Woman Becomes Animal Dentist After Spotting Squirrel With Overgrown Teeth

Jannet Talbott was watching the squirrels in her yard one day when she noticed something peculiar. She saw a little fellow with a tooth so long that it hit him in the eye when he ate. She could have just turned her head and let nature do what nature does, but she decided to help.

She named the squirrel Bucky and worried about him for several days while she researched squirrel teeth. She learned that their teeth continue growing their entire lives and since Bucky’s teeth weren’t getting trimmed by his daily activities, he needed some extra help.

One day, Jannet was able to grab Bucky, however, she was concerned about taking him to a vet. She wasn’t sure if they would treat him, so she decided to perform this rodent dentistry herself. In her research, she found that squirrels don’t have feeling in their teeth, so she fetched her cuticle trimmers.

Bucky’s teeth were much worse than she expected. It wasn’t just one tooth that was overgrown. He had a mouthful of giant choppers that needed trimming. It’s hard to imagine how he was able to properly eat!

“His mouth was an absolute mess. His upper incisors were curled around and growing inside his mouth,” Bucky’s hero said. “When he ate, his teeth were rubbing on his face. He was so horrific.”

She gave him some time to calm down. Even though he wouldn’t be in pain, she didn’t want him to be overly stressed as she chopped off his long teeth.

“Then I got my trimmers, swaddled him and went to work,” Talbott said. “It took under 10 minutes. He was totally relaxed the whole time. It was kind of serious dentistry, but he was such a good patient.”

As soon as she released Bucky, he immediately hopped on a branch and began exploring the world without enormous teeth. Jannet is hopeful her act of kindness inspires others to do the same.

“If what I did for Bucky inspires someone else to help an animal in need, that is honestly a dream come true for me,” she said.

Source: Western Journal