[color="Purple"]Hello all. I had a rescue dog come to live with us last May so almost a year ago. He had been in many homes and is a Golden Retriever so a high energy dog. He had been beaten and mistreated and I guess had a poor diet.

My first visit to the vet shortly after I got him was because he seemed to have trouble eating and I saw a big canine broken in half and decaying. The vet first had tried to convince me to put him down due to aggression. He had bitten me and both my other Goldens but his biting was mostly when anyone came up behind him or touched his rear end. He had a trust issue. Now almost a year later he is the most gentle dog I have and much more laid back. I can even put my hand in his food bowl while he is eating and he has stopped being so startled and biting.

Well the vet said the tooth was his bottom big canine and he would probably break his jaw if he pulled it. He said all his teeth were uneven probably making him eat funny and the front teeth were worn down to the gum line. He advised me to wait. I have an appointment tomorrow[ for his yearly and I plan to ask about his teeth again. Though he now eats a good diet he has broken a couple more teeth and one another canine but a top canine. He also seems to have lost a front bottom tooth as i see a brown hole where there used to be a tooth. Perhaps it has just decayed and seems to be missing/. I also saw him chewing on a beef bone the other day and saw a lot of blood on the bone. Not sure what makes his teeth so bad now or what I can do about it. He will often drop a dog treat on the floor and pick it up gently with the other side of his mouth and he eats as though he hurts I don't care what the vet said. He is about 10 years old now. Also my oldest dog.

Any ideas? Thanks a bunch! CCCOLOR]

If the canine tooth is broken it needs to be pulled. It will continue to be painful until it is. Being a canine it will most likely have a very long root and be very difficult to pull, but it definitely can be done. It happens quite frequently that many teeth are in bad shape and need to be pulled and most dogs do just fine with lots fewer teeth. They usually feel better afterwards especially if the teeth are diseased. KUP on how it goes!!

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