Major problem with dogs mouth - vet tomorrow - unsure of what action to take?

Question

In our family we have 2 dogs; 1 rescue dog (spaniel) belongs to my dad and the other dog (Dalidor) belongs to me.

This evening our Spaniel hurt her mouth. She was pouring with blood, literally. She had 2 very sizable blood clots that formed as a result of the bleed; they looked like strips of liver. We took her to the emergency vet which was an hour away but as soon as we got there the bleeding had stopped.

The vet said by the looks of it she has had a gum infection for years that is progressively getting worse and rotting teeth. She had surgery for her teeth about 1 year ago but she will not allow anyone to clean her teeth, she would never have the dentastick sort chews and wouldn't have dry food; even after the surgery.

In her past she has clearly lived on the streets eating god knows what. Then some people we know from out next door neighbour got her and their kids started feeding the dog crisps, biscuits etc.. among other things she was clearly mistreated. We took her in and started treating her properly, as a dog; dog food etc... She was better for it but always had an underlying problem with her teeth.


We need to go back to the vet during opening hours tomorrow morning. The vets my dad uses is the PDSA (government funded vets) whereas I use Clifton Lodge for my dog.
We think the PDSA are likely to put her down but Clifton Lodge are likely to provide her with surgery; which we are totally willing to pay straight away.


I'm just concerned that we are making this choice out of selfishness. I don't want the dogs life to be hampered by what we do tomorrow and I'm concerned that if Clifton Lodge agree to provide her with surgery they they'll take all her teeth out which will give her a poorer quality of life. Plus she will still have the underlying problem of gum disease, which is of course a killer.


I don't know if we should just put her down because she will be in pain or help her fight it by providing her with the surgery, knowing that it will eventually kill her.

Any advice???

Answer 1

Dogs can live just fine without teeth. One of my parents' dogs lived to 21 and was entirely toothless the last ten years of his life. He still gummed chew toys, ate dry food, and lived a full life. Plus, with the teeth gone, the gum disease is going to be easier to get under control since there's no dirty teeth full of plaque to irritate them and cause infection.

Answer 2

"I don't want the dogs life to be hampered by what we do tomorrow and I'm concerned that if Clifton Lodge agree to provide her with surgery they they'll take all her teeth out which will give her a poorer quality of life. Plus she will still have the underlying problem of gum disease, which is of course a killer."



Actually, if her teeth are rotting that badly her quality of life will be MUCH MUCH better if they pull all of her teeth. Also, removing the diseased teeth will remove the pockets where debris gets trapped and causes the gum disease, so her gum disease will be significantly better if not completely cured. Dogs do great without teeth, most don't really chew their food anyway. She will probably still be able to eat dry food just as easily and if you are concerned about it you can offer her canned food or soak her dry kibble in warm water until it is softened.



Most likely she won't take dry food or chews because her teeth hurt when she chews. Removing the teeth will remove the source of pain, as well as a source of infection that can cause heart disease and kidney failure. A surgery to remove all her teeth is much more likely to give her a longer period of quality life than "eventually kill her."

Answer 3

See what the risks and life span after surgery, if she will be pain free or can be with medicine go ahead but if she's going to be in pain put her down. I know its a really hard to choose but we went for surgery as if we didn't we would regret it. But her life was worse after so we put her down. Think about it though also dogs are in packs they all have a different roll or take on as many as they need but if you take a pack member away the dog might not cope to well so make (as ours didn't) think about if your dog pines (ours waited at the door and whined and barked all night) we had to get a new dog but a really energetic dog to try to take her mind off. Think off the after affects on the other dog as well and if needed could you afforded another dog? Its like us if we live with one person all the time then the pass away we don't know what to do but dogs don't understand where they have gone and when they come back.

Answer 4

Ask the vet when you go in tomorrow about quality of life if she gets treated. See what he says before you make any decission.