capping broken k-9 tooth - Page 1

my competition male has broken off a upper K-9 tooth during practice at the Nort America Championship this past weekend . I gathered a few opinions on capping  the canine tooth  and so far only got one negative  lost cap after one set of bitework ( 15 years  ago ) current statistics on treatments with caps are very refreshing. I made an appointment at a animal dental clinic for an consultation.

Anyone out there who has done this procedure on their active Schutzhund dogs who would like to share  their expirience ?

Pia

My male cracked both his upper canines and had titanium crowns.  They held up really well for bitework, they had a tendency to go through the jute.  The dentist told me the more tooth they have to work with the stronger the crown is.  I think I had to not work him for at least two weeks after the crowns were put on (he had to eat soft food while we were waiting for the crowns and a couple weeks after.)

We also had a club member with a dog with one crown and he did fine and another dog had all 4 canines done - he wore his teeth down on his kennel.  He lost a crown(and the tooth), but I think I heard it had to do with something hitting him in the mouth.  They found the tooth recently after the fall fires.

It's not cheap, but it is worth it.  My male is now retired, but he eats raw and the teeth are doing fine.

Wow Pia I was wondering why you had a pull! So Sorry to hear about your boy.

We have a club member with a titanium molar, it is one of the front big ones, and he had put in several years ago, I think more than 5,  the dog still does Schutzhund as well as suit work.  Not a k9 but the cap has held its place.  Not cheap, but it has worked!

Good luck.

had a male who broke bottom left canine almost in half. had it capped, and had titanium cap put over. it was extremely strong, i would imagine a great deal depends on who has done the procedure. none the less never a problem and this dog had no regards for his self in the bitework.

thinking back, i bet just the normal cap would have done the trick

I've been wondering about this...can a dog that's worn the points off its bottom canines still do bitework? Top ones look okay in this case.

had a male who broke bottom left canine almost in half. had it capped, and had titanium cap put over. it was extremely strong, i would imagine a great deal depends on who has done the procedure. none the less never a problem and this dog had no regards for his self in the bitework.

thinking back, i bet just the normal cap would have done the trick

a great deal depends on who has done the procedure.

Yeah Danny  that was my concern thgis morning.....the facility I opted on has done numerous Police dogs  so I  hope Eon is in good hands .

I would just do a rootcanal but  due to him breaking both upper and lower ( last year ) on the same side  makes me worry about his future  performance  . This dogs defence grips are the best and  if I want to continue to compete at the highest level a slight slip on those presentations could cause placement loss. I sure don't want that for the dog ....

where did your have your dogs teeth done ??

Pia

My male broke an upper canine.  He ended up needing a root canal and having the tooth capped.  They took pictures of the whole procedure for me.  Quite interesting.   That was about five years ago and has held up well to bite work and all other training he has done.  It's still as firmly in place as it was when it was put on.  

My female broke a lower canine many, many years ago.  I opted only for the root canal since she's just a pet.  The tooth continued to wear down and eventually fell out.   I've always wondered if capping it would have prevented that. 

As mentioned, a lot may depend on who does the procedure.  Also keep in mind that the shape of the cap can effect the outcome.  The first cap they made for my male ended up too hooked at the end and they had to have another lab make a second one.  The second one also came more curved at the bottom than the vet wanted, but not by much.  She was able to file it down with a drill and it turned out fantastic.  Since this vet was used to working with schutzhund dogs, she said the extra curving may cause the cap to get caught in the sleeve and potentially cause it to be pulled out. 

Thank you for all the input both here and in private emails. 

Tiango thanks for mentioning the curved tip  I will keep this in mind when they cast Eon's new teeth .  He has one broken k-9 that has been treated with a root canal  last year and I will have it capped also .   

Kari .........yeah it really bummed me out  to pull the dog . I did try to continue but he showed pain during the retrieves  that boy never did drop the dumbell  but it sure took the wind out of his sails ,the dog was very uncomfortable .  He did about the best vorraus he ahs ever done   straight like an arrow and fast !!  Eon knows the vorraus is the end and  he was done .poor dog  . I should have pulled him before obedience but I wanted to give it a shot .

Pia

Bless his soul, he was hurting yet got out there and did the job, with a tooth ache.