Gum/Mouth Issue

[remy]

I’m sharing to see if anyone has experienced something similar or may have an idea as to what happened.

On Saturday Remy was playing with his ball when I noticed blood in his mouth. When I looked I found a small fleshy thing (I don’t even know what to call it ) under his lower canine tooth.

I tried to look for it again twice over the past few days but was unable to see anything. I figured I was just overlooking it because I had to look quickly as he is sensitive to touch in that area now.

Fast forward to today, I took him to the vet and we were able to get a good look in his mouth. There was no redness or blood in the area and the “thing” was completely gone… The vet said his gums, teeth, etc all look normal. However, he is still acting as if it’s painful and does not want his mouth to be touched or looked at. Even the vet knew this is really unusual behavior for Remy.

Since the “thing” is no longer there, the vet prescribed him 7 days worth of clindamycin to treat any potential infection first. If the problem persists, especially if there is more bleeding, he said we can sedate Remy so they can take x-rays and examine his mouth further.

I’m thinking whatever the issue is has been ongoing for a few weeks now. He was having some trouble at our last show with the exam. At the time I thought it was just a bad day, but now I’m wondering if he was already in pain then. Besides for the issue when looking at his mouth, he has been totally normal and hasn’t had problems eating either.

 

[JanS]

Aww poor guy! I don't have a clue but some have said that even if they get a small splinter of wood or something under the gum line it can be very painful. Keep us posted.

 

[remy]

Aww poor guy! I don't have a clue but some have said that even if they get a small splinter of wood or something under the gum line it can be very painful. Keep us posted.

This was one of the possibilities his vet mentioned. It seemed like he was thinking the problem is more in line with some kind of injury.

The area itself is looking good now, but I’m worried since it really seems to be uncomfortable for him still. I’m hoping the antibiotics help! If not we’ll definitely be investigating further.

 

[GennyB]

If the problem persist I would take him to a Veterinary Dentist. Here's a link to hopefully find one near you. Find A Board Certified Veterinary Dentist Specialist – AVDC.org

 

[remy]

If the problem persist I would take him to a Veterinary Dentist. Here's a link to hopefully find one near you. Find A Board Certified Veterinary Dentist Specialist – AVDC.org

Thank you!

It looks like there is 2, both about 80 miles away.

 

[GennyB]

Thank you!

It looks like there is 2, both about 80 miles away.

I feel like it's important to have a specialist just in case. There's no way a vet could know everything.
I guess a dentist isn't a specialist but he probably knows more about the mouth.
There's just so many weird things out there it's good to have people in the know.

 

[Ravenbird]

Curious if you could post a photo of after it's gone? I truly hope it was just a splinter or something that got infected under the gum.

I will now relate my story, which I haven't shared until now. Asha has a growth in the exactly the same place, vet said it appears to be an epulis - broad term for oral growth - which can be harmless or cancerous. He suggested removing it via surgery which would most likely involve removing the lower canine and possibly part of the jaw bone. But first he wanted to see her again in 30 days to see how it was changing. I went home and spent days crying and going through every photo of her with her mouth open and determined that this has been very slow development over 4 years, which is a better scenario than if it had been rapid onset. At our 30 day appointment he could not see any change and moved for another look in October.

There is enough information on the internet to scare the crap out of you and a few other personal stories of similar incidents that "just went away" with no treatment. Most of the worst case scenarios were growths that blew up in a few months time the size of golfballs and were true horror stories. What I'm seeing on my dog is extremely slow development so I'm hoping in October the vet can again say, it doesn't require removal since it's not growing or bothering her.
I also realized that it may have been a factor of her less-than-usual enthusiasm for the bite work seminar we went to in April. I saw the growth when she was playing on her rope in May. I had started giving her mushrooms supplements a month or two before for her small fatty tumors and immunity boosting and have now added Oral Probiotics sold by 4 Leaf Rover.

It's insanely hard to accept that these Dobermans have way more than their fair share of problems.

@remy keep us posted. Look through your photos as I did and see if you can find any progression, and also what the difference of gum height on the teeth is compared to the other side of his mouth. If it was pretty sudden and then just disappeared, I'd be thinking it was an abscess and no further problems.

