[saturninus.ribb]

Since I was getting off early, and the weather was cool, I took the dogs to work with me today. ( that and,some of the guys at work were missing them)
On my lunch break, we take about a mile walk. We had JUST started our walk, like 2 blocks into it... I'm about to cross a street, and look up the side street, couldn't see very far because of bushes. There is a gal walking 2 Rodesian Ridgebacks walking down the side street. I think my dogs saw her first, and I start pulling them back (I've seen this gal around before and she didn't appear to have much control) and them get refocused on me.
I'm not sure exactly what happened, but her intact male dog gets loose (I THINK she kinda freaked & dropped the leash, or didn't have a good hold and he just tugged loose) anyway, her dog is coming towards mine. I think Nick jumped in front of Rosie, but I'm not sure. Anyway her male & Nick got into it. She's standing back not having a clue what to do. I've got a leash in each hand (with a sprained elbow) keeping Rosie away, and pulling Nick back. I got Nicks attention and he let the other dog go.
The gal then gets her dog and asked if mine were okay. Nick had some blood on his neck, and a MINOR ding on his shoulder, but I didn't see anything else and said he was fine.
I asked about her dogs and she said they were fine.
After I got the dogs seperated, I noticed there were a couple guys from work that were ready to jump in.
Then after the gal had removed her dogs, I checked Nick over again and noticed some blood dripping from his mouth...then I see a canine tooth kinda sticking out funny. I know he had a pretty good grip on the other dogs front leg, guess it was better than I thought.

Anyway, I headed back to work..stopped at the shop to have another guy (who has a pit and LOVES Nick) look at him to see if I missed anything. (He sees the Ridgeback gal around a lot and thinks she's a ditzy blonde)
We don't find anything else but figure he needs to see the vet about his tooth.

So I pack up, leave work and call the vet, they can squeeze him in at 3:30... it's now about noon and I've got a 2:30 PT appt.
I head to DHs work so he can see for himself that his boy is (mostly) okay. (I had called and told him what happened)

The vet checked him over, and we determine the blood on his neck must be from the other dog. His tooth (upper right canine) will have to be removed, unless we want to spend LOTS of money for the canine dentist.. that MAY be able to save it...nope. THe vet is amazed at the tooth, she said young healthy canine teeth don't come out easily, so she figured he's gotta be in quite a bit of pain.

He's on antibiotics & pain killers and goes back in the morning to have his took removed.

DH thinks I should try to find the other gal and have her pay the vet bills.
I said she's going to have a bigger one than we are (I KNOW Nick left a good puncture on her dogs front leg) and being that our dogs are "pit bulls" (Nick is most likely an American Bulldogx) it's not worth the hassle.

But, Nick will be fine.. we'll just have to change his name to Snaggletooth.

[chechokancho]

Well, the other party should cover the entire vet bill, I would push for the saving the tooth option if I were in your shoes.

[saturninus.ribb]

If I see the gal again, I may talk to her about it.
The vet said there was a VERY slim chance on saving the tooth, but they'll know more after seeing the x-rays.

[Lyikmcmb]

will the pup manage okay without the tooth? That sucks that that happened.

[eladiopsislab]

thats a real shame. similar situations have happened to me as well....always the result of someone with a dog they either cant or dont bother to try and handle. sorry to hear about your dogs tooth but im glad hes ok overall.

[saturninus.ribb]

will the pup manage okay without the tooth? That sucks that that happened.

He'll be fine w/o that tooth. If by some chance the root of the tooth is still intact they'll try to save it. But by the look the vet got at it today w/o sedation, she's pretty certain it'll have to come out.
He will be eating cooked ground beef w/scrambled egg for a few days tho while his mouth heals.

[Doctor-CTAC]

He'll be ok without that tooth. I got alot of dogs without tooth because of biting the chain, kennel cages and they are still ok.

