to treat periodontal disease.  So I'm very sincere when I commiserate with Misty on the bad taste.

The good news is we're seeing progress.  Misty is eating well and appears to be in no discomfort.  There is slight inflammation on her cheek from the diseased socket, but she is no longer pocketing a wad of hay the size of my fist in there.

The vet commented on how good-natured and easy Misty has been to work with.  Good behavior deserves a discounted vet bill, don't you think?  A horse owner can hope. 

Modified Triadan from Wikipedia

Misty is an 8 year old Percheron. Her xray is in this post.