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Spangle is at the vets and I feel so guilty !

Spangly

Well-known member
Last night I gave Spangle her deer antler to have a little chew on, as we have done since we got it at Crufts in March.
She used to just take it from me and run around the house deciding where she was going to hide it, she never really chewed at it.
But about a week ago she realised that it made a pretty good chew as well.
I only let her have it for about 15 minutes each night, but she really did love it and would sit looking at me each night until I gave it to her.
Anyway last night she was lying next to me on the sofa happily chewing and there was a fairly loud cracking noise and Spangle jumped off the sofa looking very scared. :( I removed the antler straight away and tried to look in her mouth. She wouldn`t let me which isn`t unusual, Colin (my OH) and I tried our best but we couldn`t see anything.

She didn`t seem very concerned, in fact she picked up her nylon dental bone and started to chew that for a couple of minutes.
Then she settled down and went to sleep as usual. It was only after I`d been in bed for about half an hour that I became a bit concerned as she seemed to be licking her lips and generally seemed a bit down. We both tried again to see if we could see a problem in her mouth but we just couldn`t. She then went to sleep and slept for most of the night (although I couldn`t settle after that).

We took her to our vet this morning and he was able to show us that she had broken her tooth, one of the long ones at the back (the premolar ?). It seems to have broken right through the middle from front to back.So he`s kept her in to remove it this morning.
I feel so guilty.:( I knew she had a fairly strong jaw. I should have noticed that she was gnawing at it too much.
I would still recommend deer antler to anyone but please be very aware of just how strongly your dog is chewing on it.
 
The poor poppet. How is she now?
I've never given Jessie deer, haven't come across them yet. We have thick bully sticks and dried kangaroo lung that we give him. I prefer the organic smoked bully sticks, as they soften as he chews and he can easily digest them. Does the deer break down or soften?

Will you be sticking with it or finding another alternative?
 
Poor little pet:( Don't feel guilty (I know we always do) but these things happen x
 
Please don't be so tough on yourself.It's just a tooth..how mine haven't broken every single tooth in their mouths demolishing my skirting board is a minor miracle.She'll be absolutely fine..not the best start to the week in fairness,wishing her a speedy recovery.
Sins
 
Thank you for your kind words and thoughts.
She is back with me now and is fine in respect of her mouth but as she missed her painkillers at 10.00 and her gabapentin was an hour and a half late, she has been rubbing her head and scratching quite violently for a while. I've just managed to get her to sleep now on my lap and she's snoring gently.
Thankfully it was only 1 tooth damaged and I would still recommend deer antlers as a good product but be aware about your dog's strength when gnawing.
 
So pleased she is back home with her loving and oh so caring Mum. These things happen sometimes, so you have no reason to feel guilty.

Give the beautiful Spangle a gentle pat from me.
 
Poor you, poor Spangle. Yes, the deer antlers are very, very hard.....it's amazing she didn't cry out.

It's not your fault. Some chew very hard. I wonder if the hard chewing is related to or tied to pain episodes.
 
You did nothing wrong, but I understand your guilt, I would feel the same way. It's good you were there with her when it happened, which is a good reason why we don't leave a doggy unattended when having a gnaw on such things.
I hope she is on the road to recovery and you are feeling better, too.
 
Oh goodness sorry I missed this Christine, yes it's very worrying and you do feel guilty when something like this happens but it does happen fairly frequently...so don't beat yourself up.

It sounds like Spangle has come through absolutely fine. Rupert did the same on a bully stick many years ago.


It shows that normally she is well managed for pain as in the past mine have not wanted to chew with SM/CM symptoms when it's not so well controlled.


Tania sent us a wonderful hamper from http://www.venisonforpets.co.uk/product_range.php they love the marrow bones, they seem to soften when chewed too and are not rock hard like some treats.

Desrae's advice is very sensible, never leave a dog unattended with anything like this - especially not rawhide - so that you can be there if they choke or if they are chewing rather too enthusiastically!


It also makes things more interesting if you restrict access! We keep the marrow bones in an air tight container with those food grade silica sachets - they keep for ages. When they've been chewing, we leave the bones out to dry overnight and then put them away.


Thank goodness Spangle is ok now - gentle hugs for her xx
 
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