Minutus

I am hoping someone can give me a hand in trying to resolve this without surgical intervention.

It seems my little dog bit on something hard, broke off the tip of the back upper right molar and a pathogen has entered and set up a huge abscess below her eye. (All her other teeth are in very good condition-give her lots of bones) She doesn't appear ill at all and doesn't seem to feel any pain either. In a panic I allowed the vet to give antibiotics as I was extremely worried about an infection so close to the brain, it being close to the week-end also and no medical coverage at that time.

Second visit to vet and a tooth extraction (3 roots on this molar) has been recommended. I absolutely want to avoid this in a little dog.

She's very hyper and nervous, always wants to sit and cuddle on my lap in the evenings. Since she was little, she has been continually chewing at her paws. She's probably suffering from vaccinosis:-((

is there anything that can be done??

Myristica, Hekla Lava, Silicea, Mercurius
Many thanks in advance

Julie

Hi Julie

You would need to try and find as many modalities as possible in order
to narrow your choice of remedy: does he prefer warmth or cold - try
compresses of both on the area, does he dislike being touched, does he
want to be held, etc. Look at how the patient's behaviour has changed
since the problem to give you mental symptoms: restless, irritable, etc.
If the tooth is damaged sufficiently to let infection in then something
needs to be done about the tooth or the abscess is just going to keep
recurring.

In cases with goats where I have very few modalities to go off I have
found Myristica very effective in 'some' cases, but you are going to get
the best results by taking a full case.

HTH
Kerry

I'd do the extraction. Dogs tolerate missing teeth quite well. Support the ABX with homeopathy for the symptoms and the surgery. This is a dangerous situation, and I wouldn't mess around - and, boy, I've done that a lot with dogs:)

If you are feeding raw food containing non-weight-bearing bones, I'd continue. If she broke that tooth on a dense bone given for a pastime, this is not part of a prototypical diet, and will result in more broken teeth. And I'd second your assessment that her temperament could be affected by any vaccines she has received. As well, certain vaccines are ruinous to the growth and integrity of teeth and bones.

ginny

All stunts performed without a net!

I am often amazed at how many sx you can get from an animal that yo

sorry for the abortive post

Hi Julie,
Yes, a tooth abscess can be resolved in a dog via antibiotic treatment, without extracting the tooth. Therefore, yes, it can be resolved via proper homeopathic treatment without extracting the tooth. Going under anesthesia should never be taken lightly, or as routine. You are correct to have your hesitations.
What I do in choosing a remedy in such a situation is, as others have said, use the changes in temperament you see in your animal since, or in relation to the issue, along with the type of issue you have at hand, and its modalities. For example: recently, in choosing a remedy for a horse with a severe laceration which would need to heal by second intention, I looked at remedies related to the type of injury + granulation tissue + her temperament changes when trying to clean her wound, + the modalities of the wound. We found that she did not like us to take the bandage off and would try to kick us and slam us against the wall. This was unusual for her = temperament change. As far as modalities, she did not mind the wound being touched or bandaged, but she became violent when it was bathed with water, or exposed to cold air. We knew the remedy selection was accurate and needed no repetition when we were able to change the dressing and clean the wound as needed, as well as watch the wound progress in healing with healthy tissues.
It’s not as easy to select the right remedy with animals because we cannot gather as much detailed info, nor can we get as much feedback. You cannot imagine how much time I have spent watching a sneezing cat ( for example ) to try and gather as much information as possible. If you are uncomfortable about your dog’s progress on homeopathy, you can always turn to antibiotics. Or, you can use both to help the issue resolve smoother. There is nothing wrong with jumping directly to antibiotics if that is what makes you feel comfortable. Remember, if you are stressed, so is your animal. And stress works against healing energy.
Best,

Roxanne
Roxanne V Knight-Plouff, DVM