# Filing of Teeth?



## TJN66

Im not sure if this is the right place for this post but I have a question or two.

A few months back I posted how a vet tech dragged our dog down the hallway and said he nipped at her. Fast foward to a few weeks later and we notice that one of his canine teeth (large on on bottom right) is flat, straight and smooth on the tip. Now we have noticed that all 4 of his large canine teeth are all flat, smooth and straight on the tips.

We have changed vets and moved all our animals out of that vets care. But I am sad to say we think, that the last time when he was there (october 2007) they gave him a sedative (for xrays) and then proceded to file his tips off his large teeth on both top and bottom.

I went over all the notes we obtained from them and it is not mentioned anywhere in any of it. He is due for more shots in June with the new vet and we are going to ask him how he thinks the teeth are all like this.

Its ticking me off first that we took so long to notice and second that they might have actually done this without our knowledge. 

He plays with my husband and he gets the soccer ball stuck on his teeth now. Thats why we started looking in his mouth so see why it was getting stuck and noticed all the teeth look the same. Flat and not points on the tips. No problems eating or drinking. He doesnt seem to care for eating his bones either now though.

Is there any way we can prove this? Probably not...but if I get the answer I expect Im going to get from the new vet then Im filing a complaint with the state against this vet.

God..I feel like such a terrrible fur Mommy. And I know my husband doesnt feel much better. 

Tammy


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## Vinnie

How old is your boy? I know my dogs teeth have gotten warn over the years (not flat though) from eating dry kibble, milk bones, and chewing on various things.


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## Dano

Strange you should bring this up. About 2 months ago I took my 3 1/2 yr. old GS dog to the vet because she had been attacked by another dog when on a walk and had a deep tooth puncture on her back. 

The next morning, while cleaning her teeth, I noticed all four of her canines looked filed down. I was surprised that they would be wearing so much at 3 1/2 since she does not use them to bite down on anything. This opens up my investigatory mind! 

If that's going on in the vet industry, there should be huge, loud, aggressive outrage in the pet community. What else are they doing that we don't know?


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## cafrhe

My last dog had flattened teeth at an early age. I believe it is due to 'soft' teeth. The enamel isnt as hard as it should be. My guy had 4 flat teeth by the time he was 2yrs old and they definately seemed short.


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## GunnersMoms

Gunner & Kenya both have flat canines. They would live with a ball (tennis ball, flat basketball, raquet ball, etc) in their mouths, if we let 'em. The mutt, who almost never touches a ball, has perfectly sharp teeth. I know that it's not due to vet care, or grooming, or boarding. So, it must be the balls. All of our dogs get the same kibble and treats. Kenya is not quite 3, and Gunner will be 5 in June.

So, do your dogs constantly chew on something? I'd seriously think about this before accusing someone. Could be a genetic thing or a chewing thing. Maybe some GSDs have weaker teeth.


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## shilohsmom

In that other post you mention that he had a chain in his mouth...perhaps he bit down on that and chipped his teeth??


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## cafrhe

This is what all 4 of Rolands teeth looked like (he is 5yrs here, but they were flat on the top early, they just got shorter as he aged):








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## chjhu

My guys love to chew and their teeth were worn down at a relatively young age. The are half the length now at the age of 8. At the vet's they asked me if their teeth were filed down. My answer was "no, they did that all on their own". I raised them and nobody had teh opportunity to mess with their teeth. This is not unusual with GSDs.


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## jake

Thanks for asking this!When I adopted my rescue he had a history of dog /aggression-attack.I noticed his canine teeth seemed to be 'FILED"not worn down cause top side of canine was perfectly flat not worn.Never got straight answer from rescue and vet said'Maybe he was chewing on cage"but wear seemed too FLAT and sharp to me.I seem to have heard some sort of "fiction/belief"that if you file aggressive dogs teeth it calms him down-do NOT know if related to your dogs experience or not.


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## onyx'girl

I feed raw, and would be livid if this was done to my dogs.
I have a 14 yr old whose teeth can crunch thru a chix leg 1/4 ok and has nice white teeth for her age. She went on raw almost a year ago.

The vet would probably charge at least $200 for this service if you requested it! Would they use a dremel on them, get r done quick??


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## dog27

My 3-year-old GSD had smoothly rounded canine teeth until recently. We were training in a field which had lots of bees. He hates bees. One unfortunate one came buzzing by and he snapped at it with a vengeance and killed it. As I was checking his mouth I found that 3 of his canine teeth had their tips chipped off. Now they are flat and sharp. I am quite sure that this happened to all 3 teeth in that one instant. My theory is that as he snapped wildly, his jaws were not aligned precisely and teeth collided instead of meshing together, causing the chipping.

So I can understand how your dog might have had something similar happen, and would not be quick to blame the vet.


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## DHau

I remember reading that tennis balls are bad for dogs teeth. Is it possible that your dogs play with them?


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## SunCzarina

Marrow bones can also file down their teeth. One of my dogs loved the large cow leg bones. By the time he was 4, his teeth looked like those of the dog a PP posted.


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## DHau

Wouldn't other bones do that as well?


