# Oh no! Broken tooth.



## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Just looked down at Jack and saw he has broken the tips off of BOTH of his lower canines. I am heartbroken. He does not seem to notice and I'm not sure when or how it happened, but it must have been in the last few days. I can only guess that it was the pork neck bones, because that's the only new thing I have introduced recently and I felt sure I had read that those are okay. 

Checked both girls and they are fine, but he's my youngster, so I'm especially devastated. 

We haven't had any trouble in the year and a half on raw, and I'm not giving up, but wanted to share my huge mistake so maybe it helps someone else out there. 

Man, I haven't felt this badly in a long long time  he's my heart dog and I messed him up. He's not crying, so I'm trying not to, either, but I can already tell the tears are on their way...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Dogs don't chew bones with their canines, they use the back molars for chewing, the front ones are for tearing/biting.

I would think it is more from chewing balls/toys and the teeth wear down. 
Karlo's canines are worn down from dirty jollyballs, I've taken them away but the damage was done. 

He eats raw as do my other two... he's the only one that gnaws on the balls, the other two just hold them/their teeth are sharp, no wear(and they're older).
Many dogs have genetically softer teeth.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

That makes sense. Called the vet and she said it was most likely something else as well... And you know what, I did give him one of the harder plastic jolly balls this week! He didn't seem the least bit interested in it, so i didnt worry about it hurting him and was kinda waiting to see whether he would even pick it up....but that thing is going in the trash tonight, just in case!

It's not wear though. I look at his teeth pretty often and this is new 


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Oh and I adopted him at eleven months and he was malnourished, so I wouldn't doubt his teeth are softer...if that's possible. 

Or maybe it is just genetics.

Thank you onyx' girl!


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

And now I just remembered that Liesje told me recently that the glue in tennis balls wasn't good for them to chew and I had no idea and he mouthed those things like pacifiers while we played, until I learned that...


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## stealle (Feb 2, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> Karlo's canines are worn down from dirty jollyballs, I've taken them away but the damage was done.


Are you talking about the hard plastic jollyballs that have a ball inside of a ball? 
Like this...









Or the softer, more rubbery, ball with the handle?
Like this...










I took the one away like the first picture because my pup was knawing on it and I think he was swallowing shards of hard plastic. I can also see how the hard plastic could damage teeth.

So then I went out and bought the one in the second pic. I don't see how that one could damage his teeth. And he loves it!


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

I don't think I'll let Lisl play with her JB like the top picture anymore.

I don't want her eating the plastic or breaking off a new canine.

I never throw it to her to catch or to chase, but now I don't even want her chewing on it. I'll get her one like in the second photo.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Yes. It was the hard plastic teaser ball. 

We also have a couple of the soft ones, blueberry and a bubblegum with half the handle still intact. They love those ?




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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

See if your vet will refer you to a canine dental specialist. If the break was far enough down that the pulp is exposed, a specialist can do a root canal and save the tooth. Regular vets don't do that kind of procedure, but they'll know who to refer you to.


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## Longfisher (Feb 28, 2013)

Magwart said:


> See if your vet will refer you to a canine dental specialist. If the break was far enough down that the pulp is exposed, a specialist can do a root canal and save the tooth. Regular vets don't do that kind of procedure, but they'll know who to refer you to.


My ex-Marine K-9 Bomb-dog trainer says that in the service they break their canines all the time (I can imagine what they break them on). So, the military has taken to pulling them after a year and replacing them with titanium fang implants.

Problem solved.

I was toying with the idea of taking some fingernail polish of titanium color and painting them that color for his next training session but the wife reminded me that the dog was unlikely to sit around with his mouth hanging open for the drying time needed.

hahaha

LF


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Look at this picture below.

Kira is only 21 months. I recently noticed her lower canines seemed blunt. She never really obsessed over any balls or toys, but does have a basketball that she "kills" every day for months.

*Do your dogs' canines look like hers?*










*And this is the ball, that I suspect literally filed her front canines.*


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## stealle (Feb 2, 2013)

Seems strange to me. I would think teeth would only wear down like that from biting objects as hard or harder than the teeth. Or, very rough (sandpaper/concrete like) textured objects.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

stealle said:


> Seems strange to me. I would think teeth would only wear down like that from biting objects as hard or harder than the teeth. Or, very rough (sandpaper/concrete like) textured objects.


I thought the same, until I googled it. 

Very common, and widely associated with tennis balls, Etc...


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Yep my 6 year olds teeth are really flat - she carries a kong around most of the time - I never realised that when the kongs get old the rubber gets a bit porous and rough and holds dirt - it's like sandpaper.

It s possible that he has broken the tips of his teeth Hex broke 2 of his incisors biting the wire door at the boarding kennel


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

My dog is only ten months and her k9s are super blunt. I am sad about it also and I still don't know what caused it?! She was also malnourished as a young puppy, maybe it caused soft teeth?


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Anthony8858 said:


> Look at this picture below.
> 
> Kira is only 21 months. I recently noticed her lower canines seemed blunt. She never really obsessed over any balls or toys, but does have a basketball that she "kills" every day for months.
> 
> ...


Yes, but worse. One is even shorter and broken on a slant. Not just blunt. Actually there's still a sharp tip. And it happened suddenly. I really do look at his teeth a lot. 

Kira still is beautiful!


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Longfisher said:


> My ex-Marine K-9 Bomb-dog trainer says that in the service they break their canines all the time (I can imagine what they break them on). So, the military has taken to pulling them after a year and replacing them with titanium fang implants.
> 
> Problem solved.
> 
> ...


Titanium! I had to google that. Lol!! Maybe down the road. For now, he doesn't even seem to notice so I figured I should save my tears for a time when there's a real issue 

Still disappointed, but hey. There are worse things. 


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