Dear Idoia,
I have been following this debate with interest. I
took my archaeology degree after working for 33 years as a veterinary surgeon.
As a veterinary surgeon I have only seen this sort
of tooth in acute trauma (including dogs biting at cage bars, being kicked by
horses and road accidents). However, the lines of abrasion seen in the cut
surface of the tooth show this is not such a traumatic fracture. It was
obviously filed or cut with some sort of saw.
If the tooth was worn away over a period of time,
as might be seen in dogs chewing stones, I would expect the pulp cavity to
seal off (not evident in your photos).
Is this was done in life, I cannot expect a
dog to be restrained without anaesthetic for a tooth to be filed off (or cut
off) in this way. Tooth is hard and would require some effort and time to cut
the tooth in this manner.
There is a possible cause that I could accept.
This tooth could have been cut off after death, perhaps as a trophy, a keepsake,
or even to be used to manufacture false teeth. (I think that last idea is a bit
fanciful) Are there any detached canine crowns found in the archaeological
record?
I have experienced one owner who requested that I
remove the canine teeth from his departed German Shepherd Dog, to be kept as a
memento. This is a very difficult task. The roots are twice the length of the
crown. I persuaded the owner to take a clip of the dog's hair
instead.
A fascinating case.
Best wishes,
Steve
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 3:01
PM
Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] early medieval dog
with canines smoothed down
I have uploaded another picture of one of the canines, taken
with a microscope. The marks that I mentioned are clearly visible here.
http://zooarchaeology.ning.com/profile/IdoiaGrau