A few weeks ago, a dog arrived at our clinic bleeding from her mouth. On examination, we discovered that she had some infected teeth. The infection had destroyed several of her teeth and the jaw bone surrounding the teeth. It damaged nearby blood vessels causing the alarming bleeding. Fortunately we were able to anesthetize her, remove the diseased teeth and damaged tissue, stop the bleeding and clean the rest of her teeth, leaving her with a healthier and more comfortable mouth!

Though you can tell her teeth are covered in tartar prior to the procedure, you cannot see the full extent of the disease without intraoral radiographs. There you can tell just how much damage infection can do once it has worked its way under the gumline.

This patient is doing well and expected to make a full recovery. She had no symptoms prior to the bleeding other than bad breath and “dirty teeth”. Her parents hadn’t wanted to put her under anesthesia for a teeth cleaning because she is an older girl. They are not alone! Many pet owners are nervous about putting an older dog under anesthesia. Although anesthesia will always have risks, it’s safer now than ever and continues to improve so that the risks are very low and are far outweighed by the benefits of maintaining healthy teeth and gums.

If you would like to learn more about Pet Dental Health and how to take care of your pet’s teeth, see our previous blog.