My dog's jaw is broken. Can a vet fix it? What are the options?

Unfortunately, if the jaw is broken, there is very little you can do at home. Lola is likely painful and may have difficulties eating and drinking. Ideally, she should be examined by your veterinarian. Discuss payment plans or alternative financing options, such as CareCredit (www.carecredit.com), with your veterinarian. You can also ask friends and family to contribute or resort to crowdfunding. Financial aid may also be secured through charities such as Red Rover (www.redrover.org).

That really depends on the type of break. Some breaks may be able to heal without surgery, but a complicated fracture where the bone is broken into multiple pieces does require surgery. Only the vet who has seen Toby can make the bed determination as to whether or not it can heal without surgery. Because bone has broken from the growth plate, I would be concerned that it won't heal correctly and will affect the growth of the bones on his face. Due to that, I think surgery would be the best option.

Poor Peppie! It depends on where the fracture is, and whether it is displaced. I have had good luck with fractures of the mandibular symphasis (the very front of the bottom jaw) by having the dog wear a loose-fitting soft muzzle for ~6 weeks and feeding exclusively soft food. The muzzle would be loose enough for Peppie to lap water and soft food, but tight enough that he couldn't totally open his jaw and it would help stabilize. He would wear this 24 hours a day, including while eating and sleeping. Your vet will likely be familiar with this so I recommend calling and asking if this might help. It would only be beneficial for specific types of jaw fractures so it's important for your vet to give the go-ahead first, since they know the specifics of Peppie's fracture but I've had good success using this technique. Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear about this. The biggest concern with broken teeth is if the tooth root is exposed. This is not an emergency, but is painful and makes the teeth and roots susceptible to infection. In some cases the teeth can be repaired by a veterinary dentistry specialist, but in most cases they would have to be extracted. Considering this happened at the veterinary office, they should take some responsibility. I also understand that this would have been a difficult situation to control for the vet clinic and there may have been some broken teeth or dental disease prior to this incident. In these cases, I recommend talking with the veterinary practice owner and expressing your concerns and how you would like to be compensated. I understand that you must be very upset with them, but these matters can get much worse if you involve other people rather than communicating directly with the people in charge. It's best to talk with them directly as best as you can. I can tell you from experience that the clients that approach these issues calmly and reasonably with their concerns have more favorable outcomes. Give them a chance to explain their perspective and allow them to do the right thing (apologize and offer treatment for the teeth) on their own. Also, please understand that these are people too...who will occasionally make mistakes. I'm sure they did not want this to happen and I'm sure they feel bad about it. If talking with them does not work, or you feel that they did not give you a satisfactory response after giving them the opportunity, then the next step would be to take Mouch to another veterinarian for an outside opinion. They can give a non-biased evaluation of the problem and help you pursue compensation (if needed). You may also consider talking with the local veterinary council/board if you feel that the vet clinic is being unreasonable about the situation. I hope that helps and Mouch gets better soon.

Poor Roxi! Chattering or clicking the teeth together without any obvious behavioral reason is usually caused by a dental problem, or a problem with the temporomandibular joint of the jaw. She may have injured herself when she hit her jaw against your weight, unfortunately. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do a complete oral exam under sedation to check for any fractured or damaged teeth, and may also recommend x-rays of her skull to evaluate the jaw joint for any problems.

Oh my god, that is awful! Poor Rocco. You need to take him into a vet immediately for x-rays. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

Your poodle needs to be seen by a veterinarian. He needs to at least drink, so you can syringe water into him so he does not dehydrate. His jaw will need to be surgically fixated which actually is not a serious surgery provided it is not shattered. He will be fine not eating until tomorrow when you can take him to a veterinarian for an exam and treatment.