Although Jannet Talbott lives on a ranch in rural Alberta, Canada, she is never alone because there are always animals around her.
The animal enthusiast looks out for all of the numerous domestic and wild creatures that call her property home.
She once spotted something strange on the face of a squirrel she was observing as he ate a snack from her bird feeder.
Talbott said to The Dodo, “I could see there was something on the side of his face.” “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a massive tooth growing out of his mouth,’ as I got closer.”
Although squirrels’ four front teeth are constantly growing, most of them are maintained short by their incessant nibbling on nuts and seeds. This squirrel had somehow avoided this, and Jannet was aware that he was in trouble.
Since the squirrel was unable to chew on anything, Jannet surmised that he was subsisting on powdered bird food as the tooth grew closer to his eye.
She now had the challenging challenge of attempting to apprehend Bucky, as she called him, in order to provide him with the assistance he need.
I happened to spot him in the feeder one day. It resembled divine intervention. She remarked, “I just had to reach in and grab him.” I simply kept telling him, ‘I’m going to assist you, Bucky,’ once I had him in my grasp. You will be alright.
Jannet discovered that the canine-challenged squirrel had more than one dental problem when she held it in her hands.
His mouth was in complete disarray. She described how his top incisors were growing within his mouth and curved around. His teeth rubbed on his face as he ate. He was really horrifying.
She grabbed her cuticle trimmers and tried the task herself since she was afraid that if she took Bucky to a veterinarian, they might not be able to help him and the trip would cause him too much stress.
Jannet swaddled Bucky and closed his eyes after studying some YouTube videos that taught him how to do it. Bucky instantly calmed down, which was fortunate for this gifted rancher because the task only took ten minutes.
According to CBC Canada, Jannet stated that the squirrel was in “no hurry to get away” even after she had completed trimming since squirrels lack feeling in their teeth.
He raced to a branch and began massaging his tiny cheeks as soon as I led him outside. He seemed unable to comprehend the loss of those teeth. “He continued to rub his face,” she remarked.
When I spotted him again in the feeder the following day, he was grinning like the cutest little squirrel ever. He was simply overjoyed.
Jannet now wants to encourage people to assist a needy animal.
“Animals always seem to come to me when they need help, and I really feel a deep connection with them,” she continued.
“I always enjoy helping them, and I believe that if we all contributed a little, it would add up to a lot.”
I can only image how anxious Jannet must have been to try dentistry on this distressed creature, but I’m glad she did because if she hadn’t been brave that day, he might have starved to death.
