I wrote last Saturday that Katie had broken her lower right canine off 1/8"
off above the gum line.  Well, sure enough, it's infected.  I took her in to
the vet today, she is on antibiotics, and will go back Thursday to get the
tooth out.  (Dr. Carmichael is not our regular vet but is in the same
practice with her; he is a specialist in dentistry.)
 
She has continued to eat fine all this time; still rattles her cage, plays,
wrestles, and chomps on my sneakers; the indication that there was a problem
was extreme sensitivity on her outer jaw near the broken tooth.  The tooth
has also become discolored.
 
He said broken teeth happen a lot in ferrets because of their inclination to
chew on their cage doors.  There were two options-remove the tooth or leave
the tooth, do a root canal and filling.  (He also said he *could* do a cap
and post, which would be *very* expensive, but that if he did, she would
most likely just break it off again.)
 
I asked about pain relief for her.  Baby asprin is safe (I didn't bother
asking about dosage), but since it's an anticoagulant (blood thinner), and
she'll have surgery this week, not reccommended.  Tylenol/acetomenaphin
infant drops I'm leary of because of possible liver damage.  (He said it was
VERY toxic to cats, but not to dogs, he wasn't sure about ferrets, and
agreed it was better to play it safe.  Does anyone know for certain?)
 
I asked if the Orajel Mouth-Aid I'd picked up the night before was OK to
use.  (20% benzocaine, no alcohol).  He said that it would probably do more
to make me feel better than Katie-the paid was rooted too deep to be
effective.  (Katie had expressed a definate dislike for the stuff.  I tried
it on myself.  I think it probably *does* provide some relief.  Nasty taste
though...)
 
Then I asked about clove oil, which two folks from this list had suggested.
It is an old remedy for toothache.  That, he agreed, might be helpful.  I
had to go to several drugstores to find some-interestingly, I found it in a
small local drugstore, not in the bigger ones, in the health food store, or
the drug store that has an extensive selection of homeopathic remedies.
 
A 1/8 ounce vial was $3, and the shelf life is good- expires 8/2002, as
opposed to the Orajel, which expires in 8/98 and ran close to $8!  So for
those of you stocking a first aid kit, clove oil is somehing to consider
adding in.  Get food grade oil, OK for flavoring.
 
Interestingly, the clove oil label says to avoid contact with lips, mucous
membranes, tongue, says nothing about it's potential as a toothache remedy,
but does list 'flavoring' as a use.
 
-Ilena Ayala
 
 "Katie, come take your medicine!"
Polly -"Told ya' not to bite the cage door!  Told ya'!  Ha, ha, ha... Oww,
Mom, she's biting me!!!!"" Katie -"I'm not swallowing that stuff!  You try
it and see how it tastes!"
[Posted in FML issue 2240]