[jarn]

when i took teagan in the first week, the vet was being weird and acting scared of her (has since been GREAT w/taking teagan in around her issues that led to her HD diagnosis). on one of her bottom canines, the vet noted there was a stain.

i don't know why i never felt it myself - but i did this weekend. it is a brown spot - but it's not just a stain, it's an actual....hole? well, it doesn't go through, but you know what i mean - there is tooth missing there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it indents.

eeeek!

i've been googling rotten dog teeth and all that comes up if people w/dogs that have dirty teeth or teeth falling out - nothing like this.

teagan eats raw, with stuff like chicken, she gets through it as quickly as luc, usually. i gave them bone in the blade steaks on saturday, and she takes longer w/the bone than him on something like that. but she can do it. and she's constantly carrying toys and tugging w/me, and seems to be okay.

has anyone experienced this? what did you do? i wondered about having the tooth pulled but she doesn't seem particularly bothered by it. other than this, her teeth are great.

 

[tibvixie101]

as long as its not bothering her i would wait it out a little bit and see what happens.

 

[jarn]

thanks. i'm a bit worried, b/c i think she favours it sometimes (a bit slower on the RMBs) but overall seems to be okay - i always figured there was issues inside her tooth, i never actually realized it was missing tooth on the outside. i've never seen anything like it before....yuch!

 

[LisaT]

I would get rid of it (pull it). Slow infections caused by teeth can cause all sorts of problems in the body.

 

[ChristieL]

I would have your vet do a full dental cleaning and see how bad the situation is. There are some products out there were once they clean her teeth and the hole if its not to big they can fill it like they do human teeth. Plus there canines is one of the hardest teeth to pull because they are so deeply rooted.

 

[jarn]

really? that'd be great if they could fill it. (though, heh, if they pulled it, i'd win more at tug - just kidding, i usually let her win - cause, you know, her confidence needs so much boosting :rollseyes: )

lisa - i was wondering that, but i don't think she's abscessing or anything. her gums there seem to be okay and the tooth is fairly solid, she's just got this hole that's all brown in the middle. i've never seen anything like it.

 

[ChristieL]

I work in a Veterinarian office we do dental work on dogs all the time . I would research and see if your Vet or a Vet in your area does dental work.

 

[jarn]

my vet does dental work....i think i just associate vet dental work w/either straight cleanings, which teagan doesn't need at the moment, or with pullings.

i may be switching vets to a more holistic vet, mostly b/c they'll titer for me, but i'd rather bug my regular vet to do that since they have been great to work w/regarding teagan's HD. the holistic vet doesn't always put the dogs out to do dental work, which is nice on one hand, though i've also heard those cleanings generally aren't as thorough. feeding raw has helped luc's teeth a great deal, but years of shelter kibble means he does NEED a cleaning.

 

[Maedchen]

The brown stuff in the middle is from the bacteria braking up the food and enamel. It's called caries.

If possible I'd clean it out regularly to avoid growing of the hole from of the bacteria, until you get the filling done. But if the hole is tiny, doesn't seem deep and you can manage to clean it, I'd prob. just leave it alone.

 

[jarn]

wow! caries! this is awesome, i'd never even heard of those before. not to mention now i know dogs can get fillings!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_caries
hers is not as bad as the one in the pic, but - yeah - that's it. i'd say it's about a .5cmX.5cm, though that's from memory. not nearly as yucky looking as the one in the pic. it doesn't seem to have worsened since i got her, but i'll start cleaning it.

i do like the vet we have been going to, but this is why she did a crappy job that first visit - it's not a stain, it's a carie (now that i'm all knowledgable). of course, i should've checked before, so that's my fault.