Let me just ask you a question? Could it be that they collide nose first running towards each other? That's why the tooth got loose? You would hear a bonelike sound snapping when that happens. When I hear that sound I always looks at the floor.. it happens most of the times on scratches.

[saturninus.ribb]

He'll be ok without that tooth. I got alot of dogs without tooth because of biting the chain, kennel cages and they are still ok.

Let me just ask you a question? Could it be that they collide nose first running towards each other? That's why the tooth got loose? You would hear a bonelike sound snapping when that happens. When I hear that sound I always looks at the floor.. it happens most of the times on scratches.

That's possible, but I THINK Nick raised up before they collided, because he was pretty much on top of the taller dog. I do know he had a pretty good hold on the other dogs leg.
I didn't hear a snapping sound, but there was a lot of other noise around, traffic & such.
It all happened so quick, it's hard to be sure of all the minor details.

DH is pretty upset that his boy got hurt tho. He may try to find the gal and get some money out of her, and make darn sure she knows her dogs better never be off leash again.

[Doctor-CTAC]

That's possible, but I THINK Nick raised up before they collided, because he was pretty much on top of the taller dog. I do know he had a pretty good hold on the other dogs leg.
I didn't hear a snapping sound, but there was a lot of other noise around, traffic & such.
It all happened so quick, it's hard to be sure of all the minor details.

DH is pretty upset that his boy got hurt tho. He may try to find the gal and get some money out of her, and make darn sure she knows her dogs better never be off leash again.

To be honest, that's the only angle I can see where that could happen. The tooth won't break on hold, the bone could break but not that tooth. That's the sound that a dogman don't want to hear in rolls. That could end the career of a gamedog in a split second.

Yea, get money off her to at least cover for the vet bills. Your dog will be alright don't worry. I got dog with no more fangs and her teeth are all rounded and dull.. due to biting anything she can bite. She is still alright, she can even chew a bone without any problem.

[ChexEcodece]

hey, don't sweat it. If the canine is able to be saved, go for it. If not and you decide to have it removed, you can always go to a canine dentist later and have a false tooth implanted there. They make a mold out of the other existing canine and then implant it there. The implants are pretty costly, but it also depends on the model. My friend's cane corso broke his upper and lower right canines. The two canines got extracted and he was given an option on implants. The ones made from titanium or ceramic, he chose titanium due to the cost. The only issue with titanium would be the color since when the dog opens his mouth, you see two grey metal fangs in place of his canines. Total procedure costs quite around $3000, but he said most of the money was due to the price for paying an anesthesiologist. The titanium implants were pretty cheap, about 300 or so each.

[longrema]

Depending on whether the tooth broke or avulsed, the chances of saving it can actually be pretty good. It's just a matter of getting to it in a hurry.

Avulsions probably are better off just staying out, but then it usually also involves some broken bone as well (in a young healthy dog).

A broken tooth in a relatively young dog can easily be saved with a root canal .. and in a lot of cases, it is just about the same expense, but less trauma, as an extraction. It should, however, be done by somebody who has experience in doing root canals, or the whole mess will bite you into the behind later on.

Extraction of a canine tooth in a young dog.. if the vet doesn't have a good background in veterinary dentistry (ie: mostly cleans teeth), can turn in to a nightmare as well. It's a huge tooth, and leaves a huge hole. If they don't have dental rad capacity... you may end up with an abscessed retained root tip in a few years.

Only reason I am throwing this out there: one of our GP doctors decided quite a few years ago to get board certified for veterinary dentistry. While getting prepped for that, he had to have worked on a variety of cases under the supervision of an already board cert. dentist. We had a pretty busy practice of complicated dental cases.. a huge amount of them were things he got to fixed after some other (well meaning?) DVM effed it up a while back.

[Sniliabiz]

Phhheww Glad Nick is OKAY!!!!
That's like my biggest fear when walking Samson...that someone's dog will attack Samson (cause he wouldn't be the aggressor.)
I know had I been in your shoes that Ridgeback woulda needed some dental work because I would have kicked everyone of his teeth out keeping him away from my dog!

