# Broken Jaw



## Little G (Oct 16, 2005)

Hi all,
yesterday Goliath had a bit of an accident. He was running into the house and instead of watching where he was going he was watching my moms dog who was just ahead of him. He smashed face first into the back step and tore his gum/lip apart, nothing serious just lots of blood, BUT when I was checking him out he had a really loose tooth. I took him to the vets, and she examined him, and says he has a broken chin. (note he is a rescued dog who came to me after 3 previous owners where he was physically abused) Anyway she said that sometimes bad pareodontal disease which he has causes the tooth connections to the bone to weak and thus weakening the bone. Anyway, as she was checking him out she noticed she could move each side of his bottom jaw separately, and said that because of the dental disease it has either been broken for quite a while now..just naturally on its own, OR it was broken during the accident because of the weakening in the bone. There isn't much jaw bone in chihuahuas being as they are such small dogs and she says shes seen this before. Anyway now I have to get his jaw plated back together and at LEAST 4 teeth pulled. I'm so sad and worried about him, this is going to cost a fortune and ppl are telling me to put him down, but hes still happy and eating on his own (soft food). And I figure that surgery is still cheaper for me than putting him down, buying a new puppy and going through all the costs of raising a dog. BESIDES nothing can replace him and I really don't want to lose him. I'm really tired right now so this post might be slightly confusing, for which I appologize. I just wanted to talk to people who understand the love we have for our wee babies. Also does anyone have any experience with dog dentists? Because either hes going to see the orthopedic vet in town here OR when I go to Toronto for thanksgiving next weekend he'll be going to Guelph to the dental specialists there (its the vet university). Anyway, thanks for reading.


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## CM Katie (Sep 28, 2005)

Omg poor Goliath 
I know you'll do what's right for him.
Poor guy, I'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.


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## *Tiffany* (Sep 27, 2005)

OMG!! poor guy! i know if it were my dogs id do the surgery no question...im sure the vet can work out a payment plan to help out. i hope it turns out ok! please keep us updated!! ((hugs))


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## trixiesmom (Jan 31, 2006)

Poor little guy. Hopefully he w ill be okay, and I'm so sorry for what you and he have to go thru.


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## Jen (Sep 13, 2005)

oh my gosh poor goliath  i'm so sorry. i hope everything works out okay.


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## Chili's Mom (Sep 23, 2006)

Poor guy! I hope he's feeling better soon.


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## dolly'sgrandma (Nov 8, 2005)

Oh, poor little guy. He has been through SO much. I hope you do the surgery and find a payment plan that is affordable. When I think that it is fixable...so many things that happen to dogs are not (ie, cancer, liver disease, etc), I just hope that you have the surgery, and it's a great success! Keep us posted.


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## Alisha (Mar 11, 2005)

Oh no Poor Goliath Poor you ((hugs)) to you both


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

Oh no that's horrible  If it were Yoshi I'd be doing anything I could to get the surgery for her. Do you have pet insurance? You might still be able to get it ... some of them won't let you file any claims though for two weeks after you sign up ... if you're waiting longer than that to get the surgery then maybe that'd help you? ...

I actually don't know much about it ... just a thought. I hope everything works out.


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## everestgirl (Aug 10, 2006)

poor little guy! I hope he will be fine soon


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## Lin (Jun 7, 2006)

Alisha said:


> Oh no Poor Goliath Poor you ((hugs)) to you both


Me too. I am so sorry.


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## Leeseebat (Jun 27, 2006)

OHH the poor little guy!!

He's in our thoughts!

XOXO
Lisa, Bear and Monte


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## Gypsy (Feb 13, 2006)

Oh I'm so sorry to little Goliath and you.  

I do remember my vet telling us before that in older dogs, chis especially if they loose alot of their teeth or have periodontal disease the gums can recede and the lips get kind of rubbery so they're easier to damage. I think if he's still eating and not in major pain it would be better to get the surgery than have him put down. 

