# No More Yak Chews...Neo Has A Fractured Upper 4th Premolar * Follow up



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

We were finally able to get in and see a vet yesterday, fist time since Things Changed. In the course of the exam it was discovered that Neo has a fractured upper 4th premolar.

There is no proof that the yak chews are responsible but they are the only hard chews I've given the boys. (Skylar, I should have listened .)

Options are extraction, not ideal but likely ends the issue without additional anesthesia (sedation) for follow up xrays, or root canal with crown and additional anesthesia (sedation) for the follow up xrays. I gulped a bit, naturally, at the additional estimated cost of the RC and crown, but can swing it without worry, if needed.

Ultimately the xrays prior to starting any procedure will give a clearer picture but that won't be til the day of the scheduled procedure, so we may still end up with several rounds of general anesthesia.

Complicating factors are the fracture itself, straight or curved roots, and some other factors.

With yak chews out of the picture, I'm back to having to find edible chews that will satisfy his strong chewing need but last more than 5 minutes.

Just FYI, here's the list of approved and not approved items.

Approved

_Appropriate Chews/Treats for your Dog

Products that have the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal are the ideal chew/treat for your pet when used regularly. They can help decrease plaque and calculus buildup that leads to periodontal disease in your pets.

• Hill's Prescription Diet® t/d® Canine
• Science Diet Oral Care Diet for dogs
• Canine Healthident®, Bright Bites and Checkup Chews for Dogs- all sizes
• Canine Greenies® & Greenies ® Veterinary Formula Canine Dental Chews- all sizes, regular,
lite and senior
• Purina Busy heartyhide Beefhide Strips for Dogs
• Eukanuba Adult Maintenance Diet for Dogs
• Iams Chunk Dental Defense Diet for Dogs
• Purina Veterinary Diets DH Dental Health brand Formula
• Purina Veterinary Diets DH Dental Health brand Small Bites Canine Formula
• Purina Veterinary Diets Dental Chews brand Canine Treats
• Tartar Shield Soft Rawhide Chews for Dogs
• Virbac CET ® Veggie Dent® Chews for Dogs, all sizes
• Milkbone® Brushing Chews for Dogs
• Dog: : ESSENTIAL™ healthy mouth ™ anti-plaque water additive
• Dog: : ESSENTITAL ™ healthy mouth™ anti- plaque gel
Other products we recommend:
• Kongs® filled with peanut butter or smaller treats.
• Virbac Animal Health CET® HEXtra chews
• Virbac Animal Health CET® Oral Hygiene Chews for dogs
• Premier™ Busy Buddy®
• Premier™ Tug-o-Jug®



Not Approved

Inappropriate Chews

Any toys or chews that are made with hard materials should be avoided.
They can lead to fracture of a tooth or excessive wear. A fractured tooth
can be painful and lead to a dangerous infection for your pet, especially if
left untreated. We know that they are often sold in high quantities for a low
cost. The low cost however, is not worth a fractured tooth.

We Do Not Recommend:
• Hard Rawhides
• Pig Ears
• Cow Hooves
• Ice Cubes
• Real Bones
• Hard Nylon



The key to management of periodontal disease, also called gum disease,
begins with a professional evaluation by your veterinarian. After an
examination, home care can begin with brushing. Daily chewing activity is
also important to keep your pet’s teeth clean. All chews and toys should be
given with supervision as some pets are prone to swallowing large pieces
or gulping down treats that are designed to be slowly chewed._


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Mia fractured one of her lower canines when younger and had a root canal. It didn't turn out the way I thought: She looks fine, but the tooth was cut down to the size of her front teeth and is black, so it is noticeable. I wasn't consciously expecting human level cosmetic dentistry, but it was such a small fracture and the result is rather dramatic. If you're having a crown put in, maybe Neo will look better. It may be worthwhile to ask for a photo.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Ouch! As one who is still struggling with a broken tooth I sympathise. I think I would consider carefully about a crown - my sister has had three rounds of root canal work on one of her molars and it has played up repeatedly - she now wishes she had just had it out at once. Neo doesn't need to crunch bones to survive - my choice would be to remove the problem once and for all, unless there are issues with that proving problematic for surrounding teeth in the future.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I’m so sorry to read this, poor baby. I hope he’s not in a lot of pain.

