Dental Extraction - Page 1

Carol ("T") slab-fractured a molar up above the gum line. Its abssessing/infected. The pre-molar next to it is loose too, from the infected gums. I have to have the molar extracted. Anybody have any idea how much I need to ask the devil for for my soul tomorrow? He is otherwise a strong, healthy dog. If he hadn't been laying on his back being silly with his mouth open I might not have seen it for ??? .He shows no outward signs of distress- appetite fine, playful, silly, maybe just a little grumpy with the girl-dogs but they torment him ruthlessly.

I'm going to start him on antirobe in advance of the procedure. Poor baby, slobbering today, but still wanted to work when I was out with the other dogs so I let him do a little obedience for company. I guess we might as well get the rest of his teeth cleaned while we're at it.

Its always SOMETHING... Sigh...

SS

I had my share of doggie dental fun this June.  My seven month old got her (don't laugh....) head stuck in her stainless water bucket and broke off one of her incisors.  I freaked as this was the first time I've delt with anything like this so I rushed her in for a root canal.  All in was about $700.  I have pictures I can scan later and post if you'd like to see.  She is fine the whole ordeal did not phase her a bit, she was just wondering why everyone kept messing with her mouth...

Good luck tomorrow!

Buddy just had a molar out on Thursday last, he'd broken the top of the crown off!  He kept pawing at his face but I couldn't see anything, poor old man was in pain.  £153... don't know what that is in dollars these days.

T already broke a bottom incisor right up the middle 2 yrs.ago. It came out in two pieces, no infection, healed right up.  He would have to fracture a molar... probably need a back hoe to get all 3 of the roots out. I suppose that loose premolar is toast now too. I'm sure glad he is already KK1 for life. A few more pulled/broken teeth and he's going to start looking like most of our neighbors. Good thing he likes to track because he's an FH-only dog now.

SS

"Good thing he likes to track because he's an FH-only dog now"

LOL!!!  Way to see the silver lining

Well... T has 100 pts in FH1 and an SG in FH2. At least he will still have a hobby now that he's permanently retired from Schutzhund bitework. Sure... We'll bring him out and let him gum the sleeve now and then once everything is healed up. He can still help bring along novice helpers. (The emminent domain of the good old dog :-) Who cares about the grips at this point? Ha ha ha.

SS

You can still have a root canal to save the tooth. When the doggy dentist does this, he floods the canal with something like clorox to kill any localized bacteria. Once the infection is cleared, the loose premolar should tighten.

Be sure to go to a vet specializing in dentistry--it will not cost you any more--in my experience.

Also if a large tooth is extracted, some small white beads are imbedded deep below the gumline to form artificial bone to keep the jaw more stable and less likely to fracture.

Thanks for the advice Louise. I guess I'll be calling Univ of PA and Cornell VMTH's in the morning. Sure wish I still lived near UC Davis. Vet care is 2-3x more expensive here than it was in Northern CA, more than most places in the country I am told.

I've been looking for an excuse to go "home" for Xmas...

SS