Is my 8-year-old Yorkie's swollen under-eye a tooth problem?

Swelling directly under the eye is often an indication of a tooth root abscess. This occurs when there is severe dental disease and the tooth root becomes infected and created the pus pocket. Treatment for this is a dental cleaning with an extraction of the affected tooth. I would recommend a trip to your vet to check out the mouth and see if this is the problem. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I would add that I think it's unlikely for a tooth root abscess to cause the eye to actually pop out (Proptose) however without definitive treatment the problem (the bulging and the infection) are going to get worse. Having that pocket of infection in the gum will likely cause the bacteria to translocate to the bloodstream, where it could cause other problems, including with the heart and the liver. I would consider seeking another opinion, perhaps of a veterinary dentist. I have anesthetized many, many older dogs for tooth removal, and my personal opinion is that removing diseased teeth is necessary. If Enzo has blood work prior to surgery, and possibly even a chest x-ray to check his heart and lungs, in the hands of a qualified veterinarian who is confident with anesthesia and dentistry he will likely do fine. If you don't have the tooth removed, your only other alternative is using antibiotics in a "pulse" fashion, such as 3 weeks on antibiotics, followed by 1 week off. Clindamycin is sometimes used in this fashion, but again, results are suboptimal and the infection within the root pocket will never completely resolve - it may improve, but it won't resolve.

I suspect it may be a rapidly growing abscess. Tooth root abscesses usually result in swelling just below the eye. Please, clean the skin and the eye with boiled, warm water and cotton buds and make sure Yoda is not scratching or rubbing the face. Then take her to your local vets as soon as they open in the morning. If she looking very unwell or she is in a lot of pain, call your local emergency service tonight.

Poor guy. She does have a lot of tear staining, but I don't appreciate any purple bruising there. This looks very suspicious for a tooth root abscess. If your pet is an older dog and never had a teeth cleaning, then the teeth can get really infected and cause swelling and infection through the cheek bone. If this is the case, then a short course of antibiotics will be needed, as well as extraction of the infected tooth through your vet. Another possible cause is a localized reaction or allergy. I would highly recommend taking your pet to the vet within the next few days to have her teeth checked and to be fully assessed. Until you can get her in to be seen, continue to give the Benadryl every 12 hrs since it did seem to help. Also you can do warm compresses on the area for 3-5 mins twice daily if it seems to be causing her pain. I hope that your pet gets this swelling issue resolved soon! Best wishes and take care.

Your poor pup! That looks uncomfortable for her. When you have swelling like that, it can definitely be from a bug bite,. But, also really common, especially if she is older is for that to be from an infected tooth. You will need the help of a vet to determine which one and get the appropriate treatment-- meds for an allergic reaction or antibiotics that can be given for a tooth root infection until dental surgery can be performed. Good luck with your baby!

Hi. That is definitely some severe swelling. Due to its location and presentation, I would be very concerned about a tooth root abscess. These can occur even if the crown of the tooth appears normal. It takes an x-ray to fully diagnose it. Other possible causes of swelling like this in a young dog could include a bite from insect or spider, injury, trauma, or infection. I recommend getting him to your veterinarian to be checked out tomorrow.

Hello, sorry to hear about Ollie. Thats severe tartar and plaque accumulation of his left carnasal tooth. He needs to have his teeth cleaned and this tartar removed, and potentially, even his tooth extracted. Please contact your veterinarian to have her tooth examined and cleaned. Hope this helps and best of luck.