Oscar is the classic “ball mad” dog. His penchant for catching and chewing balls and sticks has provided him with a lifetime of entertainment, but at nearly 15 years of age, his habits have caught up with him. The balls and sticks have ground Oscar’s teeth down flat, exposing some of the tooth roots and making them sensitive.
Oscar’s owners didn’t notice any problems with his teeth – he was certainly eating and drinking well… but there was something else worrying them about their faithful old companion. In recent weeks, Oscar had become quieter. He spent several minutes at a time standing still, staring into space and seemed less inclined to chase his ball or enjoy long walks. They put it down to his old age at first, but when Oscar developed a lump under his eye, they were prompted to visit his vet.
It was discovered that Oscar had a tooth root abscess. The lump under the eye was a pocket of pus from the abscess.
Oscar was admitted for a general anaesthetic to drain the abscess and remove the rotten tooth. During the procedure, a few other teeth were also discovered to be rotten and needed extraction.
Oscar has recovered well from his procedure. The most amazing thing from his owners’ point of view is that he is back to his “old self”. The strange standing and staring behaviour (which was probably a pain response) has gone, and Oscar is back on his long walks… and, yes, he admits, even though the balls are to blame… he still sneaks one along to the park with him from time to time!
Posted on 12 November 2010
Last updated on 11 December 2019
Tagged with: dental
