Like someone who said that if they just remove a bit of the jaw etc...That is in my opinion cruel. You can do what you will obviously but in the end I hope you can make the decision to let him go while he has some dignity
i do agree with you to some extend. do i think it's right to let a chin go rather than put them through a surgery that will prolong their life but also their suffering? yes. do i think it's right to let a chin go rather than put them through a surgery that will fix the problem, save their life and allow them to lead a normal life? absolutely not.
as i said, each case is different. my particular chin has a root problem and the surgery is indicated (we need xrays first). if she can have the surgery, it will fix the problem and she will have a great life after, interrupted only by occasional filings of one tooth (this would be a result of surgery and not part of the original problem). yes, they do take a bit of their jaw out, but they make a door like flap and the bone grows back so it's not like they're going to be missing half their face for the rest of their lives.
i am not saying that it's not major surgery and given the size of the animal, the vets don't really take it lightly. in fact, they will not do it unless they believe this will fix the problem.
i should probably point out that this chin does not actually suffer from malocclusion, she has dental problems stemming from being on a completely wrong diet until now. in the short two and a half weeks she's been with us, her angled chewing surfaces on her incisors are pretty much flat now - this wasn't much of a problem but it speaks volumes, especially given she's not actually eating as much roughage as my other chins. if we can fix her current problem, feed her the right stuff, she should be fine.
she is also missing a back leg. yes, she can't stand up, can't have tummy rubs and when she eats she has one front paw on the floor but she moves at the speed of light and you would not actually notice she's missing a leg at all to start with! some people would have thought it would be cruel to amputate and would have put her down instead. i'm glad her then owners didn't because she adapted incredibly well.
i'm only a foster parent so ultimately, the decision will be between the vet and the rescue - they both lose animals on a fairly regular basis and they're not attached to her in the way i am so their thinking will be objective. as for me, i trust my vet and i know that while she wants her to get fixed, she will tell me when to stop.
but, i maintain that you cannot say that all chins will malocclusion (and it's probably important to point out that half the dental problems chins have are labled wrongly as malocclusion) should be put down as soon as you discover the problem.
