[Katie]

My poor Buckley boy - he has broken a couple of teeth over the past couple of years - his teeth seem kind of weak and I think it's because of all the destructive chewing he did due to separation anxiety when we first got him. He chewed our door frames and then when we finally had to crate him to prevent further damage, he would chew the crate. He broke one that way, then 2 years later another chewing on a rawhide bone. I stopped giving him the bones, but let him keep his Nylabone. Yesterday or today he broke another, we have no idea how. So now he is minus his upper left canine and his lower right one.

He eats just fine, doesn't seem to be in pain or discomfort. I don't want to subject him to general anaesthetic to have them filed or removed if it's not really necessary. Is that okay? I feel so badly for my little boo...don't know what to do to prevent this from happening!

Any thoughts/experience on this?

 

[Murphys Dad]

Our Traveler has a bad habit of chewing on trees when he's after prey. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif Because of this, he's broken a couple of teeth so badly that they had to be removed. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif The vet tried to keep from extracting the last one, but that turned out to be more harmful than not. I know dogs don't show pain like humans, but by the time we said that tooth had to go, Traveler was thin and lethargic. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif This was at the same time his liver enzymes went so high, so he was an uncomfortable doggy. By the way, he was still eating okay despite the problems.

My advice would be to have your vet check the broken teeth 'cause a bad tooth can cause a dog many problems just like it would humans. Traveler showed a dramatic improvement after the tooth extraction. After that and the treatment for his elevated liver enzymes, he gained weight and returned to his normal self. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[cheerio]

I totally agree with Sandyj. A broken tooth is aften at the origine of an unexplained illness such as depression, lethargy and poor apetite. Furthermore, dental issues have been link to liver diseases. So have him checked. If all is well, you can leave it the way it is but keep an eye on it as it can give problem in the future.
There is also another reason why you should have him checked: Lack of calcium. Dogs' teeth do not brake easily and are made to withstand quite a bite of abuse. When a dog keeps breaking his teeth, it is a good idea to make sure it is due to his bad chewing habit and not to some type of dental decalcification. Vitamin C is a good idea for dogs who seems to break their teeth often, as it helps the retention of calcium.

 

[Murphys Dad]

A broken tooth is also considered an open wound and a good place for an infection to start.

Take Buckley to your vet and let them diagnose and decide on a treatment.

 

[Katie]

Thanks so much for your advice - we are heading to the vet tomorrow evening to have it checked. We are also taking Jewelie to get microchipped and licensed /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Off topic - we took them to my parents' house last night when we went for dinner. They were pretty good, although Jewelie polished off the little bit of red pepper dip that we unwisely left on the coffee table! Anyways, my mom kept saying "Ooooh...she's SO cute! I can see why you fell in love with her!" It was funny because mom is not a big dog person but has come to love Buckley. When we told her we were thinking of getting a second dog, she thought we were nuts because Buckley is such a busy boy. Amazing how our sweet little beags can win people over with their cuteness!!