Gum surgery?

Steven Menk · #1 25th April 2012, 07:12 PM

Coz is 8, right at his ideal weight, and very active: 3 daily walks, over an hour of chasing play (ball, laser pointer). His teeth are really pretty clean and healthy other then he chipped a canine long ago in the process of letting me know that crating was not a training process that works for him.

My vet, who I'm a little mixed on at this point, recommended that I have his gums "cut back". I can certainly see the issue as his gums hang low like his jowls. My concern is that I'm "a little mixed" on my vet because she seems to always be "selling me" stuff. His teeth are pretty good and he'll let me brush them. To have them professionally cleaned though, he'll have t be put under. As long as we're doing that, why not do the surgery right? Or at least what she says.

I have no idea. Cost is no concern, I just want to do what's best for my buddy. Being put under and surgery aren't without their own costs (in health) and risks.

Roge · #2 26th April 2012, 03:09 AM

Maybe iv lived a sheltered life but iv never heard of a dog getting its gums cut back all I can say is OUCH!!!!!!!!!. does your vet want to do this for medical reasons or is it just cosmetic and if so how will this be of benefit to your dog. I can only imagine how painfull and tricky the after care would be ie: risk of infection, food getting stuck in wound and so on and I would imagine your dog will be on antibotics and pain meds for a good while after.
There is no way that I would put my dog under just to have his teeth cleaned unless they were causing major issues however if he were going under for something then id have the cleaning done.
Anyhow thats how I would feel about the gums being cut back ,there may be many who disagree.

Cami · #3 26th April 2012, 07:00 AM

Boxers are one of the breeds that can be known to have over grown gums (that is not a technical term!!)....sometimes the gums can completely cover the teeth making eating/chewing painful. In those situations it might be wise to seek treatment. Food and bacteria can get trapped in the overgrowth as well which can risk their health in all sorts of ways.
Epulis is also very common in Boxers, in fact I believe they are the most susceptible to these types of non-cancerous tumors which grow on the gums. Left untreated they can cause troubling issues as well.
My girl had one removed when she was under for another reason and also had a broken tooth removed at the same time but teeth cleaning wasn't included (her teeth were in good shape) and she didn't need any additional tissue (gums) removed. She chewed on bones daily which probably helped in both areas.
If not for the other health issue going on I would not have had the teeth addressed minus the broken tooth but we got lucky in that the broken tooth occurred while waiting for the other surgery (not lucky but you know what I mean). The epulis was undiagnosed until they were looking in her mouth.
If you haven't noticed ANY issues such as slower to eat, mysterious lip smacking, acting as if something is in his mouth and he is trying to get it out, bad breath, blood on toys/bones, excessive salivating or anything else related to his mouth you can't put your finger on then perhaps his overgrowth isn't presenting any problems for him at this time?
I'm all for "preventative maintenance" so to speak, like keeping nails trimmed, brushing teeth (although I don't do this as often as should be done), giving bones with supervision to help aid in teeth cleaning, etc....but cutting the gums back which will require anesthesia would be pushing the envelope a bit much for my own personal comfort level with no symptoms present.

djheitz · #4 26th April 2012, 07:02 AM

It's a fairly common issue with boxers. My youngest needs it too, but my vet said if it's not bothering him and there are no dental issues, don't worry about it. Whether you have them cut back or not, the gums will keep growing and you may end up having to do it again, anyway. Some vets use traditional cutting methods, others use lasers.

I can just barely see Harley's bottom front teeth, but the molars are still very usable and that's where the chewing is done. The only time we have any problem is if he's gnawing on a bone. He'll bleed a little bit then.

Gatorblu · #5 26th April 2012, 09:10 AM

I have had two dogs with gingival hyperplasia where the gums grow and eventually cover the teeth and one also had an epilus. That is the only reason I have had gums cut. I am of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school. Actually with Thor's epilus and hyperplasia, they just sedated him instead of using anesthesia because of his heart issues. I have only had their teeth clean if they were having another surgery.

Helen, the recovery from this procedure is short. Neither of my dogs needed pain killers and I moisten their food for just a 2 or 3 days.

EAO76 · #6 26th April 2012, 10:15 AM

We had Truckers cut back (actually they used a laser) when he had a dental cleaning and the gums grew back within a few months. I dont think it bothers him so now I just leave it.

Lizzie · #7 26th April 2012, 02:00 PM

Diva has had epuli and I did have then removed - this was about 18 months ago I think. The epuli has grown back and at this point I will not be having it done again, but this is due to the fact that she is very unlikely to survive any type of sugery.

If you do decide to have it done, it is generally not a huge procedure and the recovery is a short time.

Cyrus2005 · #8 27th April 2012, 11:18 AM

We had Cyrus' gums trimmed back last fall. His gums had grown almost completly over his teeth and he was not chewing his bones much and his breath was getting bad. (Eating was fine) In addition to that, he also had to have a tooth extracted...a baby tooth that never fell out. That's what was stinking.
He recovered quickly, and did not need the pain meds. As soon as she (the Dr) said it was ok, we gave him a new bone, and he chewed on it like crazy! You could tell the difference in his chewing and he seemed much happier. So far they are not growing back. I am glad we had it done.

Steven Menk · #9 7th May 2012, 06:31 PM

Thanks guys for the feedback.

I haven't decided yet what to do about Coz's (I've been out of town). It was pointed out to me a year ago as well and hasn't seemed have changed in that time. He certainly doesn't have any trouble eating. I'm not sure about bones as he's never been a big chewer. Sometimes he had dog breath, but not worse then other dogs.

hurleygirl · #10 8th May 2012, 08:08 AM

My "former" vet convinced me this needed to be done. I was sorry I had it done afterward, but I thought I was doing what was best for my guy. To make a long story short I changed vets and asked him about the gums. He told me if he did it he would only be taking my money because they will just grow back. If the gums aren't bothering him don't mess with them. I'm sticking by that recommendation.