Toothless Moosie

I think I'm going to get an ulcer from worrying about all of Maddie's lip ulcers over the last few weeks!  She has been to the vet three times this week already and has been seen by a dental specialist, Dr. Taylor.  It looks like we have a final diagnosis of stomatitis or CUPS.  Maddie has an autoimmune response that makes her body treat her teeth like a foreign body.  This causes any flesh that comes into contact with her teeth to become irritated and inflammed which then leads to the ulcers, horrid breath, and drooling.  The only way to fully treat the condition is to remove the irritant, her teeth, and brush her remaining teeth daily with frequent dental cleanings at the office.  Initially, I was very upset at the thought of Maddie losing all of her teeth, but after researching the problem for hours last night I came to the same conclusion as her vet. 

Today I dropped Maddie off for another cleaning, a gum biopsy, and her first round of teeth extractions.  I had a hard time leaving her this morning because I knew the extractions were going to be difficult because she is an older dog.  It ended up taking 3.5 hours to remove the last three teeth on the top and bottom of Maddie's left jaw.  This was as long as they wanted to keep her under, so we have to wait a couple of weeks to have the right side of her jaw done.  Dr. Weeks said that it was extremely difficult to remove her teeth so she is getting us an estimate from Dr. Taylor, who does extractions daily.  Her hope is that he can minimize the time Maddie is under anesthesia and remove the teeth more quickly.

Maddie was so happy to see me this evening!  Even though she is clearly uncomfortable she ate some canned food and is now snoring away in her bed with a heating pad:)  I am keeping my fingers crossed that we'll notice a difference in the left side of her jaw in a few days and that she will be back to normal soon!  It is likely that we will end up having to remove ALL of her teeth over the next few weeks to get her back to normal, but we are willing to do what it takes to make her feel better!