2188. Bad breath and gum tumour in an 8-year-old Schnauzer

Sunday Jun 7, 2015

Miniature Schnauzer, Male, entire, 8 years

The consultation room stank of bad breath from this dog that had "dental scaling" 3 times by the dog groomer. Yet the bad breath did not go away. The owner came because the dog kept licking his front paws and the bad odour permeated into the hairs of the paws.  The dog drooled and vomited yellow stuff sometimes, esp. after eating.

"This dog has a fever," I checked the rectal temperature as 40.1C. "Has he lost appetite?"
"He has not been eating and drinking for the past 2 weeks."

"What is the cause of the fever?" the man asked.
"Bacterial infection."

An IV drip with medication will be given today. Blood test. Then, tomorrow, anaesthesia and dental work. Many exposed teeth and loose ones. The gums were reddish instead of pinkish.

Always get a yearly vet check up and do dental brushing if you want your dog to keep his teeth to old age.  Poor oral hygiene can also cause gum tumours to develop as in this case of a round gum tumour on the right upper jaw behind the right upper canine tooth.