Is my pup going to need this tooth out?

[CringeCrush]

Hi all,

We’ve noticed our dog’s canine tooth looks a bit red and sore. It looks to be the tooth itself rather than the gum. She has lots of nice things to chew (antlers, woofbrushes, raw veg like carrots and broccoli stalks). She’s only 18 months and has always had lovely shiny teeth (that we’ve noticed, until now).

insurance should cover any treatment thankfully so I’m not too worried about cost. I’ve emailed a picture to the vet for them to see in the morning, but wanted to ask in the meantime - has anyone’s pup had a similar issue? I hate to think of the poor love in pain and not able to tell us. She’s her normal bouncy self and eating as usual too, but I know they can mask these things. If anyone can advise, that’d be brilliant. TIA 🙏🏼

Morning bump 🙂

Hi I didn't want to leave your comment un answered .

That tooth looks sore 😢 poor pup but at lest you have noticed it and are taking care of him /her ❤️. It looks like it's rotted somehow or it's been chipped by something but it's an odd place for it to happen.

I have a female German Shepard and she's my life . It's horrible to think of them in pain . She will do well without her canine . They are basically used to catch prey . So she won't need it . She will also be able to chew all her chews with her other teeth. I hope all goes well

I forgot to mention I brush my girls teeth. She hates it 😂 but I also think it's better to do it now than have to pay to have teeth cleaned or taken out when she's an old girl . Maybe once her tooth is out try and let your pup let you brush their teeth . Just incase that happen again . I doubt it will tho . Iv never seen this in such a young pup

Yes that will need to come out. The red bit looks like the pulp which will be painful and open to infection.

Thank you so much for your replies. My poor girl 😢 she’s only 18 months old, do you think it could have chipped somehow? It’d be easier to understand in an older dog who’s had to use her teeth more, she’s just a baby. I feel so guilty. I’ll phone the vet as soon as they open to get her booked in. She only had a check-up in early December. Thanks again for your help.

My in-laws’ dog lost a canine when she was in an accident (she’s completely recovered and is fine now), she doesn’t seem to miss the tooth at all, just has a sweet, gappy smile now. I’m just shocked my pup is so young and this has happened. She’s maybe only had the tooth a year? I can’t remember exactly when her canines came through but the big ones come later/last, don’t they?

I was having a google late last night and wondered if it looked like a ‘canine resorptive lesion’, which it vets don’t actually know why it happens?

Check your insurance. Mine doesn't cover dental for any of my dogs and they're with 3 different companies.

Thanks @Luckypoppy she’s got Petplan Covered for Life Classic Plus (what a title), which says it covers dental injuries and illnesses.

That's the same insurance as mine as we have had several dentals covered including a clean to simply remove tartar due to build up. The only condition in the T&Cs for mine was that the teeth must have been examined by a vet at least once a year.

Thank you @BiteyShark that’s reassuring. Vet opens at 8, so I’ll give them a call then. I was hoping I was being an overly anxious first-timer but will be very glad to get this sorted for my pup in any case, poor sweet thing. She’s such an energetic and affectionate thing, you’d never realise she was in pain or discomfort 😢 Thank you for all your help.

Just looked and yes they still have T&Cs about having dental examination prior so check your documents.

It does say 'We will not cover a scale and polish in routine or preventative circumstances.' but ours was because of gum inflammation so not routine or preventative.

Thanks @BiteyShark, mine says about covering ‘treatment of a dental injury and illness providing your pet has had a dental examination by a vet within 12 months prior to the onset of the dental injury or illness and that any treatment recommended was carried out within three months of the examination.’ Fingers crossed.

We’re booked in for 10.30 this morning for the vet to take a proper look. Thank you all for your advice and help x

Good luck at the vet.

Hi all, just coming back with a little update in case anyone’s interested. The vet said pup has exposed tooth pulp caused by a blunt trauma injury 😮 we think possibly caused by her chewing an antler which was much too hard! They used to keep her quiet for ages and she’d be so busy chewing, but we obviously won’t be giving her any more from now on!

So the two options are a root canal or a complete extraction. With her being so young, the root canal is my preferred option if that means she gets to keep the tooth, but obviously it’s much more expensive, so we’re checking with Petplan and trying to get the treatment preauthorised so it will definitely get covered/paid for by insurance. In the meantime, she has medication to keep her comfortable and pain-free while we sort out the admin side of everything. She seems so much more settled and comfy now, poor sweet girl.

Thanks so much for all of your help and support 💐

Oh bless her. Hope it’s all sorted soon.

Thank you @Wolfiefan, I hope so too. Hopefully the treatment would/will happen quite quickly once the paperwork has all gone through with Penplan 🙂

Good luck OP. Hope it gets sorted soon.

Sorry didn't mean to quote your response to Wolfiefan

Thank you @BiteyShark, really appreciate it 😊

I would investigate the % for successful root canal and I doubt losing the tooth would be too much of an issue for her .

Thanks @Floralnomad, that’s a good point. I asked the vet that question this morning, she seemed very confident about its success rates. I’ll ask again when we’re referred to the vet dental surgery. I agree that Pup would cope without the tooth if it came to it, and I wouldn’t want to put her through multiple surgeries unnecessarily, so I’ll speak to the specialists about it. Thank you for your post.