5 yr old boxer-grinding teeth

Question
We have done a dental exam, one tooth removed and she is on
medicine for inflamation, an antibiotic (incase of infection) and a stomach pill in case these cause upset stomach.  We are having dental x-rays 10-5 and if this shows
us nothing, what course do we take from there?  We are sort of at wits end to determine why.  Can use any comments to help us figure this out.    Thank you.

Answer
Hi Dorothy,

Well, there was a dental problem, so it's good you had your dog examined.

If after she heals form the extraction, and if the x-rays are inconclusive, but your dog continues to grind her teeth you can safely assume that the grinding is a bad habit, and nothing more.

Tooth grinding can certainly be annoying, but there are worse habits a dog can develop. You could treat this like any other bad habit a dog could develop, that's done with distraction and reward. Scolding her when you notice her grinding her teeth is not going to stop their behavior.

When you see your dog grinding, give her a pop-quiz of obedience commands, such as sit, stay, down, etc. Reward when she obeys reward. If your dog doesn't know any commands, you can give her a chew toy or treat as the distraction. Reward her when she's busy chewing on the toy, since that's the behavior you want her to do.

Since your dog recently had dental work done, now would be a good time to begin brushing your dog's teeth, if you don't already do so. These are the years when a dog will develop the most dental problems, which could, if ignored, spread bacteria to your dog's major organs, and eventually cause serious life threatening disease. You can read about how to brush your dog's teeth here:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/teeth.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1653&articleid=384

Best of luck,
Patti