Obi has been in the wars again - he's somehow chipped both his canine teeth. We don't know how. On dog teeth the protective enamel layer is very thin. He's knocked off the enamel on a patch on each tooth. Under the enamel is dentin, which has a nerve and blood supply. Dentin has the capacity to repair itself to some degree and when it does it goes brown. That's what the brown 'stains' are. We have taken him to the vet tonight and he has a referral to a veterinary dentist in Sydney (about 3 hours away - unfortunately there are no doggie dentists in Canberra). Hopefully we can see her by the end of the month. The chips are relatively minor but they are probably somewhat painful, plus, left untreated, infection may be possible down the track. My uneducated guess is that, if the doggie dentist thinks that treatment is needed, he'll end up with a couple of fillings. We really would like to know how he did it so we can address the cause. Obi doesn't chew on anything hard (no stones, metal, ice, wire). He does get smoked cow bones at daycare (which I don't approve of - they are too hard) but I doubt that a bone would chip both canines in that way. My old dog, Nicolae, fractured a tooth on a cow leg bone - but it was the large pre-molar that they use for gnawing (he had a root canal to save the tooth). Anyway, we are going to ask at daycare tomorrow to see if they have noticed him chewing on anything odd. He may have done it while playing - he does fling himself around with his mouth open when having a good wrestle. But it's odd that the chips are so symmetrical. Watch this space! Oh, and one thing of interest for PetPlan insurance holders. If you read the fine print you'll see that they cover dental trauma only if the dog has had a vet check on his/her teeth in the 12 months prior to the injury. No vet dental check in the last 365 days, no pay. So, make sure you ask your vet to look at your dog's teeth and document it at least once a year (when you are visiting for something else) so you are covered for teeth fractures
Re: Chipped teeth Wow what a weird injury. Almost looks like he's been holding something smallish and hard and has had it tugged out of his mouth by another dog or something. Very odd. Let us know what the dentist thinks and that's a very good tip about PetPlan insurance, people tend not to read the small print. Just get a dental check noted at booster or annual health check time and that covers it.
Re: Chipped teeth Oh no! Poor Obi (and poor you, no doubt canine dentists won't be cheap). Hugely useful post though, thanks for the info. I'll be really interested if anyone has seen this before. The damage on each side is really similar, isn't it? Gosh, wonder how he did that!
Re: Chipped teeth Poor Obi...off to the dentist for him then. & thanks for pointing out the Insurance small print. Nice to have advanced notice Hope it goes ok Rachael. Keep us updated please?
Re: Chipped teeth [quote author=Lochan link=topic=2456.msg24068#msg24068 date=1378204054] Wow what a weird injury. Almost looks like he's been holding something smallish and hard and has had it tugged out of his mouth by another dog or something. [/quote] Yeah, good thought - it does look like that.... Julie, yes, I'm expecting it will be a bit pricey...! The root canal my old doggie had cost the equivalent of about £700 and that was about 12 years ago and one tooth only. There was only one veterinary dentist in the whole country then, in Melbourne. The person we are seeing in Sydney did some of her training with him. I'll keep you all posted
Re: Chipped teeth Poor boy. (again) Good luck with the dentist, and thanks for pointing out the insurance small print
Re: Chipped teeth Gosh,isn't there always something ......has he seemed grumpy because they are hurting him?let us know how the dentist visits goes....what a trek and something not so nice at the end or him :'( we are sorry for the Obster xxx
Re: Chipped teeth Oh gosh, what a pain for Obi - and for you!! Hope the doggy dentist sorts it all without it being too exorbitant. And that you work out what caused it, to avoid a recurrence...
Re: Chipped teeth He's not grumpy, Angela He's outwardly very happy. I think it's just that they tend to hide pain. When Nicolae split his carnassial I only knew he had a problem because I noticed, when brushing his teeth, that the tooth was discoloured. When I touched it he leapt sideways. As our vet said last night - a dog can have a mouthful of decaying teeth and every meal is excruciating, but you'd never know from their behaviour. But often, once things are fixed, the dog has a new lease on life.
Re: Chipped teeth Thanks Helen and everyone else It is a worry for us, but it definitely helps to be able to tell all of you lovely people about it. I'm sure he'll be totally fine in the end. But I just wish I knew how he'd done it....!!!
Re: Chipped teeth oh no, only just read this post, dear obi always seems to be in the wars b he is so lucky to have a wonderful home sure the day care would have noticed if he had done it there, i have no experience as you know, but to me it looks like he as took a bang to his mouth perhaps from another dog or a tug of war .......poor obi gets over one thing then another ........i feel so upset for him, ....how did you notice was you cleaning his teeth ? i worry i may miss some thing like this on my jasper ???
Re: Chipped teeth Yes, I noticed when I was cleaning his teeth. I think that either the tug of war or 'teeth clash' with another dog are the most likely explanations too (could even be two separate incidents for each tooth). The daycare lady said this morning that she'd never seen him chewing on anything that might have caused it.
Re: Chipped teeth So we have an appointment in Sydney on Saturday the 14th Sept. Will let you know how it all goes!
Re: Chipped teeth Ill remember that Rachael because its the day after I get back.....makes me shudder to think that they hide pain so well.......brave dogs we've all got!hope he's ok until then...I guess there isn't anything you can do for an injury like that,best wishes Obi......( Camembert cheese doesn't need crunching .....hit your Mum up for a treat )
Re: Chipped teeth [quote author=Oberon link=topic=2456.msg24062#msg24062 date=1378203771] Oh, and one thing of interest for PetPlan insurance holders. If you read the fine print you'll see that they cover dental trauma only if the dog has had a vet check on his/her teeth in the 12 months prior to the injury. No vet dental check in the last 365 days, no pay. So, make sure you ask your vet to look at your dog's teeth and document it at least once a year (when you are visiting for something else) so you are covered for teeth fractures [/quote] I've just sorted my insurance out & it says exactly the same. So next week teeth check when Charlie has his jab. I think this is a good reminder to everyone to have a teeth check & to look at the small print
Re: Chipped teeth [quote author=Dexter link=topic=2456.msg24312#msg24312 date=1378359711] ( Camembert cheese doesn't need crunching .....hit your Mum up for a treat ) [/quote] LOL, he'll be in that for sure. ;D He might get a little treat on the weekend - Camembert Kong!
Re: Chipped teeth He seems fine, thanks Lynne We just had our obedience class tonight and he went well.
Re: Chipped teeth good for obi wish i was as brave as obi......keep me posted i always feel for him , from that first scar he had,.....i was talking about him for days to my mark, ....i have shown my mark every photo of obi, what a brave boy, oh and a brave owner