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## arycrest

Slider's favorite toy is a portion of what was once a Wiggly Giggly. He's had it since '03, and carries it everywhere outside - it's worn his teeth down quite a bit.


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## BowWowMeow

When Massie died just short of age 12 she barely had any teeth left--just little nubs! She was a huge chewer and loved carrying rocks around (yes, I learned my lesson!). Her teeth were not uniformly flat though. They wore down differently. 

It's hard to believe that a vet would do this but I'm sure it's possible. I think the point of everyone's posts here is that you'll never really know so better to just let it go. Btw, Massie's flat nubby teeth never prevented her from enjoying a good chew!


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## JenM66

I really don't know - and how unethical would that be - if your dog had his teeth filed - I'd sue the pants off them if I could prove it. Here is a thread about wearing down of teeth from a few months ago: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...true#Post618739

Good luck.I hope you get to the bottom it.


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## TJN66

Ruso is going to be 2 years old in June. He does chew on a ball and a cuz quite a bit. He also likes to grab sticks and pieces of wood out of the wood pile...drives me nuts lol! He takes them into his dog house and hordes them.

Im thinking that when he gets his booster shots Im going to ask the new vet about this. See what he thinks might have caused it or if it looks like someone did this on purpose. 

Also..I would never accuse the old vet without having some pretty good proof. But man...just say they did file them. What else are they doing that we didnt know about. I will never leave my dog alone with a vet/vet teck again. 

Thanks for all the replies. Hubby and I have been very concerned that this is going to cause more problems down the road.

Tammy


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## jake

HELP a lost thread-isn't there a post somewhere that recommends doing a dremel filing of canines to make a dog less threatening.If there is please direct me-it seems a drgonian measure to make a dog FIT IN. by the way was done to my rescue.a


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## Betty

Annabelles teeth are pretty worn down from breaking out of kennels, destroying crates, digging under runs............

I live in fear of a giant dental bill on her one of these days.


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## Redbug

It seems to me there would be some pain involved even after the dog came out of the sedative after the teeth had been filed. This seems like an abusive measure...like having a cat declawed. Wouldn't the separate teeth wear unevenly if it's from normal wear or do they all wear about the same?


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## littledmc17

Brady has the same problem and My vet said it was from the marrow bones. Next GSD I get will not get marrow bones until he is at least 3 and teeth are fully developed.

I don't think a vet would do that because you would be charged for it. God forbid something happened how would they explain it


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## 3K9Mom

Camper's cuspids (canine teeth) look like they're filed flat across. No one has ever filed them down though. He played with Jolly Balls when he was younger. He plays with Cuzes that get dirty/gritty. I asked my vet dentist about it. He says that the wear pattern is completely normal in a dog his age, and that any rough textured ball (like a tennis ball, jolly ball or smooth ball with dirt on its surface) will do it. These cause a sand-paper effect on teeth. So will chewing on/carrying sticks and such. 

As pointed out, some dogs also have softer teeth and tooth enamel than others. 

Those soccer balls might be doing it, since dogs pick up soccer balls with their canine teeth. If you bring your dog to a veterinary dentist, s/he can almost certainly tell you if the wear patterns are normal or not. You can also review what toys your dog plays with the dentist, as I did. (I won't let Camper play with Jolly Balls at all, or tennis balls outside, and I'm always wiping the dirt off his Cuzes). That will give you your answer. 

And yes, it seemed to happen all of a sudden with my dog. He seemed to have perfectly normal teeth. Then his teeth looked flat. It's just one of those things we don't pay attention to. Wear is really gradual, til it becomes obvious. 

I'm not saying that what you allege didn't happen. But it's more likely (to me) that the wear is perfectly normal. The fact that he's not interested in bones says to me that he has similar wear on his molars as well and that chewing bones has possibly become uncomfortable. 

An unethical vet/tech would have to act unscrupulously with others, who are animal lovers, standing by while this harmful act took place. It just doesn't seem likely to me. I like a good conspiracy, but this one just doesn't hold up.


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## herojig

3K9Mom said:


> Camper's cuspids (canine teeth) look like they're filed flat across. No one has ever filed them down though.


Hi 3k9mom, I am wondering if the teeth looked like this: http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...t-rescued-gsd-streets-katmandu-questions.html

I just rescued a GSD with these flat looking canines. Never seen anything like that before!


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## Jenny720

herojig said:


> 3K9Mom said:
> 
> 
> 
> Camper's cuspids (canine teeth) look like they're filed flat across. No one has ever filed them down though.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi 3k9mom, I am wondering if the teeth looked like this: http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...t-rescued-gsd-streets-katmandu-questions.html
> 
> I just rescued a GSD with these flat looking canines. Never seen anything like that before!
Click to expand...

My dogs teeth look like that. He loved bones and soft jolly ball which was still abrasive.The vet said to be careful as his Teeth are worn down- if they get worn down to much the nerve can be exposed. Now I?m careful what balls I let him play with.


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## Castlemaid

I'm locking this as it is a 10 year old thread. Can you please start a new one with your question herojig? Most of the previous posters are not active on the board anymore.


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