My vet warned me because he sees lots of broken teeth from chewing hard items. Raw bones are a big problem in the practice. Do you remember Mollymuima’s dog Molly broke teeth and had to have them pulled.

Unfortunately there really doesn’t seem to be anything that lasts a long time. When I make up my filled original Kongs, I stuff it with their food tightly, I tamp it in so it does take a while to lick and chew it out. I don’t freeze it. I use part of their supper. Babykins food is home made and texture of meatloaf. I literally squeeze the liquid out as I push it in. Theo is eating Freshpet puppy food. I plug the hole with a chunk of chicken first. 

I wonder if playing tug with mom would give the same pleasure as chewing something hard? Maybe a rubbery squeak toy?

Basic rule my vet said, if you can’t dent something with you finger nail, it’s too hard for your dogs to chew.

edit for typos


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Oh no. Poor Neo.

I stopped giving Yak chews to Galen when he started biting them into large chunks, which he then swallowed and puked up later. His squeaky ball obsession currently seems to meet his chewing needs. He works the ball in his mouth until the ball disintegrates.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Sorry to hear. I hope whatever treatment you go with, that it relieves his pain.
Elroy is pretty happy with his braided "Pork Chomp" chew. It's roasted pigskin rolled up into rawhide type shapes. The "ends" on this braided piece are separate smaller pieces that he pulled off (one end so far) in short order (I thew it away after a bit) but the braided part is lasting a long time...weeks a presume at this rate. Elroy is not a ferocious chewer, so YMMV. 


https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/pork-chomps-premium-roasted-braid-1128126?store=1493&cm_mmc=organic_feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1128126&utm_source=Shopping&utm_medium=ECOMM&utm_content=Feed&utm_campaign=Core&cid=Shopping-ECOMM-Core--33&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0emHBhC1ARIsAL1QGNcX3EayGHOHQAtevxTDfvtbpuW0u1A9PKwehyT-ihS-YWhEYSsfajgaAqGJEALw_wcB


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

Oh no that sucks.
I stopped yaks chews after the first time trying them out . Sandy would make the worst sounds trying to bite it (cracking sounds)and I said nope she would break a tooth. Nova sounded like a beaver scraping her front teeth on them.

Did they say anything about Bully sticks? That what I use along with virbac dental chews once a day.


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## Dogs4Life (May 27, 2018)

Sorry to hear this 

Miracle came to me with a broken tooth, and so I have been very cautious as to what I allow her to chew. I used to give many different kinds of chews I thought were safe for my previous dogs, but I have been sticking to cod skins for her.


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## The Popster (Feb 23, 2021)

Rose n Poos said:


> We were finally able to get in and see a vet yesterday, fist time since Things Changed. In the course of the exam it was discovered that Neo has a fractured upper 4th premolar.
> 
> There is no proof that the yak chews are responsible but they are the only hard chews I've given the boys. (Skylar, I should have listened .)
> 
> ...


Bugger, we have had a heat wave here and have given the Popster ice cubes. 
Shall think again on that one, as with other chews she has had.
Thanks


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

I’m sorry to hear about Neo’s tooth. Guess I will throw away the yak chew I have. I’m also interested to know about bully sticks. Violet loves them, perhaps a bit too much.

I think I would have the tooth removed if I were facing this choice. Crowns can be problematic, and how wound you know if it continued to hurt? Dogs are so stoic.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Interestingly, our vet said yak cheese _wasn’t_ likely responsible for Peggy’s crack and there was no reason to stop giving it. Sounds like we could easily get a completely different answer if we sought a second opinion. Argh.

Did your vet recommend immediate action?

Ours is taking a wait-and-see approach, which does worry me a little, as Gracie’s dental issues took a real toll on her health.


