My dog's tooth extraction site is gray and nasty. Is it infected?

Oh goodness, that does not look great. It seems he broke down the stitches and there is debris in the excraction site. Hopefully it is just food and debris and not an infection. Do you have a syringe? Squirt gun? Anything you could make shift to use to “rinse” out the hole? A warm water rinse to the area to try to flush out the debris may make it look a lot better. I think seeing your veterinarian on Monday is appropriate. Best of luck and I hope he heals quickly. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I see what you mean from the pictures, it does look like where the tooth was is red. I would have Mystie seen by a vet for this problem tomorrow. Her mouth needs to be checked to see if the root of the tooth is still in her gums, and if she does have an infection, the vet can prescribe antibiotics for her. I'd soften her dry food tonight with warm water, and rinse out her mouth after she's done eating to make sure any food isn't caught where the tooth used to be in. Best of luck!

I think he will be fine to wait for the procedure next week. I would not be worried about an infection. If the vet notices one they will put him on some antibiotics at the time of the tooth extraction. No worries!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jolene. Unfortunately, the only way to tell for definitively if the tooth has been infected is to take an x-ray of her mouth. The area above her gumline does appear red. If it is possible to move her surgery sooner, that would be ideal. However, as long as she is eating, drinking and she does not experience a swelling of her muzzle, then you can likely wait. I hope this information helps!

Sorry to hear that Aroura is having this issue. I think it can wait until tomorrow. I would not consider this an emergency. Hope this helps. Best wishes! If you have any additional questions please feel free to post again!

it is not always necessary to suture the cavity, If there was infection at the root you would not suture it, for example, as you want pus and debris draining freely. If you suspect a problem, contact your veterinarian tomorrow morning.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Judging from the pictures you provided, the tooth looks as though it was quite infected especially if it fell out on its own. A lot of times, teeth that are this infected that Fall out have also lost some of the root characteristics. By this I mean the roots will sometimes appear as though they are missing or very rounded and short as opposed to their healthier appearance. A lot of times these teeth will have a black discoloration if the tooth is dead or may appear black due to the Tartar and plaque that has grown on the surface of the tooth. Flushing with saline is fine and the hole where the tooth previously was should heal on its own now that the problematic tooth is out of the tooth socket. I would definitely consider keeping him on antibiotics and also do what we call Pulse antibiotic therapy. I did this with my own dog and would Place him on a course of antibiotics every other month at a high dose using clindamycin as my primary choice as it is very good for bone and dental infections. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text based consultation if needed.