Recently military working dog (MWD) Ziko suffered a relapse of an endodontic problem affecting an upper canine tooth.
In the U.S. military, veterinarians are exclusively assigned to the Army. MWDs requiring veterinary medical care at our nearby Keesler Air Force Base are under the caring eyes of Dr. Lt. Col. Joseph Harre.
“Human” endodontics second-year residents performed the procedure under Dr. Harre’s supervision, along with the help of Air Force dental technicians. The endodontics residency program director, Dr. Col. Brian Bergeron, observed that the same tooth had a root canal previously. It had been performed improperly, leading to chronic, low-grade bacterial infection and pain.
MWD handlers observed that Ziko was not biting and performing as he should, which led to a dental examination by Dr. Harre.
Dr. Andy Duke, Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, says that eight years is a good time period for success of an endodontic procedure on a working dog.
While the second procedure was a success, Ziko was retired after all. He simply lost his aggression after the surgery.
See you tomorrow, Dr. Randolph.