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## LoveMyRedToyPoodle (Sep 15, 2019)

I'm sorry to hear this RosenPoos! My tpoo loves bully sticks, and seems to chew them easily (i.e. they're not super hard). I had tried the yak cheese, and those were way too hard for him. So seems to me that the bully sticks are easier on the teeth. 

As an added bonus, he had two retained baby teeth that we were due to be removed at age 2 at the same time as his neuter surgery, but chewing on the bully sticks knocked them out, which was a nice surprise.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

Yak cheese can be softened by putting it in the microwave. Just put it in and watch it until it puffs itself. Turn it over and watch again until it puffs.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Normie has to make do with one Virbac chew while we eat supper. It's the best part of his day.
(He refuses to eat his kibble until he's had his chew.)


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Liz said:


> Mia fractured one of her lower canines when younger and had a root canal. It didn't turn out the way I thought:





fjm said:


> I think I would consider carefully about a crown





Newport said:


> I think I would have the tooth removed if I were facing this choice.


I'm not really leaning toward the crown but based on the reading I've done, unless the roots are pretty straight and some other things aren't stars aligned, the vet said they might have to stop and refer him out after all.



Skylar said:


> I hope he’s not in a lot of pain...
> My vet warned me because he sees lots of broken teeth from chewing hard items. Raw bones are a big problem in the practice. Do you remember Mollymuima’s dog Molly broke teeth and had to have them pulled.


Even knowing the stoicism of dogs, I see nothing in his behavior to suggest even discomfort, let alone pain, so I'm hopeful for that, for the moment. I remember MMM writing about that .



cowpony said:


> I stopped giving Yak chews to Galen when he started biting them into large chunks


Noel used to do that with the rawhides and after the choking incident, no more of those. Neo's a pretty strong chewer and had been getting larger than I liked chunks off but showed no interest in swallowing them, His thing is chewing and then carrying whatever it is around in his mouth,



94Magna_Tom said:


> Elroy is pretty happy with his braided "Pork Chomp" chew.





94Magna_Tom said:


> Elroy is not a ferocious chewer, so YMMV.


Neo is an avid chewer . Thanks for the rec. I'll look into those.



Mel said:


> Sandy would make the worst sounds trying to bite it (cracking sounds)and I said nope she would break a tooth. Nova sounded like a beaver scraping her front teeth on them.


Omg, I know! Those sounds made me cringe. I should have heeded. Neo just loves chewing so, and is a very strong chewer so I was hoping that the long lasting and edible yak chews would be our answer.



Dogs4Life said:


> I used to give many different kinds of chews I thought were safe for my previous dogs, but I have been sticking to cod skins for her.


I know, so many things that we now know better than to do 



The Popster said:


> we have had a heat wave here and have given the Popster ice cubes.


If you find "safe" chews, try putting them in the freezer for a cool chomping session 



PeggyTheParti said:


> Interestingly, our vet said yak cheese _wasn’t_ likely responsible for Peggy’s crack and there was no reason to stop giving it. Sounds like we could easily get a completely different answer if we sought a second opinion. Argh.
> Did your vet recommend immediate action?


As soon as the word yak came out of my mouth the tech's face told me what was coming next .
They didn't recommend immediate action. Their surgery schedule is out 2-3 weeks so I need to act soon but require more info first.



Mel said:


> Did they say anything about Bully sticks?


They didn't. I'm going to call and ask for some phone time with the vet to go over some more of this. I'll update when I learn more.



LoveMyRedToyPoodle said:


> seems to me that the bully sticks are easier on the teeth.


Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to need to find something that can be chewed anywhere, including on the bed, since that's part of his morning routine. Are they yucky messy?



reraven123 said:


> Yak cheese can be softened by putting it in the microwave


I've done that occasionally with the leftovers but mostly just forget. I'm holding off on any chewables for now but will puff a couple again to see how easily they crumble. If there's no challenge to it, he'll lose interest, I think.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

We keep a stash of yak stumps to puff. Peggy gets more excited about them than the actual chews, but considering the mess they leave behind, I’m not sure how much actually makes it to her belly.


