The bacteria take up residence on the surface of the root and slowly destroy its attachment to the jaw. In doing so, they deprive the root, and therefore, the tooth, of its blood supply. This eventually leads to death of the affected tissue. Dead tissue in the body is treated the same way as a splinter or other foreign material. In an attempt to isolate and repel the material, the body shunts millions of white blood cells into the area to:

• Isolate it from the remaining healthy tissue
• Dissolve or break it down so that it can be eliminated as typical cellular waste
• Expel it whole from the body

This accumulation of white blood cells at the site of an infection or necrotic material is referred to as pus or an abscess.

In the case of a carnassial tooth, the abscess builds up around the affected root just under the skin below and in front of the eye. The swelling may reach the size of a golf ball. In the case of an abscess, the white blood cells and chemicals that are released have the ability to dissolve the body’s tissue. The weakest portion of the body in this case is the skin, so a small pore soon opens from which pus (or a pink-tinged fluid) will drain. Left alone, this opening will occasionally close but then reopen later as more material accumulates.

Owners often confuse this condition with an eye infection, insect bite, or puncture wound. They may consider it something that, if left alone, will heal on its own. The untreated abscess will, in fact, often spread to 1) the eye causing a very serious and potentially blinding infection or 2) other teeth causing them to be lost also. This is fairly painful for the animal, especially when eating. In dogs that stay outdoors or those with long hair, it may remain unnoticed for a long period of time.

Diagnózis

A diagnózist általában a kórelőzmény (pl. kutyapanzió, kiállítás, több megbetegedés az együtt sétáltatott kutyák körében) és a klinikai vizsgálat alapján állítjuk fel. Ha a kutya megfelelően oltott, akkor elsősorban a nem fertőző köhögéssel járó betegségeket kell kizárni. A súlyos, tüdőgyulladással szövődött esetekben a mellkas röntgenvizsgálatára, valamint a légúti váladék mikroszkópos és bakteriológiai vizsgálatára is szükség lehet.

Gyógykezelés

Carnassial abscesses are typically seen in older dogs, especially those over seven years of age. By the time we are able to actually recognize a problem, the initially affected root is often dead. Today, veterinary medicine allows the owner to choose between several methods for handling this problem. There was only one option in the past - pull the tooth along with its roots. The tooth is actually split in half so that the roots can be entirely removed. This is the most difficult tooth to remove correctly and if any portion of the root remains, the problem may continue. Veterinarians today can save the tooth with a procedure similar to the 'root canal.' This can be fairly expensive, but it does save the tooth. Either therapy choice is followed by a long-term use of antibiotics to prevent future problems.

When determining which method to use for your animal, keep in mind 1) the cost, 2) the dog’s dental health and overall health, and 3) the effect the loss of the tooth would have on your pet. In most cases, a dog does just fine without this particular tooth and is able to eat any type of food you may choose to give him.

Kórjóslat

A legtöbb esetben néhány hétig tart a betegség és teljes gyógyulással záródik. A szövődményes esetekben kialakuló tüdőgyulladás viszont olykor elhulláshoz is vezethet.

Megelőzés

A betegség legfontosabb kórokozói, így a Bordetella bronchiseptica ellen is több intranazális (orrba csepegtetendő) és parenterális (injekciós) vakcina létezik. Az intranazális oltóanyagok hatékonyabbak. Bordetella elleni vakciana Magyarországon nincs forgalomban. Sajnos a nálunk is kapható szopornyica, adeno- és parainfluenza vírus elleni védőoltások ellenére sok kutya betegszik meg kennelköhögésben.