2020 Success Story Dexter border collie

Meet Dexter, a 10-year-old Border Collie mix, who is a typical old man, a little pudgy, but for the most part he’s healthy. 

His mom's primary income was delivery groceries, so when she hurt her ankle and needed surgery she was no longer able to do her job while she healed. During this time, she noticed Dexter had a mass growing on his gums; one had burst and would not stop bleeding. She was worried about her old man and knew he needed to be examined at a vet’s office right away. 

Turns out Dexter had a cyst in his mouth, along with a few infected teeth that needed removed.

Did you know that a dog typically has 42 adult teeth? According to PetMD, sometimes they may have less, but that usually means that the missing tooth could be unerupted or impacted under the gums. For those who don’t know, an oral cyst is a fluid-filled sac that surrounds the enamel of an unerupted tooth. They are benign (meaning that they don’t invade tissues) but as the sac expands, it puts pressure on the other teeth and bone and can destroy teeth and weaken the jaw to the point of causing a fracture. Often a cyst can be seen by the naked eye as a blueish swelling of the gums.

​Check out more on oral cysts in dogs in this PetMD article, Treating Oral Cysts in Dogs.

Fur Kids Foundation also encourages all pet parents to do annual dental exams with their dogs. Dental disease can impact your dog's heart, kidney, liver, lungs and even bladder; and poor dental health can lead to horrible infections. Not to mention pain for your dog. You can read more about this in this Dog Quality blog, Dental Health in Older Dogs.

Not working, Dexter’s mom knew she was going to need help to pay her bills. She applied with Fur Kids Foundation and we were able to help with removing the bad teeth and cleaning up the cyst, along with a few other bumps on his body. We’re very happy to report that Dexter’s made a full recovery and is feeling better already. 

About Fur Kids Foundation
Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Read more Success Stories.