We went for a dental check up at the vet today. His teeth are clean and his gums are healthy But his teeth are quite worn. I was concerned as I noticed test his one canine was worn but it's worn right down and the soft part of his tooth has begun to be exposed. His molars on his right side are also worn. He's only two and a half so quite young for his teeth to be worn down this much. Not much can be done now, the damage is done. No more antlers - we had taken these away a while ago No more carrying his ball on walks. I may need root canal treatment or be removed if there is further damage or infection sets in. :'( :'(
Re: Bad news at Dental check up Many sympathies here. Just had my 3.5 year old girl go through dental treatment due to chewing hard stuff...I didn't realise how dodgy a lot of the chews on the market are. Fingers and paws crossed here for your boy that he doesn't need root canal. We were allowed to keep on carrying balls by our dental vet, but not tennis balls, and no type of ball to be carried on the beach (can still throw and have them brought back, just not prolonged carrying with sand on them). My girl had to have an extraction mind you so I guess damage was done and out. We now have an array of lovely teeth friendly balls....
Re: Bad news at Dental check up Sorry to hear this... But credit to you for getting his teeth checked out and for taking it seriously. You've halted any further damage, which is great. The enamel on dog teeth is extremely thin (like 0.1 to less than 1.0mm) and just can't handle repeated exposure to hard or abrasive things, unfortunately. Capping may be an option if the pulp is still alive inside. Did you see a specialist vet dentist, or just a normal vet? I'd really recommend a specialist very soon if you haven't seen one yet. Even if he has to have root canals that'll save the teeth and eliminate any infection risk.
Re: Bad news at Dental check up Otis is eighteen months, and last time he had his teeth checked a couple of weeks ago, the vet described his teeth as great, with a hollywood smile. However he has an antler he has been chewing for quite awhile, and after your post, I will be throwing it away. Its, soft stuff for us now marrow bones, and ruber balls. Thankyou ! x
Re: Bad news at Dental check up The check up was with our normal vet. I'll ring to ask about a cap for his tooth. We also need to check if he us chewing anything when he's with his dog walker. I feel so disappointed with myself to have missed this and let it get so bad. Just need to do what we can now.
Re: Bad news at Dental check up I am sorry, hopefully as you have caught it early, you may yet have some options for Homer
Re: Bad news at Dental check up Don't feel bad, Jes, you've caught it in time. Your dog will keep his teeth. Vet dentistry is very advanced these days. Honestly, there are so many dogs out there whose teeth are stubs, and whose owners do not see that it's a problem and so do nothing. But you are a caring owner who is acted quickly to resolve the problem as soon as it became apparent.
Re: Bad news at Dental check up Whilst it's worrying news for you,thanks for stopping by to share what's happened,it's something we can all benefit from being reminded about x
Re: Bad news at Dental check up Gosh, poor Homer. Glad it has been spotted and I hope they can avoid major treatment. I confess I had never heard about tennis balls specifically being a problem, but it makes sense
Re: Bad news at Dental check up I've got him curled up on my lap. He's been so affectionate yesterday and today, or is it me needed reassurance !? I'll do a bit more research but have found dog dentist specialist, but would rather a recommendation through our vet and from my brother-in-law who is also a vet. I think it's been a combination of : antler chews he used to gnaw on them quite a bit but at the time helped give him calm moments during those manic puppy/adolescent times. Tennis balls, the fury finish traps small prticles of abrasive dirt which grinds on the teeth. New clean ones are better, so keep relaxing them. The trap is they are cheep and easily accessible, and so many dogs on the common have them, they get swapped about all the time, sometimes loose one or come back with two or three. There are rubber balls available but we'd gave to make sure we come back with the right one and not loose them in the river. He loves having a ball and so I've let him carry it along on walks. As we walk along he will do his best to engage any man we pass into a game of fetch. He can be quite persistant and endearing at the same time and had got a smile out of even the grumpiest looking man on the oath. Unfortunately this will have to be limited a bit more now. Any soft stuffed toy gets ripped apart and disembowelled so those are limited to supervised indoor games. It could be that the enamel on his teeth is simply a bit weaker than most.
Re: Bad news at Dental check up Best of luck wit it all. I use rubber balls - pets at home do big nets of them for a few pounds, and I'm sure if you had a look online you'd find them even cheaper...
Re: Bad news at Dental check up A very gentle rubber ball you could get might be the "Holl-ee roller" ball by JW. They are made of soft rubber which is great for throwing around the house as they are quite soft and since they have the holes in them, might make it even better for his teeth. They're not super expensive and they're a bit more distinctive than just rubber balls so you might be able to ID them easier and bring them home. They come in a bunch of different colours as well so you could pick a bright colour to be easier to see. http://www.amazon.ca/JW-Pet-Company-Hol-ee-5-Inches/dp/B0002DJX44
