HAIL

misscrits:

poopcop:

GREAT octopus TEN OUT OF TEN shiny

This is a first edition holographic octopus. This is worth a lot of money.

veterinaryrambles:

thevetsaidwhat:

maxilius:

 ATTRITION IN DOGS

I am not a veterinarian. I am not a biologist. I am not a dentist.

I am, however, a comparative anatomy enthousiast and I would love to show you all some of the more interesting dog skulls I have collected.

Above is the skull of an adult male Laekenois. This is a nice example of plain old ‘good, healthy teeth’. You can look at this one to compare the others I’m about to show you with. All teeth are strong, free of plaque, straight,… 

This is the skull of an adult female Siberian Husky. She too still has all of her teeth, no signs of decay and no plaque. But do you notice something different…? See the way her upper canines are worn down…? That’s quite common amongst dogs who have spent a lot of time chewing or pulling on metal bars or wires. Mostly seen in bored or anxious dogs who live in runs or cages.

This is an extreme case of tooth attrition. This is an old shepherd mix. Its teeth are worn down to a very severe degree. The upper front teeth are missing and the bone had already healed. The canines and lower front teeth are almost completely gone. Discoloration and plaque deposits have affected the other teeth. (Stage 3 and 4 of periodontal disease; which could have been prevented)This is the result of a combination of being an excessive chewer and old age.

Awww, time for puppy teeth! This is an Alaskan Malamute pup. This little one is still lacking several premolars and it appears to have a small underbite (which basically means the lower front teeth stick out in front of the upper front teeth) but this can all still change as it would have grown into adulthood and lost its puppy teeth. No reason to worry.

Speaking of an underbite… This is the skull of an adult Pomeranian. They aren’t generally known to have underbites but it can happen. Especially in breeds who have a very reduced snout length. What’s more interesting in this skull is that the third upper premolar (the third tooth from the canine) has turned a full 90° as it grew. There simply isn’t enough space for all the teeth to sit as they are supposed to and, in many small dogs, these overlapping teeth can cause a lot of plaque buildup in the long run.

This old, male Poodle Mix has (as you can clearly see) quite a few missing teeth and porous gums. This is, however, not uncommon. Especially in smaller breeds. The teeth themselves still appeared to be in good condition. Not discolored or infected. Some dental care would have been needed but it would not appear the dog would have been in any major discomfort or pain, despite the way this skull looks. 

This poor old female Beagle had some major dental issues. Her upper molar and a premolar are missing but the bone has already healed, suggesting she lost those teeth a while back. Her lower molar was severely infected, as well as her upper canine. She was diagnosed with osteomylitis, a painful infection and inflammation of the bone marrow and passed away before the treatment was complete. 

Another old dog. This Miniature Poodle also suffered from osteomylitis. He had the same amount of plaque as the beagle but the teeth were still less affected by the disease. Note how the upper hind most molar is ready to fall out at any moment.

That’s all for now!
Hopefully this post has been a little bit educational for some!

-Max

(Edit: The last photo was missing. Added it in.)

Fascinating collection. Here’s my thoughts going in order here… (And on all of them we can only see one side! Just an additional thought!)

The best health example, the Laekenois, has a minimal bifurcation exposure on 107, or the third upper tooth after the canine tooth. The little dark hole. Probably not enough that we could get a dental probe through but it’s there. Otherwise a beautiful set of teeth from what I can see, no radiographs to check for abscessation and bone loss.

Agreed on the Husky. Wear on the point and caudal surface of the upper canine. No radiographs for evaluation of the teeth though there is some likely mild horizontal bone loss.

We would extract the 108 (carnassial, fourth upper tooth after the canine) on the shepherd due to extreme bifurcation exposure and likely abscessation. That is NOT a healthy tooth. Depending on radiographs and costs for the owner, the canines could be extracted or have a root canal. Other teeth have horizontal bone loss but no immediate bifurcation exposure. Radiographs needed.

Puppyhood indicates adulthood. Ball therapy can help with jaw alignment in some cases and a veterinary dentist would be indicated to see if braces might help this pup.

Pomeranian: Horizontal bone loss, malalignment of the 107 (third upper cheek tooth) due to overcrowding. Root exposure of the 104 (upper canine) indicating radiographs to see if there is bone loss and a possible oronasal fistula.

The poodle is where I disagree with the OP because that dog is most likely in strong pain. Porous bone indicates an unstable mouth and severe periodontal disease with heavy attrition. This dog had multiple bifurcation exposures, an almost definite oronasal fistula from the 104 (almost–radiographs and probe to confirm), loss on the lower 404 (lower canine), and basically only the gums are holding those teeth in… and in most cases with teeth like that it is the hardened calculus, not gums, doing the work. Or webs of hair and purulent discharge. It’s like typing with broken fingers when you need to get an SOS out. A dog will eat because it’s hungry, not because it’s got good teeth. I may have a theory on why that enamel is pretty but another time, another post.

Ranting on poodle applies to Beagle… do you see how the root of the 104 extends all the way into the sinus cavity? When the root rots, an opening extends from the mouth to the nose. That is an oronasal fistula (oro = mouth, nasal = nose, fistula = drain between). Sinus infections start and lead to pneumonia if not controlled.

On the miniature poodle I would extract the following on sight alone: 105, 108, 109, 110 if it’s there (hard to tell on a phone), 407, and lots of radiographs.

Strongly agreeing with the additional comments by @thevetsaidwhat — some of those furcation exposures you could drive a truck through! *shudders* I can only imagine the smell in the living animals.

laurajschwan:

Isn’t this ravens plumage gorgeous?