Dog Toothache

vicx

Hi all, my Yorkshire Terrier had all but 4 of his teeth removed around 4 year ago. When we took him to vet on the morning of the operation we were told all of his teeth would be removed but when we collected him the vet said that he had left 4 teeth in (the long fangs at each side top and bottom) even though they are not healthy.

For the past 3 and half years we have been back and forward to the vet around every 3 - 6 month when our dog shows toothache symptoms. It is costing between £50 & £70 each time for consultation and medication, which we are not happy about because we were hoping the vet was going to remove all of his teeth when we took him for the operation. Looking back it seems like the vet done it to make money in the long run and not thinking about how the dog would suffer with toothache pain. There is no other option than medication as he is 13 year old and has a heart murmur so would not survive the operation.

The vet prescribes Rimadyl and Antirobe. After reading about these tablets on petmeds I don't think he needs Rimadyl as it says on petmed that is it for joint pain. I have also read bad reviews about this tablet so I'm hoping the vet can suggest an alternative when we take the dog to the vet in the morning. The Antirobe medication seems to be the one he needs for toothache and the Rimadyl is for joint pain so unsure why he would prescribe that. The tablets do seem to work but now we seem to be taking him to the vet more regular so I am hoping there is other tablets we can try.

I am just wondering if anyone here has been prescribed different medication for their dogs tooth pain and if it worked? so I can look up the medication info on petmeds and then talk to my vet tomorrow about the alternative medication.

Thanks in advance for any replies

Vicx

hotcookie101

Antirobe is an antibiotic-so for tooth/gum infection. Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory painkiller, so is for the pain, even if petmeds says its just for joint pain-they are not vets so cannot say about the other uses of it. If your dog has toothache then he needs pain relief-and a NSAID such as rimadyl, metacam etc is just that.

I doubt your vet did it just to make money in the long term, extraction of canines can be risky, with a higher rate of complications than other teeth in a dogs mouth(especially the lower ones and especially in an unhealthy jaw-I have seen jaws fractured due to extractions) so they probably hoped that although they may not have been 100% healthy they would be ok with homecare-eg brushing/rinsing etc. We often leave teeth that may not be 100% healthy (some gum recession etc) as to extract them could add 30-40 mins to the procedure, and they are borderline and can be saved with dental hygiene

Talk to your vet about your concerns.

vicx

Those 4 canine teeth which the vet left in are the ones that were causing the dog pain in the first place so it does seem like he has removed the rest of the teeth for no reason. If the teeth are not healthy they should have been removed as dental hygeine does not prevent toothache on unhealthy teeth.

We have got an appointment this afternoon. I dont want him to increase the dosage of Rimadyl as there is some really bad side effects and even death which the vet has not pointed out to me. I would rather try him on an alternative, it could also be the antirobe which is not clearning the infection. The vet has never suggested any other tablets so I wanted to see if I could find alternatives online and talk to the vet about them since the medication he is prescribing dont seem to be working for long.

hethmar

I think you need an alternative vet.

vicx

I have been to a different vet once and they only gave him an injection in the back of the neck and said when the pain returns again they will extract the teeth. The risk is very high though because of his age and heart murmur. I think we would probably lose him under the anesthetic (which is why our vet has advised against it. They probably would do it if we signed for it but there is no way I'd put my dog through it again with the very high risk) so it is best to keep him on pain relief everytime he shows symptoms of toothache. I would have changed to another vet but as we are only going for pain relief medication then I am sure they would all prescribe the same medication. I am just hoping there is alternatives, I can't seem to find any when I google as I don't have the medication names.

I will see how the appointment goes this afternoon. The medication has been good but now they seem to be less effective and I don't want an increased dosage of Rimadyl so was looking for an alternative.

hethmar

It must be very hard for you. xxx I wonder if acupuncture may help?

Have you tried googling?

vicx

I'm back from the vet, he prescribed the same tablets and dosage. I'm just hoping they work for him. The vet did say that the pain is going to keep coming back as the teeth need to be removed but with the high risk I am not going to risk losing him under anesthetic. I wish the vet removed them all the first time (which he said he was going to do), the operation was very expensive too and still no better off.

The vet checked his heart today and his heart murmur is quite bad now (did not say anything about what grade, but he is not in heart failure). My King Charles Spaniel is in heart failure and on the same medication but a higher dosage. One good thing is the prescription is £6 per item so I will hopefully save by buying them online. My other dog costs us a fortune, around £60 each month as the vet wants to see her every 4 weeks so we cant get prescriptions until they are sure her dosage is correct.

If my yorkie is on these heart tablets for life and once he knows the dosage is right, he said he will do 3 month presciptions. I am going to look on petmeds now and see how better off I will be if I buy them online with presciptions.

petraandcedismum

Thinking of you and him

vicx

Thank you

Does anyone know of any other reliable pet medication websites other than PetMeds? Thanks

janeys

If you go to the first page there is a sticky 2nd one down called cheap and reliable online pet suppliers a number of us have passed comment good and bad about suppliers and I found it invaluable when I was sourcing my dogs insullin. I dont know if it is any help, and you will have to check it out with you vet first, but a good hoeopathic remedy for toothache is oil of cloves. Hope this helps. and good luck. x

walwin

Try these http://www.vetuk.co.uk/

I've never used them for prescription meds but use them for everything else and they've always given good service.


Sorry your lad is suffering with his teeth