My thoughts will be with you two in whatever you decide. ((Hugs))


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## Little G (Oct 16, 2005)

I just got a call from the Dental Vet and we have an appointment Tuesday oct. 10th.
I'm going to be calling another vet in town here though just to see if I can get Goliath in sooner, and perhaps at a lesser cost. The vet downsouth is charging me right now a MINIMUM of 1130.00! OUCH.
Regardless Goliath needs the surgery so if the vet in town here can't do it or doesn't suit my needs as to really listening to me, we'll get it done on tuesday. It's not like the vet down south is out of my way, i'm already down there for the weekend visiting my fiance, but its just so costly and means Goliath has to wait until next week, poor baby.


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## Jennifer Mcfly (Jun 1, 2006)

I'm so glad you look at it like that, as far as weighing the costs of the surgery vs. putting him down and getting another dog and all the expenses a new dog will incur. if you can manage to keep him, that would be awesome! see if your vet will let you do a payment plan. if not, maybe call around and find another vet who will.
good luck to you and goliath!!!


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## Kari (May 13, 2004)

I agree.  If you can manage to keep him, then I think it's wonderful. When Mr. Peepers broke his leg and needed surgery $1200 :shock: there was a payment plan called Care Credit that my friend did for me in her name. Maybe you could see if they off Care Credit there? It is accepted at alot of vet's.


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## ~Kari's*4*Chis~ (Sep 7, 2004)

OMG poor Goliath....  I hope everything works out for you and him... {{HUGS}}


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## Mexibeach (Oct 20, 2005)

I hope he does well with whatever you choose - I just wanted to let you know that the vet school in Guelph is really good, great people, easy to work with and very caring.


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## rachel (Jun 16, 2006)

Awww...Poor baby! That must be awful! I would opt for the surgery too if they're pretty confident it will work. When Stewie was a pup he had to have surgery that was estimated to cost around $3,000. I'm sure some people thought we were a bit crazy (although noone would tell us to our faces!), but we did it anyways. And now he's healthy & happy! We took out a personal loan at our bank. Something to maybe check out if you need to.


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## CM Katie (Sep 28, 2005)

Yes these little pups sure can be expensive!!
When Carl ate chocolate, the visit to the ER vet cost over $600 :shock:

Keep us updated. Poor little guy.


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## gavinjenn123 (Sep 13, 2006)

aww I hope that he Will be ok...Keep us updated..poor little guy....


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## feistypup6 (Dec 12, 2005)

If it is any consolation, I know of a dog that had a broken jaw due to an abcessed tooth. The vet said the bone was about as thick as a matchbook so it was actually pretty common. The little dog had its jaw wired, and was still able to eat canned food on her own. This was not done by a dentist, but a regular vet. I am sure it could have been more perfectly done.......but the dog did fine.....did not loose weight, and lived a very happy life! Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Little G (Oct 16, 2005)

Well after calling around and talking to other vets, we are still Guelph bound on Tuesday. The vets I spoke to all spoke to Dr. Hale in Guelph (the dentist) and all conclusions lead to me having to go see him. At least I tried to get Goliath in earlier, but it didn't work. It's a good thing the emergency vet gave us metacam for him. He seems to be doing fairly well, we still need to coax him to eat though. He also isn't playing, but I don't blame him one bit.All in all I think he can handle the wait until Tuesday, now only if I can.


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## Kari (May 13, 2004)

Poor baby  I hope Tuesday comes soon for both of you.


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## Little G (Oct 16, 2005)

To ad insult to injury I just noticed on Goliaths nose two scabs, so I was poking around and they're DOG BITES!
little skrunk, he stuck his nose under the fence in our yard and one of the two black labs on the other side must have bitten them.Oliver my moms dog has dug a bit of a hole, obviously big enough for Goliaths schnoz to through. So now not only does he have a serious injury but also has this annoying one, all on his jaw/muzzle area. poor baby!


