HEALTH MATTERS – Tooth Root Abscess
I’ve had the unfortunate trauma of my elderly dog having an abscess on her face, so I will tell you the story in case it helps people in the future.
BACKGROUND
I was worried about my girls teeth, but had been told by a vet at her last vaccination, “if they are not bothering her, leave well alone”. She had her teeth sorted out a couple of times, didn’t have that many left and is almost 15-years old. Unfortunately she’s not the kind of dog that would easily allow me brush or clean her teeth. I should of brushed her teeth from a puppy as I do with my younger dog, but 15 years ago things were different. Prior to the abscess bursting, she didn’t show any signs of a problem in her mouth, which surprises me.
FIRST SIGNS
I thought my elderly girl’s eye didn’t look right, so I got a piece of damp cotton wool to wipe it (she gets gummy eyes sometimes). As I wiped her eye an abscess broke open under her eye and it was painful, so she didn’t want me to look too closely. It didn’t look like puss, just looked like blood, but I could tell from the smell that it was an abscess. It was a bit of a shock, particularly as I was going on holiday the next day and leaving her with a dog sitter. I managed to get an appointment with the vet straight away thank goodness and rushed down.
FIRST VET APPOINTMENT
The vet thought the same as me that it was a tooth root abscess, but it was hard to examine her as it was painful. The vet gave her an injection of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory and prescribed 7-days anti biotic tablets and pain relief.
When I got home, I clipped the hair from the side of her face and I could see a small hole below her eye. I managed to clean her face with a soft sponge and warm water. By the next day it did look a lot better although there was still some swelling and a little discharge. Interestingly, even with the probable tooth abscess, she was still eating and didn’t seem bothered so long as I didn’t go too near it.
SECOND APPOINTMENT
The vet checked her in 5-days and said all was well and I should book her in for a dental assessment under anesthetic as soon as possible when I get back from holiday. My dog sitter was brilliant and took her along to the vet for me for the check up.
ONE WEEK LATER
When I got back from holiday she was fine, back to normal, but I knew if she didn’t get the tooth out the abscess was likely to return.
10-DAYS LATER
Lily went in for her dental, all was well, apparently she was no trouble. I took her home in a buggy as I didn’t want her to walk and gave her soft food for a while. Lily was very soon back to normal and I was relived that the procedure was over. They found the tooth that was causing the infection and she had 5 teeth out in total.
MOVING FORWARD
I would say, in my experience, that tooth root abscesses are rare in dogs, I don’t remember seeing them much when I worked in the profession. However, when I saw it in my own dog, I did know straight away what it was.
When Lily’s mouth is healed, I am will start to brush her remaining teeth (the vet said I should). There is a particular toothpaste that she loves, so I will try that. Now all the loose teeth are removed, she should hopefully tolerate having her teeth regularly cleaned. The moral of the story is that elderly dogs really should have their teeth cleaned and loose teeth removed as leaving a bad mouth really can cause a painful infection.
Melanie Thomas (and Lily)
FURTHER READING
QUESTION: How Can I Keep my Bolognese Teeth Clean?
ANSWER: Small breeds tend to be prone to gum disease and a build-up of TARTAR on their teeth and the Bolognese is no exception. New puppy owners should take mouth care seriously right from the start. When the baby teeth fall away and the adult teeth come through a puppy’s mouth will be sensitive. However, once the adult teeth have erupted, regular mouth care is a priority. Gum disease can advance quickly causing pain, eroding gums, missing teeth and even bone loss. 80% of dogs suffer from gum disease before they are 3-years old. So it’s not just bad breath you have to consider! CLICK HERE to read more
PRODUCT REVIEW – Virbac ENZYMATIC TOOTHPASTE
I recently had my 6-year old Bolognese teeth cleaned at the vets at great expense. So I decided to brush his teeth after each meal in order to keep them clean and avoid the need for another anaesthetic in a few years. Also, I’m thinking regular brushing will keep his breath fresh and save him losing teeth as he gets older. I had a few brands of dog toothpaste at home and decided to try the Virbac as it just looked like the most professional product. CLICK HERE to read more
