Pufferfish rushed to dentist to have its teeth sawed in half after becoming too long to eat

Pufferfish rushed to dentist to have its teeth sawed in half after becoming too long to eat

By Adam Dutton

Source: indy

1/23/2022

Credit: Simon Galloway/SWNS

A goofy pufferfish was rushed to an animal dentist to have her teeth sawed in half - after they grew so long she was unable to eat.

Goldie the porcupine pufferfish was losing weight and was at risk of starving because of her giant gnashers.

Her worried owner Mark Byatt, 64, rushed the five-year-old fish to the vets who sedated her by filling her water bowl with a mild anaesthetic solution.

Expert animal dentists at Linnaeus-owned Sandhole Veterinary Cente in Snodland, Kent, then used a special saw to gently trim her 1ins teeth in half to allow her to eat.
Vet Daniel Calvo Carrasco said: “Porcupine pufferfish teeth are known as beaks and grow continuously throughout their lives.

“They’re usually kept short naturally, as they’re worn down on their regular diet of hard-shelled foods but, while these foods are provided in her home environment, she is not as forthcoming in eating them as her other tank mates.

“As a result, her upper beak grew to the point where it was hindering her ability to eat effectively.