[TofuChowMix]

Hi there,

It looks like my 8 month old chow chow mix has tooth decay? (picture attached) I was hoping to wait til her 1 year checkup to get it checked out but i noticed its been getting worse. Do you think this is something i can try to fix at home or have to see a vet immediately?

Has your dog had something similar? What did you do?

Thanks for your thoughts in advance!

 

[storyist]

I'd see the vet. Judging from the pic, I can't tell if it's the same, but one of my dogs had a tooth (a small lower front incisor) that came in and started turning brown almost immediately. Since I'd had reason to use a dog dental specialist in the past, I took her to him, and (this from memory) he said the tooth had developed without enamel. In an effort to save it, he coated it with the kind of stuff used for tooth-colored fillings in people, which was expensive and lasted less than a year. At that point I had the tooth pulled.

However, Schara's tooth always looked like a full tooth for that position, although smaller than those to each side, dull to start with and then brown. From the pic, your dog's tooth doesn't look all there, so maybe it's a totally different problem, or maybe it's further advanced without protection. Anyway, I'd get to the vet as soon as possible rather than wait for it to start bothering her.

 

[Knute]

It looks like a puppy tooth that hasn't been ejected.

I had to have two puppy teeth pulled because they didn't eject. Both were canine teeth, one upper and one lower.

What ever it is.....a trip to the Vet is proper.