My dog's tooth smells bad. Is it an abscess, even if he seems fine?

Poor Troubles! A tooth root abscess can be a difficult thing to get rid of. I would see your vet as he likely needs oral antibiotics and pain meds. He will also need that tooth extracted as usually the abscess will continue to come back and never completely heal until that tooth is removed. I hope this helps!

I wouldn't say that you can rule out an abscess, on the contrary, if it got better after antibiotic treatment, it's likely to be a tooth abscess. the antibiotic may solve the problem but you cannot know in advance, you need to finish the antibiotic course and wait a few weeks to see if it comes back or not. if it comes back he will need a dental procedure, and by the way he is nowhere too old for anesthesia, a few weeks ago one of my oldest patients, a cat 23 years of age, went through a small procedure under general anesthesia without any issues.

Rex urgently needs to be seen by your veterinarian for an exam. You likely will need to schedule a dental cleaning under anesthesia. He likely has a very painful tooth root abscess. The vet will remove all tartar, and also clean under the gingiva wich will also remove bacteria which are causing infection and bad breath. He will also remove all rotten and infected teeth. This should greatly increase your dog's quality of life and will help prevent heart and kidney disease. He will also be able to eat properly without a toothache! Please make an appointment on Monday!

I'm sorry to hear that. Giving antibiotics will only be a temporary fix. If she has an abscessed tooth, it is because the tooth is the problem. I'm not sure why your veterinarian thought 8 years was too old, but perhaps Sadie has other medical problems I am not aware of. Antibiotics could temporarily help, but unfortunately, I would suspect once the antibiotics were stopped, it will open back up and start draining again. I recommend trying to save up, or searching online to see if there happens to be a low cost income based clinic in your area, so that the tooth can be removed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes, this looks like possibly a tooth root abscess. There is nothing you can about this at home. It is not an emergency just try to get Paulie to the vet sometime in the next couple days. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/infections-of-the-4th-premolar-carnassial-tooth/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. I am sorry for your concerns about Freyja. It does look like she has a tooth root abscess, most likely involving the 4th upper premolar. Antibiotics usually clears the infection very nicely, but often the tooth needs to be removed. As long as Freyja is eating well & is in no significant discomfort, you can wait to have her seen. Placing a warm compress over the area should help with drainage. I would do this for 10 minutes 2-3 times a day. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chico. I'm sorry to hear he is having these problems. You are correct in that a tooth root abscess is likely given his history of periodontal disease. The only way to clear the infection would be surgical extraction of the tooth under anesthesia. I understand your hesitation to do so given the risk of his underlying disease. In this case, he will likely need frequent if not chronic antibiotic therapy. I don't like to use antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, but his infection will continue to recur and be a chronic source of pain for him. I hope this information helps!