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Teeth
Jul 25, 2015 15:58:50 GMT 10
Post by Ricky on Jul 25, 2015 15:58:50 GMT 10
Hi Tom
I have a dog which has had two teeth turn a slight black colour the top two thirds of the visible teeth have turned this slight black colour. The teeth in question are the lower left canine and upper right canine. The were noticed upon inspection of the teeth after two below average trials. I usually inspect the dogs at least fortnightly. Therefore this condition has not been visible for long. Upon doing a small amount of research thought it would be best for a second opinion at a local vet. They are not a greyhound dedicated vet but have reasonable knowledge of the bred and racing. They suggested it is pulpitis to which I agree. They are reluctant to remove the teeth as worried about weakening the jaw structure. They have never performed the procedure to remove the pulp and fill the teeth. The first suggestion was to see a specialist to remove pulp and fill teeth which would be expensive. Second suggestion was to prescribe the dog a course antibiotics and some pain relief and two weeks to see if the condition resides which I have done. X rays were taken to rule out any tooth fractures which there were none visible. I will get a second opinion with a full time greyhound vet who may have more knowledge with this. No blood test was taken as the dog had just had vaccination. The dog seems to be in no visible pain but a touch flat a times, stools have been a bit loose so maybe an infection is present in the teeth. What are your thoughts on treatment of this condition, would the dog be in pain is it likely to cause infection.
Thanks in advance
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Teeth
Jul 26, 2015 5:25:48 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Jul 26, 2015 5:25:48 GMT 10
Hi. Ricky,
First of all the most common initial problem that occurs with teeth is a build up of tar tar on the section of the teeth closest to the gums.
While this can be prevented to a certain extent by allowing the dog to chew on a suitable raw bone once a week, such as a brisket bone, more often than not this requires to be manually removed every couple of months. With a little bit of care and a greyhound that trusts you it is quite possible to do this yourself with the appropriate dental tool. The tar tar fractures and breaks away from the teeth when the tool is applied between the gum line and the tar tar and downward and slightly sideways pressure is applied.
The speed at which this tar tar formation occurs is also influenced by the type of diet, and only from a personal observation appears to be more prevalent with dogs on a primarily meat diet as compared to those on a whole meal dry food diet.
It is the layer of tar tar and the bacteria that then invade the space between the tar tar and the gums that then causes the next step in the whole process to occur. This is where the edge of the gum line becomes red and inflamed due to the bacteria with increasingly bad breath becoming noticeable, and it is then described as gingivitis.
It is from there that Periodontal disease sets in leading to bacteria invading the blood stream and the health problems this causes, as well as difficulty chewing food and loss of teeth.
All in all this is generally a lengthy process that affects greyhounds over the age of three years old more so than younger dogs.
Pulpitis on the other hand is generally caused by trauma to the teeth, and in greyhounds is most often caused by grabbing the lure fiercely, or the teeth coming in contact with a steel section of the lure. I have also seen a similar occurrence due to a greyhound becoming frustrated by having been enclosed in a kennel, and deciding that they would open the door by pulling at it with their teeth.
There again actual pulpitis also does take time to develop with the initial trauma causing bleeding within the structure of the tooth, resulting in a black or dark brown discoloration of the tooth. It is then that the loss of blood supply to the pulp of the tooth in some instances can progress to pulpitis, and again this generally takes time for it to reach that stage, and for it to then affect the health of the dog and therefore it's on track performances.
Trauma to the teeth of a greyhound is certainly not an unusual occurance due to them more often than not being allowed to catch the lure when trialling, thus increasing the chances of trauma being caused.
There have been many instances noted by myself where a dark discoloration of some of the teeth, primarily the canine teeth, occurred that simply settled down without progressing to pulpitis or causing the greyhound any long term health problems during its racing career.
My advice would be to relax about the discolouration that has occurred to the teeth, and if it progresses to pulpitis as demonstrated by the teeth in question becoming painfull, have the teeth removed at that time.
In regard to the greyhounds current athletic performances having deteriorated, in my honest opinion this is unlikely to be a result of tooth disease.
The soft stools and gut problems need to be investigated as the more likely cause of the loss of performance.
Cheers, Tom
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