Antlers and Root Canals

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Well, here we go again.  Gracie Doodle needs to either have her tooth pulled or have a root canal.  She just had her dental exam and they found two major crunching teeth that are sheared off down the side and/or cracked.  One is down into the gum which must be painful.  There are two thoughts on how to treat this.  Pull the tooth or have a root canal.  Some feel (and the Vet also) that there are dogs who are never quite the same once they have had one of their major chewing and nawing teeth gone.  Not medically speaking but more like depressed or how they act.  My DH said our Lab had a tooth pulled and he was never the same.  I never knew that but then he was DH's dog and not mine.  It was like a little bit of joy went out of him.  Now that we have celebrated Gracie's one year from start to finish on her Myositis we need to deal with this!  

While Gracie was being treated with huge doses of Prednisone, I had to keep her away from places and dogs that might have bacterial stuff.  Her immune system was depleated and she at one point had three bacterial infections on her legs that were bleeding and then get scabbed up.  Not a pretty sight especially since she had lost all her hair on those legs!  We were using a very expenive antibiotic to get rid of the infections.  Because of this I didn't take her in the public.  I felt so sorry for her that I ordered her two wonderful Antlers from the Antler Pantry.  Gracie loved them.  She is an obsessive chewer and I was so happy to see her so engaged in something that she enjoyed.  Well, now I come to find out that was what broke/cracked her teeth.  I know this for sure because one year ago during our diagnosis of her Myositis we had her teeth cleaned and examined.  They were perfect.  So I have to conclude that the antlers were the cause because I never give her bones.  I asked our vet yesterday out of confusion because he had told us that it was OK for dogs to eat bones.  He said yes, bones but not antlers.  He said that the kind of bones dogs usually would eat were rabbit, squirrel and small rodent bones.  Not the bones of a deer, cow or Moose!!!  He said that antlers are extremely hard and that is why they should not be given.  

So, we are going to give Gracie a rest for a month or so and then off to get a root canal.  Yes, we are crazy but she has gone through so much and we don't want to pull her tooth.  They will probably do the root canal on the really bad one and try to seal up and bond the other...just buying some time I'm sure.  Unfortunately, you want to go to a specialist who is licensed and educated to do only these type of problem.  Her root canal is going to cost more than mine!!!  Unbelievable!  But she is our baby and it will be done. 

The only reason I am posting this is not really to discuss it...our mind is made up but feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.  But, I wanted to let you all know about the dangers of Antlers since I know there are quite a few Doodles here who absolutely love them.  Also, this in now way is saying anything bad about the Antler Pantry.  I loved them and if you were to get antlers that's the place to go.  It is just antlers...from anywhere...are dangerous!  

[GBK]

Oh gosh, poor Gracie!  I'll be watching for updates on how things go Nancie. Prayers and Good thoughts for you and Gracie....  Buddy has softer teeth and I always worry about the hard bones and antlers. He probably has a half dozen teeth where he has knocked the tips off.  Kona knaws on the antlers a little, but she is not an aggressive chewer.  I think I will just be safe and take them all away.

[Sally S Miles]

We tried antlers after so many good reports and our dog loved them, but we soon discovered that her gnawing could easily create a weak spot that could be dangerous.  We also noticed that she tended to get quite aggressive with them after a couple of minutes, it changed her mood - why....   Nylabones don't make her get that way.   So I rationed her time and always sat with her, listenin - until the day I heard a 'glurg ack' and at my feet she had managed to slurp it into her esophagus!   Supervision only goes so far.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The antler I got for JD is thicker around than my wrist, lol.

I guess I may be in denial, but I have a dog with IBD who cannot have any other kind of chew object. In the past he got marrow bones, beef tracheas, beef tendons, the occasional bully stick, and dental chews, all of which he loved. Now all of those things are forbidden, along with all commercial treats. The Nylabones just don't compensate for all of that, and he really isn't interested in them. I was overjoyed to be able to finally give him something that was truly a treat for him, and that does something to help get rid of the tartar on his teeth.  For me, the benefits of being able to give him an antler a couple of times a week for 10 minutes outweighs the risks. Given his health issues, it would be a much bigger disaster for him to break off and swallow a piece than for him to break a tooth. But for others here, the risk/benefit ratio may be very different.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

It sounds like that antler may have been too small!

Luna's antler is about the width of one of her legs... there's no way she'd be able to get it down the hatch.