All Bark and Bite

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- For five year old Csapage, loosing part of a tooth did not earn him a visit from the Tooth Fairy, but he did get a bright and shiny new tooth from a Navy dentist.

Csapage, a Czek Sheppard, is a military working dog (MWD) assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP). During training, Csapage broke one of his lower canine teeth and was taken to the NASP Veterinarian Treatment Facility where the MWDs are cared for.

"I knew he needed a crown, but I needed assistance with doing that," said Army Capt. Michael Bellin, the veterinarian assigned to NASP Veterinarian Treatment Facility. "It's not typical that (Army veterinarians) ask Navy doctors for help, but I was thinking of what was best for Csapage."

Bellin contacted Naval Branch Health Clinic NASP and Cmdr. Grace Dorangricchia, department head for the Dental Clinic at NBHC NASP, made the easy decision to help. Dorangricchia, besides being a dentist, is also a dog lover. She currently has three dogs, but she approached Csapage the same way she would any patient.

"(Putting a crown on a dog) is the same exact procedure I would do on a human, except the tooth is longer and curved," said Dorangricchia. "I treated him like any other patient. I even explained the surgery to him."

The first step in the procedure was to fit Csapage for a crown. After the 80-pound MWD was completely sedated, a mold of the tooth was made and a crown was created. For Csapage, the crown was made out of high noble metal, which is better than a porcelain one.

"I don't compromise on care," said Dorangricchia.

Once the crown was made, Csapage was brought back in and the crown was placed. Dorangricchia even gave him a complimentary cleaning.

Despite this being her first four legged patient, Dorangricchia showed no signs of nerves and instead, relished in the opportunity to help.

"I just wanted to do my job," said Dorangricchia. "I think it was a unique experience and even more special because he is a military working dog."

Military working dogs are treated very similarly to active duty personnel. They even earn promotions for hard work. Csapage is a Master-at-Arms 1st Class and has deployed to Afghanistan. Most MWDs will remain in service until they are eight years old, which mean Csapage has a few more years of service left before he retires.

Would Dorangricchia perform another surgery on a dog? "I would do another one in a heartbeat," she said.

For more news from Naval Hospital Pensacola, visit www.navy.mil/local/nh_pensacola/ .