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## LoveMyRedToyPoodle (Sep 15, 2019)

Rose n Poos said:


> Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to need to find something that can be chewed anywhere, including on the bed, since that's part of his morning routine. Are they yucky messy?


Bully sticks are not messy at all! They are 100% beef pizzle, otherwise known as bull penis. (I try not to think about that part) I make sure I buy the odor-free ones. I don't want smelly bull penises lying around on my floor. 😂 

Also, if my 5 pound toy poodle can easily chew them with his teeny tiny teeth, then any dog can. They last a very long time for him. Here's a link to the ones I buy:


Amazon.com


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

Even some of the non stinky bully sticks stink 😅 but maybe just a bit less . It’s pretty gross.

Sandy is a heavy chewer and doesn’t stop until I take it away so I give her about 30 mins and put away for next time. Once it gets to a size that looks like she can get it stuck and can’t hold with her paws anymore I toss. I have had to pull out a thumb length size out of her throat going down before(she was gagging) . Just not worth the risk to let her have them when they get short. I buy the 12 inch size. It’s funny to see Nova chewing on her big bone.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I feed soft raw poultry bones. YMMV, but I could probably snap them in my hand and can definitely cut them with a knife. Trixie gets chicken or duck wings or wing tips or necks, Annie gets turkey. 

Lately I have been giving Annie bone broth which I froze into ice cubes. They freeze less solidly than a real ice cube, a bit softer, and Annie says they are fantastic.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

I can't imagine why I find the thought of stepping over dried penises littering my rugs distasteful.

Note to self: never tell Normie that bully sticks exist.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

Phoebe and Diego both love bully sticks, and they gross my kids out since I told them what they are. 🤣 Neither really chews on the yak chews we have. Starla did, and had a cracked puppy tooth, but she would also grab rocks to bite down on outside. 🤦‍♀️

Remember that no chew is 100% safe. Diego was chewing on a veggie dent earlier (listed above on the safe list), sized appropriately for him, and got it wedged in his teeth somehow. He was freaking out until I got it dislodged. If he had been alone he might have really hurt himself.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I use bison knee caps, lamb ears and the the Virbac CET chews. Sorry for the dental woes.


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## LoveMyRedToyPoodle (Sep 15, 2019)

Mel said:


> Once it gets to a size that looks like she can get it stuck and can’t hold with her paws anymore I toss. I have had to pull out a thumb length size out of her throat going down before(she was gagging) . Just not worth the risk to let her have them when they get short.


Yes, that's why they make the Bully Buddy Safety Device...to put the short bully stick in so your dog doesn't choke. Amazon.com : Bow Wow Labs Bully Buddy Safety Device - Bully Stick Holder for Dogs (XS) : Pet Supplies



Dianaleez said:


> I can't imagine why I find the thought of stepping over dried penises littering my rugs distasteful.
> 
> Note to self: never tell Normie that bully sticks exist.


The bully stick jokes are endless! Normie's missing out though if you never try them, dogs go crazy over them and they are 100% beef, doesn't get better than that. See, I wasn't even trying to crack a joke there!


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

LoveMyRedToyPoodle said:


> Yes, that's why they make the Bully Buddy Safety Device...to put the short bully stick in so your dog doesn't choke.


Vise grips are Elroy's safety device.


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

I’m going to use a pair of vise grips 🤪 and see how it goes. There are a lot of bad reviews on the bullystick holder about it breaking.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

I bought 25 12" dried penis's for Basil in bulk and it's only about $4 per. That's like one fufu drink (or 2 vendi drip coffee) at Starbucks or 1 trip to 7-11... Or whatever $4 means for you.

I had to tighten down discretionary spending so Basil could have chews. Ie fewer trips to buy coffee or choosing to DIY at home, less buying lunch, and shopping for more competitive car insurance rates. Essentially we decreased two line items to make a new and necessary expense for Basil to try and protect the emergency fund.

So saying "yes" and rotating fresh sticks dont require a second thought to keep Basil occupied.


