Description

Thorry's teeth have been bad for a long time; retrieving really takes its toll! Up until now, we've been taking a "wait-and-watch" approach. As he nears his 8th birthday, I thought it was time to take action. His vet agreed. So yesterday he went in for a full dental cleaning and three extractions. Turns out, his teeth were even worse than we thought. X-rays revealed a draining abscess in the back of his mouth, something neither the vet or I had suspected. The infection had gone into the bone, and they had to remove part of his jaw. He was in surgery for two and a half hours!! SIX extractions!! Home last night with antibiotics and two different pain medications. As his vet says, he is "stoic." Except for being a little bit subdued, he seems fine. I'm still giving him pain meds as even a brave, stoic dog deserves to have pain management (something I can't seem to get for myself). The picture was taken in my backyard this afternoon. Everyone at the vet said