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## dolly'sgrandma (Nov 8, 2005)

Keep an eye on those bites...I know you're seeing the vet soon, so you don't have to worry as much as if you weren't, but you have to keep the scabs off and put the neosporin right on the open sore. It's a pain, but they heal from the inside out and my sister's dachsund got a terrible infection from a dog bite (I think because it was on his neck--a big dog tried to kill him, of course...but it was small--and he couldn't lick it). It was a pain to take care of, but you still have to be careful.

Man, I hope that poor little guy starts feeling better really soon. My heart goes out to you both!


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## Little G (Oct 16, 2005)

Well his bites are healing up really nicely. Tomorrow is Dentist Day. Tomorrow night he will no longer have breath of death and hopefully have a MUCH better feeling mouth with a repaired jaw.
He's been doing SO well lately!
you'd never know he was injured, it probably helps we're keeping up with the painkillers just to keep him comfortable. I'll let you guys all know how it goes once we're home and settled, might not be until Wednesday, because I"ll be tired Tuesday when I get back to Toronto, and then have to drive 4 hours Wednesday to home.


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## *Tiffany* (Sep 27, 2005)

ill be thinking of you both tomorrow (((hugs))) let us know how the surgery goes!!


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## LadyBelle1 (Sep 10, 2005)

Goodluck tomorrow!


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## Kari (May 13, 2004)

I wish you and Goliath the best of luck. I hope everything goes smoothly.


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## toby'smom (Jun 11, 2006)

Hope everything goes well tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you guys.


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## Little G (Oct 16, 2005)

We're back home now and hes doing REALLY well!
after surgery he was dopey and tired and slept most of the night, though we did manage to get some medicine into him which is good...poor guy I was mixing it with ice cream cuz its REALLY bitter and well it was still nasty..I tested it. we had to syringe it into his mouth gently. Now all I do is put the pill in cheese and he swallows it right up, no mess, no fuss.
He had an e-collar on but can't wear it anymore because he was managing somehow to shove his front paws under and then getting it stuck in his mouth..with the potential to rip out his fresh stiches..big no no.
So hes being either held constantly or wrapped up like a little burrito to keep his legs from scratching at his face, which he still does (probably itchy and a little sore).
He's eating, and sleeping well so thats good, but i'm not sleeping well at all! everytime he moves I wake up, he tries to sneak out of his cocoon while I'm asleep so I need to wake up and rewrap him, little scoundrel.
Anyway Goliath is now the Toothless Wonder Dog! he'll be much happier and healthier for it too, no more sore mouth, no more bad breath, just a happy healthy dog.
Thanks so much for all the good thoughts. It was really hard seeing him so dopey and frantic after the surgery it was nice to know that other ppl were thinking of him.


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## *Tiffany* (Sep 27, 2005)

thats really good news!!! im so happy it all went well, i was thinking about it everyday!!  im sure we would all be just the smae about getting no sleep too!!! keep us updated on goliath (((hugs)))


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## Kari (May 13, 2004)

That is fantastic news! I'm so happy he's doing well!!!


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## dolly'sgrandma (Nov 8, 2005)

Oh, you sound so much like me! Dolly pulled out her staples the ONE minute (it felt like) that she wasn't being held after her spay, the collar was no good (she just got herself tangled up in it and was a mess), and we held her and fretted about her constantly...but SHE was just fine! He really is lucky to have you as his mom!

I'm so happy it was all a success and he'll be ok and no pain. The "toothless wonder dog" is just funny, and I bet he is really cute, teeth or no teeth.

Keep us posted!


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## toby'smom (Jun 11, 2006)

I'm so glad everything went well.


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## tazruby (Jan 2, 2006)

glad to hear all is well


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## Jen (Sep 13, 2005)

that's great news


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## Alisha (Mar 11, 2005)

AWW poor little puddin. I'm glad everything worked out good


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## Gypsy (Feb 13, 2006)

Aww I'm so glad to hear his surgery went well.  Keep us updated!


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