old dog and a broken tooth.. what do i do?

[redderthanred]

my almost 10 year old lab has broken a tooth this afternoon, i wouldnt have known, but by some miracle, i found it on the carpet.
Its the small tooth behind the top right k9. Its clearly not the whole tooth. took me ages to find it, its not bleeding or swollen. Dog is being a bit quiet, but cant be in any pain as is already on previcox.

So - do i need to go see the vet tue? Will they have to remove the root? or will they just leave it? I cant see any root in his mouth, and if i feel the hole, its flat and nothing is poking out or anything.. it looks like a hole, rather than a broken off tooth iyswim.

I do not like the idea of him being put under at all, not at his age. but dont want him to get an infection.

So??

Also, while looking found a small lump on the back of his head, at first i thought it was a tick, but it looks more like a wart. Im going to need this looked at too arent i?

My poor dog is getting old.. its horrible. All these things are just normal old age things, but you just dont expect them and its just a reminder. i hate it :(

[Lizcat]

I would be concerned that as he has had one tooth fall out he may have other teeth in need of attention, particularly if this tooth has broken without any kind of trauma. A fractured tooth leaving a root behind can be very painful and if it is previcox will not be in the right league for the pain so yes I would advise him to be seen on Tuesday. Plus if there is a root present it could get infected.
Regarding getting old we are re -adjusting or views of what is old for animals and a 10 year old lab I would now consider as late middle age.

[redderthanred]

I'm assuming he broke it while chewing on a cows ear, found the tooth where he had been eating it. Silly, if I hadn't of found the tooth I'd be none the wiser... he seems fine, still hanging round the fridge trying to get ham :)

Do you think they will have to put him under to get the root out?

[emptyshell]

Cat's had a broken tooth for years - probably a legacy of her pre-rescue feral life... has never caused her any bother, has never caused the vet any concerns apart from a "oh she's got a snapped tooth just so you know - obviously not bothering her" mention in checkups.

[chickchickchicken]

i think you need to go to the vet

i know exactly what you mean about them getting old. my 14yr old jrt sleeps a lot now and its sad (she is still very active but will sleep a lot more too)

[chickchickchicken]

lizcat - would 14yr old jrt be regarded as old or late middle age? or middle age?

[redderthanred]

yeah, im going to call the vet tue. and keep an eye on it until then. if it looks swollen or bad ill go tomorrow.

Also want to get this wart type thing checked out.

Im liking the late middle age... :) hes just covered in grey hair, and with his hip displacia as well, and a 99.9% sure fatty lump and now tooth and wart type things... well. its just a reminder that hes not imortal.

He ate all his dinner, with no encourangement and then has been back to hanging round the fridge.. and has just lept on my lap. ( LARGE lab, huge one!!!) so i dont think its bothering him. I know when hes grumpy and hes not right now.

Damn dog :)

[chickchickchicken]

awww he sounds lovely

[redderthanred]

He is. Best dog in the world :)
Actually, best friend in the world.
He's at my feet chewing his nails ( stupid habit) really it can't be hurting him can it?

[Scuttlebutter]

Redder, dogs are very stoical and will have to be in terrible pain before they will show you. A broken tooth can easily become infected, and as Lizcat says, could also indicate other dental problems. I wouldn't rely on Previcox as a painkiller by itself - it's an anti-inflammatory (for arthritis?). Dental problems if left untreated can lead to infections going into the bloodstream, liver and kidneys. Please take him to the vet. I've seen a number of older dogs have really massive improvements in their demeanour/quality of life after dental work. As my vet is very fond of saying, "old age is not a disease" and your boy is, ahem, mature - think of him as the George Clooney of the dog world...

[redderthanred]

yes. very distinguished with all his greys :)

im still going to take him to the vets just to get checked over. But i really dont think its bothering him at all. Hes being his normal self and this morning his gum looks normal , like there was nothing ever there.

We are quite in tune my dog and i. When he was younger i kept taking him to the vets because something wasnt right and he was being a bit 'funny' with other dogs. i went back 3 times and was told it was behavioural, but i knew it wasnt. one day a few weeks later i found a lump on one of his testies. It was really enlarged and so he had to have them out. Turns out it was that which was bothering him and making him be a bit ' funny' becuse he was in pain from it.

Then when i discovered his hip displacia, i took him to the vets with nothing more than a ' hes a bit grumpy' he wasnt limping, or had no other problems, other than being grumpy.

when i found his fatty lump it was about the size of half a pea and burried up between his ribs. vet couldnt believe i found it and had and still does have trouble finding it.. i can find it in 0.5 seconds.

hes my dog :)

[redderthanred]

thought id update in case anyone wanted to know.

lump on back of head is as i thought a wart. No worries there.

Tooth - well, the gum seems to have healed over it, and vet couldnt really believe it had come out, it literally looks like a totally normal gum. She said best to leave it, if he gets an infection then we will take it out, but from the looks of it it lookds great so not to worry.

:)

phew!

[chickchickchicken]

great news