I swear it must be a full moon or something around here.  Anyway I'm brushing Balon's teeth today and I notice that one of his upper canines has a chip on the side of the tooth.   Think nail polish chipping, like a layer of enamel!  He is eating and drinking fine, not pawing mouth or anything.  I have no idea how or when this happened!


What should I do, keep an eye on it, inform the vet, do they do anything about it?

SIGH as usual any and all advice needed and appreciated!

If its jut a small chip on the side keep an eye on it and let the vet know on ur next visit. If it would have been on the tip u could have it sealed

If it's anything like Ginger's, you could seal it to make sure bacteria does not go through to the pulp which will cause infection. Sealant will wear off in time, but it'll at least provide some protection.

If you go to the bottom of the first page, I posted a picture of Ginger's canine which is broken at the tip and her enamel is chipped.

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t5068-broken-canine?highlight=ginger+s+cracked+canine

I haven't gotten Ginger's tooth sealed yet, but I think I will have to at some point. It's been like this since we adopted her 3 years ago so it's definitely not bothering her as she still gnaws on bones on that side. As far as we can tell, the pulp is not exposed either at the broken tip.

I agree with Jenn. Danzig broke a front tooth back in January, but he had exposed pulp so he had to have it taken out right away. But if it's just a chip keep an eye on it and bring up to the next vet appt. Or if you're vet is like mine, maybe you can call and ask their opinion.

Claudia the color looks the same on your dogs chip as mine, his is on the left upper canine, and its towards the side and the back feels rough but I can't really see back there. I believe he chipped the enamel. I just don't want him to lose his tooth!

June,
Have your vet take a look to make sure the pulp is exposed. If it's not, then you could probably just have it sealed. If the enamel is chipped, it still looses a layer of protection and the tooth becomes more porous making it more prone to bacteria being able to penetrate the tooth. So depending on how much of the enamel has chipped will depend on if you can put a sealant or if you need to pull it.

Yep that's what I'm going to do, call tomorrow and get him in to be checked next week.

I suddenly realized I never updated this thread so sorry! The vet said it was just a chip (the length of the canine) of enamel that came off. She said at this point it doesn't seem sensitive, and there isn't any nerve or anything exposed and just to leave it alone.