# Dental woes



## whipandchi (Aug 7, 2009)

A little background - my little man Jose' came to us from the local SPCA after being removed from a hoarder's house 3 1/2 years ago. We were told he was 11 1/2 years old then which would make him almost 15 now. So just taking him in for a dental cleaning is a worry but it needed to be done. His bloodwork was good and he managed the anesthesia well but he needed 2 extractions (a canine on the top and an incisor) and the xrays showed that he has very little bone left in his bottom jaw. It is extremely fragile and may fracture under very little pressure. If that happens he will have to have an inch of his bottom jaw removed. 

We are devastated at this news. Our vet says we have been doing all the right things for him - he has had regular vet care - but that there wasn't any way to know this was going on until he was xrayed. I guess all the years of neglect while he lived in deplorable conditions with the hoarder have caught up with him. We are going to be very careful of how his jaw is handled - no hard treats, no chewies, nothing to put any pressure on his jaw - and hope it holds together for however much time he has left with us.

Has anyone else dealt with this?


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Oh boy!! Yes I think you are doing the right thing. Poor boy! I had a 7 yr old puppymill breeder, who died 3 yrs later of a lung disease brought on by smelling urine fumes for 7 years. At least she had 3 years of a good life. Sue


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

I have a old man, Tiko, that was thrown from a car and ended up in our bushes out front. From his condition when I found him, it appears he may have been used in a horrible backyard breeding situation, he was covered in urine and feces and his nails were over an inch long and curled under. He's about the same age as your rescue. His teeth are horrible but when I first got him he was in such bad condition, none of the vets wanted to attempt putting him under to neuter him or do his teeth. They didn't think I would have him very long. Now that he is healthier and stable, I really have to take him back for a re-eval to see if there is anything we can do for his awful teeth.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I really don't know what to tell you as far as advice, but I wanted to say God bless your little man, and it is so awesome that ya'll took him in so he can have a good quality of life from here on out.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

I don't have anything to add, but you are a great person for taking in Jose'. He is lucky that he gets to live out the rest of his life with a wonderful, loving family. I hope his jaw stays "okay" for the rest of his long life. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it! He seems healthy for a 15 year old dog!


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## whipandchi (Aug 7, 2009)

susan davis said:


> At least she had 3 years of a good life. Sue


Yes, that is what we think too. We can't do anything about how he was treated before he came but he is safe and happy now. Bless you for giving your little girl those 3 years.


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## whipandchi (Aug 7, 2009)

svdreamer said:


> Now that he is healthier and stable, I really have to take him back for a re-eval to see if there is anything we can do for his awful teeth.


It's good to hear Tico is doing better. Hopefully he will be able to tolerate some work done on his mouth. We are fortunate that Jose' is healthy except for his mouth and tolerated the anesthesia and treatment well.


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