# Worried-



## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

Second post for the night; great x.x

Chip has a retained deciduous canine that has been a source of plaque build-up since I got him. I recently got the estimate from the vet to have it extracted, and it was around 600$. If I stay on my budget, I can get it extracted in about 6 weeks. 

Every couple of nights I'll roll Chip over and scrape at his teeth with my nails (I wash my hands first, of course- he hates toothbrushes) to get off the tartar I can see. There's a noticeable difference since I started raw, but the staining is definitely still there.

Along the gumline especially there is a thin, black line on most of his molars, and between the cusps there is a lot of build-up that I can't scrape off. Tonight I was going over his teeth like usual, but his gum started bleeding. The bleeding was minimal and stopped fairly quickly, but is that a sign I should get him into a vet for a cleaning?

I noticed his meal earlier had significantly loosened a chunk of plaque off of the tooth in front of his baby tooth, so I used a Kleenex to brush it off (no force was used). The baby tooth completely moved in its socket...it's incredibly loose. I called the emergency vet but the woman I spoke to said it's not something she would bring him in for, and that when they lose baby teeth, they usually end up swallowing them. The tooth itself is darker than his other pearly whites, which makes me think it's necrotic, but he doesn't seem to be in any real pain. Earlier today, though, he seemed less interested in his turkey neck and wouldn't eat until I held it and he could get a good grip on it. Should I baby it and take him in to the vet ASAP tomorrow, or wait for it to fall out on its own and then take him to the vet for evaluation and a possible antibiotic? I don't have the money for the extraction this week, and won't until at least the 20th /: Even then, I'd be screwing myself over for every other bill I have. 

Should I be extremely cautious with it?


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I don't think you need to be extremely cautious... heck, maybe it will come out on it's own. 

That being said, have you gotten multiple quotes on the teeth? My Corgi way back when, Grissom, retained his canines as well, and at approx. 18 lbs, to have his extracted was only like $80. That was up to 4 extractions, and he came home literally about 2 hours after I dropped him off. Vets here tend to be more expensive, too!


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

PuppyPaws said:


> I don't think you need to be extremely cautious... heck, maybe it will come out on it's own.
> 
> That being said, have you gotten multiple quotes on the teeth? My Corgi way back when, Grissom, retained his canines as well, and at approx. 18 lbs, to have his extracted was only like $80. That was up to 4 extractions, and he came home literally about 2 hours after I dropped him off. Vets here tend to be more expensive, too!


I'm hoping it will  He's a big chewer when it comes to stuffies, but not on anything else, so I'm not really sure. 

I only got the one quote- the other two vets I tried refused to give me an estimate without seeing him first. I'll probably branch out farther from my zip and see what I can find. Do you get your dogs' teeth cleaned for fairly cheap too (if you get them cleaned at all)? It's horrendous here.

I'm just really worried that it's going to get infected and turn into a huge mess. Ugh. Super paranoid about his health because I know NOTHING about his medical history, parents, etc. #1 downfall of a rescue dog


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Mokapi said:


> I only got the one quote- the other two vets I tried refused to give me an estimate without seeing him first. I'll probably branch out farther from my zip and see what I can find. Do you get your dogs' teeth cleaned for fairly cheap too (if you get them cleaned at all)? It's horrendous here.


 I'm not sure, because since I feed raw I don't actually have to get them done. 
I had a dental done for an older dog I rescued, and they did it for $125 tacked onto another surgery (eye removal) that he was already put under for.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

PuppyPaws said:


> I'm not sure, because since I feed raw I don't actually have to get them done.
> I had a dental done for an older dog I rescued, and they did it for $125 tacked onto another surgery (eye removal) that he was already put under for.


Do you think in another month or so the raw diet will have taken care of a lot of the plaque? It's only been about three and a half weeks, but his teeth have been a concern for him since I got him (they weren't terrible, but weren't great).


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Mokapi said:


> Do you think in another month or so the raw diet will have taken care of a lot of the plaque? It's only been about three and a half weeks, but his teeth have been a concern for him since I got him (they weren't terrible, but weren't great).


It might, but I would definitely get those retained teeth extracted, as they can hinder natural chewing being counter productive in the battle against plaque.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

You worry WAY too much about nothing little things. You are going to worry yourself to death in no time because you will have minor little nothing things like this all the dog's life. You don't take a dog to the e-vet for a loose baby tooth. You don't take a dog to the vet because his gum bleeds a little when you scrape it with your fingernail. Dogs are not fragile little creatures. They are much more resilient than you think. Even more so than humans.

Feed your dog his normal raw diet. Don't look at teeth for 3 months. All those problems will be gone. They will take care of themselves. Relax ... enjoy your dog. Right now you are making him a big burden to you. He's not. He will grow up normal just like any other dog. Just leave him alone. Everything will be ok. :smile:


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

RawFedDogs said:


> You worry WAY too much about nothing little things. You are going to worry yourself to death in no time because you will have minor little nothing things like this all the dog's life. You don't take a dog to the e-vet for a loose baby tooth. You don't take a dog to the vet because his gum bleeds a little when you scrape it with your fingernail. Dogs are not fragile little creatures. They are much more resilient than you think. Even more so than humans.
> 
> Feed your dog his normal raw diet. Don't look at teeth for 3 months. All those problems will be gone. They will take care of themselves. Relax ... enjoy your dog. Right now you are making him a big burden to you. He's not. He will grow up normal just like any other dog. Just leave him alone. Everything will be ok. :smile:


I think it's because he's this little tiny chihuahua thing...and I'm a naturally anxious and stressed person, so I magnify everything x100. What do I do about this stupid tooth? It needs to just come out already! D:<

I love the raw diet and have already seen so many improvements so I'll trust you and try to stay away from his teeth for a while. 

@PuppyPaws: He does just have this one (the rest of his mouth checked out OK at his last exam), so I'm hoping after it does come out it'll clear some things up.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Mokapi said:


> What do I do about this stupid tooth? It needs to just come out already! D:<


Has the permanent tooth come in yet? If not, it will probably push the baby tooth out eventually when it does. If its already in, you will probably need to have it looked at. I would shop around for prices though.


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Mokapi said:


> What do I do about this stupid tooth? It needs to just come out already! D:<


*MOAR* RMBs!
It'll clean up his good teeth and loosen the bad ones...but not overnight.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

RawFedDogs said:


> Has the permanent tooth come in yet? If not, it will probably push the baby tooth out eventually when it does. If its already in, you will probably need to have it looked at. I would shop around for prices though.


Yes, as far as I know he has all of his permanent teeth (vet guessed him at around 2 years old), which is why this stubborn baby tooth is scary. Vet said he'd need it to come out, but didn't seem in a rush to have it done. 

@3: He loves them, more than I thought he would!  I probably just need to have good faith and wait it out.


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## Jessvin (May 23, 2011)

Hello everyone.I have a small puppy.His name is Petty.He was very healthy but i don't know what happened to him he is so weak now.He don't want to eat any thing.kindly tell me is he all right or not?. I am much worried about him.Thanks for any idea.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Can you give us a little more detail about what is wrong?


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

If he is weak, lethargic, and not eating, its time to take him to the vet.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

Thought I should check...this morning I pulled out the baby tooth (it was hanging on by nothing more than a bit of gum tissue, and seems to have already healed a great deal) and Chip has been getting treats all day because we've had a few training sessions. 

I fed him canned sardines about two hours ago- on schedule- and he was very slow eating and acted like he didn't really want any. Could that be from my pulling out his tooth, or is it possible he just doesn't like sardines anymore? He ate them without issue on his last fish meal.


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