PUPPY WITH BROKEN TOOTH I THINK IN PAIN, H E L P !

[Joe Anne]

PHOENIX IS TEETHING AND HE HAS LOST QUITE A FEW TEETH OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS. JUST LAST NIGHT HE WOULDN'T EAT HIS DINNER LIKE USUAL. HE SORTA PICKED AT IT AND AFTER HAND FEEDING & TALKING SOFTLY TO HIM, HE EVENTUALLY ATE MOST OF IT. MY HUSBAND WAS HOME WITH HIM THIS MORNING FOR BREAKFAST AND WHEN I GOT HOME TOLD ME PHOENIX DIDN'T EAT HIS BREAKFAST!!! I DECIDED TO LOOK IN HIS MOUTH, THINKING MAYBE HE HAS A TOOTH REAL LOOSE AND NOT OUT THAT IS HURTING HIM. WELL IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF HIS BABY TEETH HAVE BROKEN OFF AND HIS ADULT TOOTH HAS PUSHED IN BESIDE IT. IT LOOKS SORE AND SO DO PARTS OF HIS LITTLE GUMS. I AM ALMOST 100% SURE THAT IS WHY HE IS NOT EATING. OF COURSE THIS HAPPENS ON A SATURDAY LATE AFTERNOON, AFTER THE VET HAS CLOSED AND THEY ARE OF COURSE CLOSED ON SUNDAY. I AM PRETTY SURE HE IS HURTING. I KNOW YOU CAN GIVE AN ADULT DOG ASPIRIN FOR MINOR PAIN, BUT PHOENIX IS ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD AND HIS LAST WEIGHT WAS ABOUT 25LBS. ON JAN,. 17TH.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF IT IS OK TO GIVE HIM MAYBE 1/2 OF AN ASPIRIN (OR MORE?), AND HOW OFTEN, TO GET HIM THROUGH THE WEEKEND????

I REALLY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO TAKE HIM TO AN EMERGENCY CLINIC FOR THIS, HE IS ACTING FINE OTHERWISE, STILL WANTS HIS TENNIS BALL, WANT TO PLAY AND WILL EAT REALLY TASTY VERY SOFT STUFF, LIKE PINK SALMON! OR DEHYDRATED LIVER TREATS!!

BUT I DON'T WANT HIM TO BE IN PAIN ALL WEEKEND EITHER....

ANY HELP SOOOOON WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.

JOEANNE, MIRRA, SITKA, PHOENIX AND CREW

[karrie]

I think baby aspirin. Here is a site that mite help. www.healthypet.com

 

Ok just searched around didn't find much to help.

[nancy]

It doesn't sound like he's in pain. It probably just bothers him when he chews. If he's eating and drinking (even if you have to tempt him a tad), he's prpbably fine until Monday morning. If he were in pain, he wouldn't be playful.

 

BTW, please don't use all-caps typing. It is very hard to read. And I'm used to it because the programmers always wrote everything that way. One reason I'm glad to be a retired tech writer.

[Joe Anne]

KARRIE, THANKS, I AM SITTING HERE WAITING FOR RESPONSES. MY POOR LITTLE PUPPY. I KNOW ITS GOTTA HURT, AND I KNOW HE IS HUNGRY !!!

THANKS AGAIN

JOEANNE & PHOENIX

[Miztiki]

PLEASE DON'T YELL. It's difficult to read when it's all in CAPS.

 

WELL IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF HIS BABY TEETH HAVE BROKEN OFF AND HIS ADULT TOOTH HAS PUSHED IN BESIDE IT. IT LOOKS SORE AND SO DO PARTS OF HIS LITTLE GUMS.

Is the baby tooth loose or broken in half or completely missing?

 

If the baby tooth is just really loose then you could either wait for it to fall out, or you could yank it out. A friend of mine yanked one of my teeth that was loose but getting in the way of my eating using the string-tied-to-the-tooth-and-open-the-door-quick method. You could do something similar by playing tug.

 

I wouldn't yank it unless it was really loose, and then I still wouldn't yank it unless he went 2 days without eating.

 

If the tooth is actually broken and not loose, then I would see your vet first thing Monday. In the meantime you could soften his food to make it easier. If that doesn't help or if it seems to be causing him alot of pain then I might do an emergency visit. Others can give advice regarding aspirin and dosage better than me, so I won't comment on that.

 

You could also massage his gums and give him a wet frozen washcloth to chew on. Actually, a dab of Ora-Jel (sp) might work too. It's been a long time since I've had a puppy, so I'm a little rusty!

[urge to herd]

If you're feeding him kibble, soften with warm water or broth. Maybe even wet a washcloth or old rag in water/broth, freeze and let him chew on it.

 

Hope that tooth comes out soon.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[tildy]

try some baby oragel...(spelled wrong)..you can even get some brace wax..and place it over the tooth..call pharmacy about asprin..I KNOW you can't give him tylenol..feed him canned food..like ground canned,,or even baby food for toddlers..

[Riley-dog]

That's funny.. when Riley pulled his stifle (14 weeks old) the vet recommended baby Tylenol. Maybe it's different stuff than adult. It comes in a bottle with an eyedropper type thing. Tastes good, and the pup licked it right up. Also used it when he busted his jaw (6 months old) and it helped his pain a whole lot judging from his behavior.

[tildy]

my niece had a spaniel..she had to get stomache pumped because of tylenol...vet told her DON"T ever give it to a dog..maybe baby strength is difft..makes sense..wouldn't give adult to baby,,,,

[juliepoudrier]

I did a quick search and found the following information regarding acetaminophen and dogs.

 

From this web site ( http://consumer.vetmedcenter.com/consumer/...xso1XX.xml&dt=A ):

"For example, the toxic dosage of acetaminophen for a cat weighing 6 lb (2.7 kg.) is as little as one-half of a 325-mg pill that a person would use. For a dog weighing 30 lb (13.6 kg) dog, a toxic dose would be six to seven of the regular strength tablets for people."

 

From an ASPCA web site (an article by a vet working at the animal poison control center in Urbana, IL):

"Clinical signs of toxicity are not typically observed in dogs unless the dose exceeds 100mg/kg, at which dose heptatoxicity is possible."

 

And then in the Q&A section at Vetinfo.com, a vet responded to a query by supposing that the AVMA probably just found it easier to recommend against Tylenol for both cats and dogs rather than risk confusing pet owners with the difference. This same vet ranked aspirin as safer than Tylenol, but didn't consider Tylenol unsafe.

 

What I gathered from my brief research is that Tylenol (acetaminophen) is safe for dogs, but not over extended periods or at large doses. Personally, I use enteric-coated or buffered aspirin for my dogs when they need basic pain control and I don't have other dog meds available. The biggest "complaint" against aspirin (and advantage of acetaminophen) is that aspirin can cause ulcers, which can result in significant problems if they go unnoticed and untreated. Using buffered or enteric-coated aspirin would help guard against that. Because I have cats as well, and acetaminophen *is* toxic to cats at relatively low doses, I just don't keep it in the house.

 

Hope that helps some. My first reaction when reading the original question was the standard, "Isn't acetaminophen toxic to dogs?" But after a 10-minute search on the Internet, I have come to the conclusion that acetaminophen is not terribly dangerous for dogs, at least when given under a vet's supervision. For personal reasons, I would not use it, but I think at a child's dose, one would be safe giving it to a dog on occasion.

 

J.