Doggie Having Teeth Out

[tlc]

Hi guys my girl Tully is having a couple of teeth out tomorrow and I am wondering what to expect with after care. I'm sure the vet will give me instructions but in the meantime I thought it will be good to be prepared. The vet nurse said dogs bounce back really quickly after having teeth out and there is not much to worry about.

I'm thinking she will need to be kept quiet for at least a few days?

Her diet is mainly dry and bones, so I am assuming she will need to be on a soft food for a few days?

Not sure what to feed her really, She has never had tin food, perhaps some mince and veg? Any advice on feeding?

Anything else I need to be prepared for?

My old dog was 16 and the ones I have now are 7, 6, 5, and 5 and none have ever needed teeth out so I really don't know what to expect and who else to ask but the brains trust of DOL!!

She also had a little lump on her chest which they are going to have a good look at and another (which looks like a small wart) on her side. I've clipped around them with the clippers so they don't have to go searching through her fur, so she is all bathed and ready to go bright and early in the morning!

Thanks for any advice.

[2boxer]

We usually reccomend soft food but not tinned, dog roll is better as its less likely to get into any holes. Most do recover well but if you feel your dog is in pain or uncomfortable, don't hesitate to call the vet for more pain relief! Good luck x

[tlc]

Thanks, I am hoping it will all go smoothly, she hasn't been in any pain seemingly and it was only by chance that i found the tooth/teeth that were rotten, she had bad breath ( I may have even posted here about it) and the vet couldn't find anything and when it never let up I did some more exploring and found her very back tooth that you can't really see was discoloured so the vet is thinking that this is what was causing the bad breath, she thinks the very back one and the one next to it will have to come out but they won't know till they put her out to it. She will let me look in her mouth fine but not the vet. I took some very awkward photos for the vet to have a look at and she is sure the teeth are rotten and have to come out.

Strange thing is I thought she would have had pain on chewing but she seems fine chewing her tea up fine and still chewing on her toys and hard treats with no trouble at all.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I am always having this done on my own or foster dogs. I just feed them half of the normal meal on the first night as they are usually a bit groggy.

It's soft food for 5-7 days, sometimes antibiotics are involved, normally they get an injection of antibiotics though.

I also slightly warm any food for them - just to take the chill off - 6 seconds in the microwave does it.

I feed them on the 4 Paws meatballs from the supermarket, nice and easy.

[tlc]

Ah thanks dogmad, good idea re the 4 Paws.

Heres the little poppet herself, hamming it up with one of the guys at work, he said he would remove her tooth for me, save me a trip to the vets! :laugh:

and this one, she looks so happy, I really hate taking them to the vets.

[Jumabaar]

I have fed cooked chicken and rice for a few days post op.

Stopping eating in the wild means that they are ready to stop living. So its really not surprising most dogs will pretend that they are having no trouble eating. Stories of a dog having teeth whippersnippered off with pulps exposed and happily having dinner are not all that uncommon :eek:

Hopefully your vet uses some local anaesthetic- mine have all had local blocks and have not been in much pain at all after their surgery. They have actually been much much happier! I assume because the pain is actually less than the sore tooth.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Jumabaar

[tlc]

Not sure what the course of action will be, I hope its all over and done with pretty quickly. I thought about the chicken and rice but was worried about the rice getting in the empty socket, maybe I worry too much! :laugh:

[Jumabaar]

the vet should suture the gum back together- so its more a case of food not getting caught in the sutures than in the socket

[tlc]

Thanks for the info. Is it normal for the vet to use a general anesthetic or a local?

[persephone]

I have never seen extractions done with local ;)

Dogs tend to not sit still and open wide!

For normal extractions ,She will certainly not need much aftercare , like a spey or anything ..

just food cut into chunks, or dry kibble moistened with warm water for a few days .... the ones I've seen hardly noticed it :) , and sutures should be dissolving ones .

[2boxer]

Thanks for the info. Is it normal for the vet to use a general anesthetic or a local?

Definitely general, but some use a local nerve block as well!

[mixeduppup]

We put them under general and depending on what's getting done and the individual dog we sometimes put in a local as well. I gave my boy science diet recovery last time as it was all I had and he bounced back fine but we normally recommend soft foods. Rarely dogs have trouble bouncing back.

[Jumabaar]

Thanks for the info. Is it normal for the vet to use a general anesthetic or a local?

Definitely general, but some use a local nerve block as well!

This!! Sorry for the confusion

I think the local nerve block during extractions is quite beneficial as they require less anaesthetic and I have found they wake up much happier but not all vets use them.

[*kirty*]

When my fosters had most of their rotting teeth removed a few years ago, they were munching on chicken necks with gusto within a few days. :)

[tlc]

Thank so much for all the info, I think my vets must use the local block thing as last year Cooper had a lump removed and I believed he would be at the clinic for most of the day, they rang me one hour after I dropped him off to come and get him. It's usual for them to keep them for a few hours till the anesthetic wears off but not my boy, he is to special to be locked in a cage! :laugh: drove the vets crazy with his post op cage carry on so I went and got him ad he came home and flaked it for the rest of the day!

Pers you have basically said exactly what the vet nurse said to me and honestly If Tully never had he bad breath you would never pick her tooth was even bad.

Thanks again for all the replies.

[Boronia]

When Penny had a tooth out a couple of months ago the vet said for me to give her meat (I used chicken) chopped up into around 20--25mm chunks, that way she would just swallow it whole, therefore not putting pressure on the wound. She was adament that Penny should not have soft food (like her vegie slops) or hard food (like bones or kibble) for a week.

It was only a front tooth so no stitch...just a little hole.

Pen was on a/b's for a week also

[Rosetta]

What others have said + make sure that the vet gives you some pain relief to take home, and that AB's are administered. She is very cute and I am sure will feel a lot better once it all heals :)

[tlc]

Thanks guys, we are heading off to the vets shortly, I am such a sook I hate leaving them at the vets for anything. I have never had to do it much but when I do I am get so anxious! I know you guys understand my friends just think im a crazy dog lady and dont take it all so seriously! :laugh:

I'll pop in later once she is home and I can relax again!

[tlc]

Well I just dropped her off, talk about make me feel bad, she was shaking and just a nervous wreck in general, this is a dog who goes to the vet every 3 months for regular check ups and pathology testing for her therapy work and is usually fine! How do they know? And I made sure I wasn't acting any different but perhps I was before we left home she didn't even want to get in the car!

The nurse who spoke to me before they took her in said they will give me dental food to take home which is included in the price which she will have to stay on to help prevent any further tooth decay, is this normal practice? Not sure what sort of food it will be. She said because she has had this problem now it will keep happening, will it?

[Christina]

She will be fine. Keep warm & quiet, if you can, for the next 24 hours. They don't normally come home groggy at all or show signs of pain.

Problems with keeping teeth clean may or may not recur. No way of knowing except wait/see.

Depends on if the tooth was merely damaged or if she is prone to lots of tartar build up recurring on the teeth all over.

I can't see how any soft food can provide protection against recurrence

If its dental dry there are many varieties around from Optimum in the supermarket to Hills, Advance etc at the vets & pet stores. I use a mix of a few.

Soft foods for a couple of days & then leave some dry & see if she wants it. Wouldn't give bones for a week. When I have given mine that crappy canned food they have loved it & think its a treat :laugh: Won't do any harm for a couple of days. Millions of dogs worldwide survive it.