Tooth Pain In An 'old' Dog

[cornell]

Thanks to Matthew's help we now suspect that the shooting pains my girl has been experiencing may be due to a dental issue rather than a joint or spinal issue. For as long as I can remember she has always chewed her bones on the left side. Her gum is red and inflamed on the right side. In a younger dog the tooth would probably be removed but Tia is now 11 which is obviously very risky.

What non surgical methods do you think that should we try?

[cavNrott]

Take her to the vet please. My 14yo Rottweiler had 2 bad teeth extracted without any problems.

My 6yo Rottweiler I noticed was chewing only on the right side of her mouth. Her gum was only very slightly inflamed. I took her to the vet because the chewing on one side only was recent. As it turned out she had oral cancer and I lost her after 12 months of treatment by an oncologist.

[GoldenWei]

Indy had a bad tooth removed at 12 - no issues with the removal under anesthetic. I second the vet. Unfortunately he had to be PTS due to an oral cancer only a few months later.

[cornell]

I am so sorry to hear what you went through. It must have been heart breaking.

We will take her to the vet that we have been working with in the morning to get another opinion. Until then I thought that I would ask DOL about different ways of tackling this issue as they say 'two heads are better than one'.

Has anyone used the PetzLife Oral care products?

[Jumabaar]

Thanks to Matthew's help we now suspect that the shooting pains my girl has been experiencing may be due to a dental issue rather than a joint or spinal issue. For as long as I can remember she has always chewed her bones on the left side. Her gum is red and inflamed on the right side. In a younger dog the tooth would probably be removed but Tia is now 11 which is obviously very risky.

What non surgical methods do you think that should we try?

Go and see a specialist!! I can't recommend anyone but Dr Christine Hawke might be able to recommend someone (phone number is on this page http://www.sydneypetdentistry.com.au/) She is really nice and easy to talk to so it is worth a call. A good specialist will be as quick as they can be and have lots of monitoring equipment to make sure it goes smoothly!!

If your dogs in a fair amount of pain I don't think you have a choice about doing a dental- think how much pain you would be in if it were you!

Edited January 6, 2012 by Jumabaar

[karly101]

From working as a vet nurse we routinely do dentals on very old dogs (14+), I can only recall one instance where we stopped anaesthetic due to the dogs health issues. The anaesthetics we use are quite amazing in how quick the dog can recover especially with coupled with IV fluids.

In all cases, the owner commented how they had a different dog after the procedure. Yes there are risks but if her teeth are causing issues a dental is the best option and will give immediate relief. She most likely needs extractions and there are no products on the market that will help with that.. once you have done the dental then the gels/diets can help you maintain the teeth.

[persephone]

11 isn't all that old ..and if she already has pain/inflammation, then the supermarket/pet shop oral care stuff is not going to help.

[cornell]

I just realised that my title sounded a bit dramatic so should also add that she is not yelping in pain, she is not avoiding food in any way and she is quite happy in herself. Nevertheless we are still going back to the vet to investigate the inflamed gum and the muscle spasms which occur at odd times.

Thanks for the reassurance guys!

Edited January 6, 2012 by cornell

[Jumabaar]

I just realised that my title sounded a bit dramatic so should also add that she is not yelping in pain, she is not avoiding food in any way and she is quite happy in herself. Nevertheless we are still going back to the vet to investigate the inflamed gum and the muscle spasms which occur at odd times.

Thanks for the reassurance guys!

I have heard of a dog happily eating food after having all its lower teeth whipper snipped in half with the pulp showing . And the dog still bouncing around after having nommed a chain saw. When it comes to mouths dogs are particularly stoic, so if you see a small indication of pain there is the chance that your dog is in quite a bit of pain and just hiding it.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Could you live with a toothache? I certainly couldn't.

11 is not that old. I rescue dogs and have rescued quite a few old dogs of 10+. Last Easter I rescued a 14.5 yr old who hadn't seen a vet since she was born.

She needed almost all of her teeth out, she has a heart problem caused by being left with bad teeth (and is on lots of meds now) - they can affect all their organs. In October she had another tooth or two out and lumps removed - she feels so much better for it. The vets use a light anaesthetic.

Dogs will still eat, it's a survival instinct although I just picked up another surrendered dog with a mouth full of bad teeth, he wouldn't even eat the meatballs you buy in the supermarket, could only manage a tiny bit of soft meat.

He had his surgery a few days later and lost 7 teeth. A few days of soft food and he's eating biscuits with great enthusiasm.

So unless there is a defined medical reason that your vet tells you it can't be done (and there rarely is), ALWAYS get a bad tooth/teeth out.

[Malamum]

We just had our almost 10 year old (large breed) dog put under a general for a full dental and everything went smoothly. The vet never mentioned to me that his age would be an issue so it never even occurred to me that it might be.