Mortaine’s Blog

My sister sent me some photographs in the email today.

This one is my favorite.

I wish for peace.

If you ignore them, they’ll go away!

Let me advise anyone who is totally grossed out or saddened by this picture to remember that proper dental hygiene is essential to both humans and our canine and feline companions.

Hammer lost seven teeth on Monday, and appears to have an infection inside his jaw bone. It’s treatable with antibiotics. . . . . expensive antibiotics. He will likely need dental cleanings every six months, at least until he is too old to safely be put under anesthesia. These dental cleanings are approximately $150 for a routine cleaning (Hammer has yet to have a routine dental– they always involve extractions and deep scaling).

The consequences of not getting them cleaned are evident, not only in this photo, but also to anyone who has come into the house and gotten a warm welcome from my dog in the form of a big dose of “Hammer breath!” In addition, infections in the mouth and gums can spread to other parts of the body, including the bone (as has happened with Hammer), but also the lymphatic system, and the internal organs, such as the kidney and liver. In extreme cases, organ failure and death can occur.

Having seven teeth pulled is not only painful for the dog, it’s also painful for your wallet. One of the responsibilities of dog ownership is paying for veterinary expenses. However, this is one expense that might have been avoided if Hammer’s teeth had been taken better care of.

Yes, I’ll cop to it– I should have been brushing his teeth more frequently before the last dental, which was only eight months ago. I have been brushing more regularly since then, at first daily, and then down to a few times a week, but some of the abcesses must have been there for a long time, even before the last dental, at which Hammer did not have an XRay (this time he did).

Monday night was spent with my hand in and out of his mouth, applying pressure to the holes in his gums to stop the bleeding. I’m lucky– most dogs won’t tolerate someone poking their mouths, especially when they’re in pain. In fact, the veterinary nurse was surprised when he calmly tolerated her direct pressure in the vet’s office, after I’d told her that she might be surprised by what Hammer will let me do.

However, by the end of Monday night I had blood on my clothes, the carpet, various things in my office including my briefcase and my scanner, my hands, and of course, the dog (who now needs a bath, for sure). This experience has been so stressful on Hammer, his coat is literally powdered with dander (Hammer normally has a very soft, dander-free coat). As I described to some folks online Monday night between pressure-rounds, my hands smelled like a cross between animal blood and dog spit. The smell is not unlike an open bag of low-grade hamburger.

Tuesday morning, he refused to eat, which meant more of my hands in his mouth, trying to get his pills down his throat (one pain pill, which would make him more likely to feel like food, and 1.5 antibiotic pills, to continue fighting the infections).

And what a trooper, though– he’s hung in there, continuing to be a “good boy” (going outside for potty for example), despite the pain he’s been in. The pain pills keep him very quiet, which is good– I worry when he starts feeling good enough to get frisky; most likely, it’ll be about two weeks before he ought to be allowed to play, and about a day before I manage to find everything chewable that he can get into (I might just end up crating him during the day if it becomes a problem).

Yesterday, Hammer’s gums bled some at John’s workplace and then again after he was home. The amount of blood was not significant– a few drops here and there– but it stains anyway. This is one case where not having the new carpet is very convenient– I gave up on this carpet about two years ago. If we had the new carpet in already, I would be much more diligent about cleaning up the blood and preventing stains. As it is– I just can’t bring myself to care anymore.

I want everyone to know– I won’t hesitate to spend money on my pets’ veterinary care. In this case, though, all the king’s gold and all the king’s men aren’t gonna put Hammer’s teeth back in again. They’re gone, and no amount of money would have saved them. Brushing regularly for the last 4 years…. that might have helped, might have delayed this by a few years. Dog biscuits aren’t enough– regular brushing with a toothbrush and toothpaste is needed– your vet or vet assistant can show you how.

As John put it: Hammer has outlived his teeth. He’s 11 years old, if anyone is wondering.