 

[Two Dobes]

Thank you for sharing that @Ravenbird ....I'm sorry to hear...and hopeful that it does not progress, and all will be well. It is insanely hard to accept these beautiful companions have so much that comes against them
I'm hoping Remy's mouth heals, and it was just an injury from a stick or something....keep us posted!

 

[remy]

Curious if you could post a photo of after it's gone? I truly hope it was just a splinter or something that got infected under the gum.

I will now relate my story, which I haven't shared until now. Asha has a growth in the exactly the same place, vet said it appears to be an epulis - broad term for oral growth - which can be harmless or cancerous. He suggested removing it via surgery which would most likely involve removing the lower canine and possibly part of the jaw bone. But first he wanted to see her again in 30 days to see how it was changing. I went home and spent days crying and going through every photo of her with her mouth open and determined that this has been very slow development over 4 years, which is a better scenario than if it had been rapid onset. At our 30 day appointment he could not see any change and moved for another look in October.

There is enough information on the internet to scare the crap out of you and a few other personal stories of similar incidents that "just went away" with no treatment. Most of the worst case scenarios were growths that blew up in a few months time the size of golfballs and were true horror stories. What I'm seeing on my dog is extremely slow development so I'm hoping in October the vet can again say, it doesn't require removal since it's not growing or bothering her.
I also realized that it may have been a factor of her less-than-usual enthusiasm for the bite work seminar we went to in April. I saw the growth when she was playing on her rope in May. I had started giving her mushrooms supplements a month or two before for her small fatty tumors and immunity boosting and have now added Oral Probiotics sold by 4 Leaf Rover.

It's insanely hard to accept that these Dobermans have way more than their fair share of problems.

@remy keep us posted. Look through your photos as I did and see if you can find any progression, and also what the difference of gum height on the teeth is compared to the other side of his mouth. If it was pretty sudden and then just disappeared, I'd be thinking it was an abscess and no further problems.

Firstly, sorry to hear about Asha’s issue! I really hope it is nothing serious.

I totally understand how you feel. When I first saw that in Remy’s mouth, my first thought was “omg, is it a tumor?” Needles to say I was anxious for his vet appointment.

He only has a few more doses left of the antibiotics. I’m happy to say that he is doing much better! He is no longer shying away if I touch his head/mouth and lets me open it and feel around. It seems he is totally back to normal. Just like during his vet visit, there is still no redness or swelling of any kind. It’s hard to say if it is the antibiotics that helped or simply time passing. I really wish I knew what happened and when… but I’m glad it no longer seems to be an issue. I will continue to monitor for any changes.

I did look through previous pictures of him and I cannot seem to find any that show the “thing”. I brush his teeth regularly and had to show his bite at a few shows recently, and never noticed anything in his mouth during that time. I’m assuming the “thing” was only there for a short period, but if there truly was something under the gum, it was there for a while.

I will get an updated picture for you by tomorrow!

 

[remy]

@Ravenbird I was going to wait for someone to help me take the picture, then I realized I could just have him hold his toy like he was in the first one. This was the best I could get for now. Here’s the original picture again for an easier comparison. They are at slightly different angles but I think mostly show the same areas
Also, I just realized this picture was taken on the same day as the one above (about 6 hours later). It looks like it may have already been gone then? It’s had to say for sure.

 

[JanS]

Is there still a swelling here though?

 

[remy]

I noticed that too so I felt around and it isn’t actually swollen. It’s flat to the touch like it is on the opposite side. I don’t know if it was just the lighting or maybe even spit there lol.

Editing to add: I took another picture which shows that area better, but for some reason it won’t load. It’s kind of an optical illusion which makes that spot look like a “bubble”. The gum tissue goes from light to dark, then on the side (where it looks like the edge of the “bubble”) is the open area for the lower canine. Hopefully that makes enough sense without the picture, which I’ll try to add again later.

 

[Rits]

Glad to hear it seems to be nothing! Mouth issues always scare me!

 

[Ravenbird]

I agree, that lower area seems to be completely healed!