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## LoveMyRedToyPoodle (Sep 15, 2019)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> I bought 25 12" dried penis's for Basil in bulk and it's only about $4 per. That's like one fufu drink (or 2 vendi drip coffee) at Starbucks or 1 trip to 7-11... Or whatever $4 means for you.
> 
> I had to tighten down discretionary spending so Basil could have chews. Ie fewer trips to buy coffee or choosing to DIY at home, less buying lunch, and shopping for more competitive car insurance rates. Essentially we decreased two line items to make a new and necessary expense for Basil to try and protect the emergency fund.
> 
> So saying "yes" and rotating fresh sticks dont require a second thought to keep Basil occupied.


I couldn't decide which reaction I wanted to give you, the laugh or the like! 😂


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

Sorry to hear. I hope Neo feels better soon. How has he been doing?


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Neo's shown no sign whatsoever that he's discommoded by it. I don't think it's been fractured for very long but there's absolutely no change at all in any behavior. 

Still, this can't be put off any longer than getting a few more questions answered and then getting scheduled. 

Since questions occasionally come up about costs of this or that, I'm adding the estimates for comparison. This is a private practice in a suburb on the Kansas side of the Kansas City Metro area. 

Neo's with 1 extraction









Remo's for the simple dental


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## vandog (Mar 30, 2019)

Yikes - I am sorry about Neo. Hopefully the extraction goes well and that he doesn’t show any discomfort in the next little while.

Bully sticks seemed to last the longest other than the yak cheese. I also bought in bulk because although the upfront cost was significantly more it was cheaper in the long run because those things are expensive! I would use a qwizl (west paw), a bully holder or even a kong or different toy to hold the smaller pieces in. However, my spoo preferred to chew her chews with me holding them…so I would just trade it when it got too small. Didn’t really think that decision out when she was a puppy because she would actively seek out someone to hold her chew… and there’s nothing like holding a soggy bully stick. 😂 She also liked the Etta says chews, bull tails, or whimzees. They didn’t last as long as the yak cheese or bully sticks but they lasted for a decent amount of time considering they weren’t that expensive.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

vandog said:


> Didn’t really think that decision out when she was a puppy because she would actively seek out someone to hold her chew… and there’s nothing like holding a soggy bully stick. 😂


Lol. Or one dropped in your lap while you’re engrossed in a TV show. We taught Peggy the same thing.

Are you for sure going with the extraction, @Rose n Poos?


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## DogtorDoctor (Mar 20, 2020)

@Rose n Poos I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. My older dog slabbed his upper fourth premolar on a deer antler last February, and I also chose to go with extraction over any sort of reconstruction to avoid repeated anesthetic procedures. One thing that may be worth asking your vet about would be the osteopromotive agent Consil (or a similar product). The dentist at the teaching hospital in my state recommends it after the extraction of any large tooth to help avoid defects in the remaining bone in the future. 

Let us know how everything goes!


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Are you for sure going with the extraction, @Rose n Poos?


Fairly certain, until/unless xrays insist on something else. Extraction of a large tooth presents it's own potential pitfalls, one mentioned by DD below. I had to put pause on reading of those . What would be really helpful in these articles would be the percentage of incidence. I mean, who'd think that an extraction could result in a jaw or skull fracture?



DogtorDoctor said:


> One thing that may be worth asking your vet about would be the osteopromotive agent Consil (or a similar product). The dentist at the teaching hospital in my state recommends it after the extraction of any large tooth to help avoid defects in the remaining bone in the future.


Thanks for the info . Understanding of the function of the tooth, including maintaining jaw strength, wasn't something I'd considered (nor mentioned in our brief exam) until I'd got home and started researching. I hadn't seen mention of a preventative til you did.

I'm getting my list of questions together and will contact the office tomorrow to ask if I could email those before a prelim phone discussion. A few could possibly be addressed by a simple yea or nay, some will depend on what's found in the labs/xrays, and some might require contact with the dental specialist office. For now, the ducks are milling around quacking. I'm going to need more of them to line up and shut up, but fast


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Dentals and extractions for both Monday 8-30. Neo had the upper 4th premolar extracted as expected and also had the 3rd small premolar in front of it extracted, also due to fracture. Remo also had an upper 3rd premolar extracted. 