[Longwow]

I wouldn't ask her for money just yet. I'd talk to an attorney and see how the law in your area handles these things. If it looks like you would be a clear winner, go for it. Ask her to cover the bills since she is the one who had the loose dog. If she refuses, take her to court for the cost of the vet, dentist, and court fees.

Glad your boy is ok! I hope the blond ditz learned a lesson.

[Tapupah]

I know had I been in your shoes that Ridgeback woulda needed some dental work because I would have kicked everyone of his teeth out keeping him away from my dog!

Its a really bad idea to screw with a Ridgeback. Just fyi.

It really pisses me off that someone that stupid owns not one, but two Rhodies. They are just as much determination and DA as an APBT 9 out of 10 times. Especially the boys. Why the f would you drop the leash? Stupid, stupid woman!

Glad Nick is okay. He'll be okay without the tooth if it needs to come out. My parent's BC f-ed up his canine a year and a half ago and had to have it and two others extracted because of infection (they hadn't noticed he had a broken tooth... I noticed it when I was up visiting). He does fine without em.

[saturninus.ribb]

I e-mailed the animal shelter (they aren't open yet). I told them what happened and asked what, if anything could be done.
I also asked if there is anyone else I should contact, since this gal does walk her dogs all over the county, and if he were to get loose and go after a smaller dog, the results would be much worse than a broken tooth.

I also mentioned in the e-mail that her male is intact, and that mine were on leashes, have their CGCs and do agility training.
I googled Ridgebacks, and see that they were bred to hunt lions, and that males run around 85lbs and up to 27", which is 15lbs heavier and about 7" taller than Nick. I would also think that being bred to hunt lions would put them in the same 'category' as being bred to hunt bulls.

[nannysuetle]

jeez, so sorry about all this Kit. What a PIA. I've been walking Debo a lot more since his leg injury, and that is my biggest fear - being attacked by a dog. I always have my cell phone & break stick in my back pocket, and I'm constantly scanning the horizon, but still. It sucks, because I feel like I'm on edge more than I should be, and I'm sure that travels down the leash.

[saturninus.ribb]

Well Nick is home from the vet. Once he was sedated & they got x-rays, they detemined the tooth wasn't as bad as they first thought and he got to keep it.
He's on a soft food diet for 2 weeks, along with pain meds, anti-biotics & anti-inflammitories.
He's still pretty much out of it, but he'll be fine. (If I can make it thru him waking up...he's a screamer)

[Sniliabiz]

Its a really bad idea to screw with a Ridgeback. Just fyi.

I know what a Rhodesian Ridgeback is and I know how big they are, what they were bred for, etc. but I would fight the Devil in Hell while wearing gas soaked underwear to keep my dog(s) safe....

[ChexEcodece]

I know what a Rhodesian Ridgeback is and I know how big they are, what they were bred for, etc. but I would fight the Devil in Hell while wearing gas soaked underwear to keep my dog(s) safe....

That's quite noble of you to risk your life for your apbt. However, might I suggest getting in between your dog and the RR? The RR would most likely circle around you to get at your dog rather than go through you if you do not physically try and stop it. That has been my experience with dogs. RR's also have a higher tendancy to redirect their aggression towards humans than apbts when they are riled up and pissed.

[saturninus.ribb]

I talked to the vet this morning (wasn't able to talk to her when I picked him up because she was busy w/an emergency)

Anyway, while he was able to keep the tooth, there may be a hairline fracture in the jawbone. The x-rays have been sent out, but they won't have the results until probably Tuesday.

So Nick is on a soft food diet for a few weeks.
I browned up some ground beef and mixed in some egg. I also boiled some baby carrots (which he LOVES) and treats.

Is this diet okay for a few weeks, or should I get some canned dog food, and if so, what brand?

We usually feed dry Kirklands lamb & rice with a tablespoon of cottage cheese.

I also posted this question in the health section, but don't know who reads what.

Thanks!