My dog seems to have a carnassial tooth abscess.I went already to 2 different doctorsdoctor#1 said it is an abscess and the tooth has to be removedafter 10 days of antibiotics .... nothing changed on his conditionso .... I went for a second opiniondoctor#2 said , in his opinion is cancerI went back to doctor#1 and requested him to perform an biopsydoctor#1 inssists to remove the tooth and clean his teeth under general anesthesia. Perform Xray. He says the Xray will show him if it is a tumor or just an abscess.I have no idea ... how all these is working for a dog.But I do not want to put my dog through hell unnecessaryBecause, if it is cancer .... I do not see the point of a tooth extraction.What do you think it will be the best for my dog.My dog is a male, 11 years old.
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Labrador Retriever Gender: Male Age: 11 Name of Dog: Jessy Already Tried: antibiotics
Welcome! I would be happy to assist you. I am a 2003 graduate from UC Davis and a Medical Director of a veterinarian practice.Hello, Interesting dilemma. Well, of course without my own exam I can only make an educated guess or two.#1 If the swelling is just above that carnassial tooth, it would be highly suspicious for a tooth root abscess. I would say, I see far more infections with that tooth than I do cancer in that area. A lot more.#2 What is the condition of that tooth. If it appears discolored or it is fractured whether recently or awhile ago, that would also help to support how the root may have gotten infected in the first place. #3 is the tooth loss or seem unusually hypersensitive. Other indicators for possible tooth root abscess. #4 With bone cancer, that is very aggressive and destructive of bone, sometimes the teeth will be loose. Not always and teeth can also be loose with tooth root infection. #5 Yes, x-rays can help. But, it is not always a slam dunk. I do think that a tooth root abscess with show more of a "dark" area at the base of the tooth and not as much bone destruction, whereas a tumor would show more of a soft tissue swelling and possible adjacent bone destruction. How about, start the anesthesia, and have the vet immediately do dental x-rays. Dental x-rays!!!! Not just regular x-rays. That way, if suggestive of cancer, you don't have to go through the extraction and entire dental cleaning. Just tell the vet you'll wait by the phone to hear what they have to say about the x-ray. I hope that breakdown helpsDr. Andy Please remember to leave feedback by selecting a SMILEY FACE followed by “Submit”. If for any reason the rating box is not visible or you are unable to enter a rating, please send me a message. This is necessary, so I may receive credit from the website for my response, even if you are a subscribing member. Receiving bonuses is also greatly welcomed. This is meant to be a chat, and for this reason, it is very important that you respond using the REPLY TO EXPERT button if more information is needed BEFORE rating. Only rate my answer when you are finished replying. IF you feel the need to rate "bad" or "poor", please stop and reply to me via the REPLY TO EXPERT button. I would be happy to continue assisting further, and do everything I can to be of the greatest assistance. After we conclude this chat, I can be requested for additional questions through my profile. Join thousands of satisfied customers by adding me to your bookmarks/favorites at: Dr. Andy REMEMBER: Even after you submit feedback, you can still review our discussion or reply if needed. Unfortunately, I cannot legally prescribe medications or offer a definitive diagnosis without performing a physical examination, which is necessary to establish a client-patient-doctor relationship. Any medical therapy and treatment should only be performed after an in-person examination with your veterinarian. While information may be discussed, this is not intended as an encouragement for you to self treat your pet.
The doctor#1 said it will be a Dental X ray
I was thinking of a similar scenario:
step 01: anesthesia
Step 02: dental X ray
step 03: if it is a tooth infection .... procede with extraction and cleaning
step 04: if it is not a tooth infection, skip step 03
step 05: procede with tumor removal
My concern is: if it is a tumor, is it better for my dog if the tumor is removed or it is better to do not touch it?
Because to put a dog to chemo or radiation .... and the end result to be Death, after a couple miserable months of life.... it is not looking as a life to live, and I do not think that my dog deserve such a hell life.
So, if the dental X ray shows a maligne tumor , should I go ahead with removal or not? Or just to ask the doctor to procede with biopsy only?
Maybe not quite.If a tumor, they will be unlikely to properly excise it.I would only proceed with step 1 and 2. If a tumor, you would really need to ask the vet if you should then be sent to a oncologist for a second opinion. At that point, I would just wake him up from the anesthesia, so not to be subjected to any unnecessary tumor excision. In that location, you want a specialist doing surgery!X-ray will not show malignancy vs. benign. Although, if it is effacing (destroying) bone, that would not be a good indicator. Biopsy wouldn't be such a bad idea, IF they can easily get it. Dr. Andy Please remember to leave feedback by selecting a SMILEY FACE followed by “Submit”. If for any reason the rating box is not visible or you are unable to enter a rating, please send me a message. This is necessary, so I may receive credit from the website for my response, even if you are a subscribing member. Receiving bonuses is also greatly welcomed. This is meant to be a chat, and for this reason, it is very important that you respond using the REPLY TO EXPERT button if more information is needed BEFORE rating. Only rate my answer when you are finished replying. IF you feel the need to rate "bad" or "poor", please stop and reply to me via the REPLY TO EXPERT button. I would be happy to continue assisting further, and do everything I can to be of the greatest assistance. After we conclude this chat, I can be requested for additional questions through my profile. Join thousands of satisfied customers by adding me to your bookmarks/favorites at: Dr. Andy REMEMBER: Even after you submit feedback, you can still review our discussion or reply if needed. Unfortunately, I cannot legally prescribe medications or offer a definitive diagnosis without performing a physical examination, which is necessary to establish a client-patient-doctor relationship. Any medical therapy and treatment should only be performed after an in-person examination with your veterinarian. While information may be discussed, this is not intended as an encouragement for you to self treat your pet.
Experience: 2003 UC Davis Veterinary Grad
Hi,I'm just following up on our conversation about Jessy. How is everything going?Dr. Andy
Hello, Dr. Andy
today I talked with my dog's veterinary doctor.
he said that a Dental X-ray ... it is not concludent enough. To make sure it is a tumor a biopsy has to be done (which I agree)
but I was asking him if the dental X-ray will show if it is a tooth infection or a tumor, and he said not allways.
anyway ... he gave me the addres of a veterinary clinic, telling me I should try there.
I am afraid even to ask how much can cost to put a dog in a veterinary clinic, but I shall call them tomorrow.
Good Luck with the call. It is true nothing will be definitive, but certainly, can head in the right direction with x-rays first. Good Luck
this is a message for Dr. Andy regarding my dog I have very good news.The biopsy results came back, and the dog doesn't have cancer.Thank you so very much for all your advises.Ani
You are very welcome Ani.If you would like to ask me any future questions:Dr. Andy You can select my link and bookmark it after the page loads if you have questions in the future.