The vet called to say that there were tooth roots in all four sides of his mouth, some of them were even over the gum line and they must have been creating the most pain and irritation to the surrounding gum tissue. I told her to go ahead with the surgery of removing all the roots and any bone that was affected underneath. While she said that she couldn't promise that this would take away all Dude's gum problems, she also said that it should make them significantly better. When he has recovered, Dude should be pain free for the first time in years!!

My elation that the specialist found a problem that could be resolved, which neither his regular vet nor I expected since it was throughout his mouth, is tempered by rage against the shelter. I need to write their director a letter outlining Dude's care before I adopted him (just keeping him going with steroid shots and ignoring his bloody mouth) and the poor job of extraction done by the vet who occasionally works there. That she left so many roots, and some of them very obviously still in place, really shocks me.

So, there goes my tax rebate, my Christmas check from home, and my cookie and chips money for the next six months - sob! But it's going to be so very worth this to see Dude as he should be, to hold him close and know he should be around for shared nose bumps for years more.

Thank you everyone for the posts and positive thoughts, you are all amazing. I really didn't expect such a clear resolution.