be absolutely sure to have pre-op blood work done to rule out any surprises. i agree with socks. you don't want to let this get to the point of having an unchecked infection spread throughout her body. i know how scary putting a senior dog under general anesthesia is. i have 3 senior great danes and unless absolutely necessary, i just won't do it. good luck!

I can understand your worry about an extraction, expecially since she's been fine for 2 months. If she hasn't had her teeth cleaned in the past year, then you should schedule her for a teeth cleaning and the vet can check the problem tooth at the same time. He may find an extraction isn't needed and you'll find out the condition of the rest of her teeth.

Anesthesia can be a problem for certain breeds but most dogs do fine. Plus, the type used, and how its administered to pets, is better controlled than it was years ago. I've had several senior pets go under anesthesia with no problems.

My dog Rocky, my picture, had a cracked tooth we watched for a year or so. And then the cheek swelled like your dog, he was 7 at the time. So the tooth came out. He was groggy, but OK when I picked him up that afternoon. It was all done in one day. He's still going strong without that tooth.

So I waited until it was necessary ... maybe you can too?

I appreciate your comments everyone. I actually ended up canceling the appointment for now. She is going thru a bit of UTI and if her immune system is compromised, it's not necessary to put her thru this at the moment. The Dentist agreed. As for her cleaning, She has never done cleaning but her teeth are fairly clean and her gums as well due to her eating only raw/cooked meals. No bad breath. Just some cracked and broken teeth from an injury she sustained. I stopped giving her raw bone marrow and no more bullys sticks. I gave her some gullet sticks which are hollow on the inside so not as hard and no swelling. I have to nip the UTI first and trying my best to do it without antibiotics. Taking care of senior pup is tough! I am planning to make an appointment with a holistic vet soon so I'll ask her about the extraction as well. At least for now I'll have more time and no set appointment to stress over.

I appreciate your advice.

Oh something interesting I read about infection spreading to your blood stream. Holistic vet had some interesting info about that being a myth. The studies of an infection spreading was based off of humans and not pets so it's more of a generalized belief. Humans and pets are very different and they fight off infections not entirely the same as humans. I don't know, I felt better about it when I was reading it because that is of course a big worry I had.

I wonder if an abscess is as excruciatingly painful for dogs as it is for humans.

rhizo_1 - we had a Terrier who had an abscess - that swelled up overnight. Too many teeth in a small mouth. We took him to the vet right away and he had surgery. And, yes, the abscess was painful - at least his sure was. But before that he was not exhibiting any pain - but was already booked in for a cleaning etc.

Quin La - Our current dog is almost 15. He has had a few dentals as he is inclined to develop tartar - plus he has had a few teeth removed.

I am certain that he will require another dental in Jan. - shape of face, tartar, refusal to have his teeth brushed (we have tried everything). If our vet recommends it we will go ahead. These days they will allow for age and there are different methods for sedating the pet.

But blood panel and EKG are very important - as is a morning pee sample in case of higher than normal kidney values. It is necessary to take in the sample a few days in advance. If the kidney values are higher than normal the IV must stay in longer. Our dog has higher than normal kidney values and this worked well last year. Note also that teeth are considered "dirty" surgeries and are done last after spay/neuters etc. Time of day that the pet has his teeth cleaned/extractions will determine how much zip the pet has at pick-up. Our dog has to go in the night before because he is a serious food hoover - he will eat anything so not much we can do because he would pick up something for sure.

Since we live in a major city in Canada, the cost is very high! for dentals (and anything else).

If you end up having to get a morning pee - good luck! I was successful last week for a kidney values check - but many people are not. Two people were at the vet clinic asking them to do it. The vet told me how to do it but I checked on the internet and read some hilarious stories of how many pups always "go" in the same manner, in the same spot etc. Except when they know that something is up. The hardest are dogs who lift their legs or squat - depending on what they feel like at the time. Then of course there is the slamming down of the foot if raised and the loss of some of the urine. It is very hard at the moment because it is dark out. I use one thing to collect the urine and then pour it into a container from the vet. I always allow a few days to collect the morning pee just in case.

So it's been exactly one year and she got swelling again on her left cheek this morning. She is on antibiotics for 7 days and I'll have to make a decision if I need to get her in to do surgery to extract the tooth. It's about 90 minute sedation period so of course I am hesitant. Holistic vet I spoke to on the phone said one year is pretty good. If I'm not 100% confident, we could manage it with antibiotics again. I see the vet on Monday. Did schedule appointment with board certified pet dentist end of the month so I will have some time to decide again. Her last blood work a few months ago was great, no issues but she is 14 years old (80#s).

For, One Vet, One Dental Vet, and an Internist all said the dog needed the surgery and it was not elective. You come to a forum and get terrible advice and opt to do squat.

The situation is back and the poor dog is being again treated.

Schedule the extraction and hope you've not agravated the dog's condition.