There was no infection, the extractions were uncomplicated. We spoke with the vet at drop off time but not at pickup so we don't have many details. I'll be asking for more info from them but the good news is that they're both home, still a bit dazed and confused but otherwise well so far. 

We did the labs last Tuesday to make sure there wasn't anything untoward to interfere. Not including the labs, the cost for Remo was just over $600 and Neo was just over $660. 

They're on soft wet foods for about 2 weeks, ate tonight but weren't really drinking. I'm not going to fret until the morning over that . 

All in all, the boys are home, they're recovering, I'm happy.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

So glad all went well! Will look forward to tomorrow’s update.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I'm glad it all went so well - you must have been on tenterhooks with them both in at once!


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

The proverbial double-edged sword


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

PeggyTheParti said:


> So glad all went well! Will look forward to tomorrow’s update.





fjm said:


> I'm glad it all went so well - you must have been on tenterhooks with them both in at once!


Thank you 🐩 🐩


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I’m glad it went well. Hopefully this morning they will have bounced back to their normal selves.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Here's to a quick recovery! Keep us posted on their progress!


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Skylar said:


> I’m glad it went well. Hopefully this morning they will have bounced back to their normal selves.





94Magna_Tom said:


> Here's to a quick recovery! Keep us posted on their progress!


Thank you, they've both recovered themselves and are out of the fog. Remo took longer, until last night at just about this time, but they're back . 

I'm still waiting for the Dr to find some time to provide some of the medical details but otherwise we're on course for uneventful recovery.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Final report. 

Two weeks and an ooch and both boys are doing very well. I'd maintained that neither boy was showing any signs of pain, but something that had all but stopped resumed in earnest the other day, bitey face fighting! 

It had slipped away gradually, so if I'd noticed it at all, I would have just thought they'd outgrown it. It's hard to notice things that aren't there . 

They're also playing more again, not more often, but longer and more actively when they do than in some time too. 

We had a surprise with Neo and found out that he had three adult teeth that had almost for certain never come in.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Rose n Poos said:


> Final report.
> 
> Two weeks and an ooch and both boys are doing very well. I'd maintained that neither boy was showing any signs of pain, but something that had all but stopped resumed in earnest the other day, bitey face fighting!
> 
> ...


Well that's a good sign (more bitey, playing)! What are the consequences, if any, of the adult teeth not emerging in Neo? Will it still happen later?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Do you think one or both had some mouth pain that contributed to less bitey face fighting?

Do they do anything for teeth that didn’t emerge?

Good to hear both are back to normal. You know things are getting better when dogs return to normal play.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Well that's a good sign (more bitey, playing)! What are the consequences, if any, of the adult teeth not emerging in Neo? Will it still happen later?





Skylar said:


> Do you think one or both had some mouth pain that contributed to less bitey face fighting?
> 
> Do they do anything for teeth that didn’t emerge?
> 
> Good to hear both are back to normal. You know things are getting better when dogs return to normal play.


Thanks! They are definitely feeling more oaty . 

I asked if she could tell whether they had simply never developed, probably a genetic thing, or if they'd started or broken or something and been resorbed. She thinks they just never started development based on the x-rays. She also didn't think it was predictive of any future concerns. 

As for having pain, I'm sure now that there was for both. I would have sworn there wasn't before their recovery but seeing the difference now tells me all. 

I mean, how could a dog crack down on and hew chunks off of a yak chew if they had pain doing it? They were both eager for their walks, playing and chasing things and each other inside and out, ate with no difficulty, truly nothing overt to tip us off that they might be hurting. I don't think it had been for months, but even to not have noticed for a few weeks, I just feel like a bad pooparent. 

We did get them fixed up as soon as we got into the vet's and their schedule allowed, but...

They're happy happy boys now and I'm going to do my best to keep them that way.


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