katendarby Posted March 4, 2003 Report Share Posted March 4, 2003 I haven't had my dogs' teeth cleaned in years, but do brush them myself occassionally. I'm concerned about them having to be put to sleep to do it (Darby had to have an xray last year and the stuff they gave him lasted all day - he was so stoned!). Their gums are pink, but not red or swollen, but they do have dark tarter stains. Only occassionally do they have "doggie breath". How important is it to have routine cleaning, and how do they do it without anethesia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Large beef bones clean teeth well. I know of too many problems from friends when the dog is older, and had anaesthesia just for teeth cleaning. ccosmetic risk isn`t worth it. Try the bones first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Any hard bone will scrape that tartar right off. But be aware that anything hard enough to scrape off the tartar is also hard enough to break teeth. I've had two girls break teeth on knuckle bones. -Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgt Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 Here's one more vote for using bones.... Brushing teeth, enzymatic toothpaste, etc. have never done squat for my dogs. I have 3 Border Collies who regularly get bones. Teeth and gums look great. I acquired one of these dogs last fall, and she had some tartar. Not any more. It seems to me that the professional teeth cleaning is not generally a good idea, and should only be used in exceptional cases where the situation is really bad for whatever reason. Having said all that, I should emphasize that I am not a vet, nor do I play one on TV. charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dot me not Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 ccosmetic risk isn`t worth it. Actually it's not a cosmetic rist that you need to worry about. The bacteria produced in a mouth with gum disease is nothing to play with. It can cause serious organ damage and even death if left untreated. I've seen it MANY times. The trick is (just like in people) to keep the teeth and gums in good shape to start with and not ever let it get to the point of causing health problems. Bones are a great idea but just as some people build up more tartar than others, so do dogs. Chew items just will not do the job in serious cases. My little spaniel that was my first show dog had to have her teeth cleaned 3 or 4 times a year no matter what she had to chew on. We nicknamed her "little miss death breath", it was so bad. Of course I worked at the Vet's office at the time so it wasn't a great big deal. Finally out of frustration I started doing a "standing dental" on her. At first we'd just give her a little ace to mildly sedate her and go ahead with the ultrasonic scaler which is painless but annoying because it both vibrates and shoots a small stream of water at the same time to keep it from getting too hot. After a couple of times with that it got to where she'd just stand there with no sedation at all and let us scale her teeth. It worked great on her and several other dogs I saw that the owners were afraid to put under anesthesia. I'm concerned about them having to be put to sleep to do it (Darby had to have an xray last year and the stuff they gave him lasted all day - he was so stoned!). Depending on the anesthesia they used this is perfectly normal. Some of the drugs will wear off actually too fast and a dog will come up before he's actually ready, throwing himself around causing possible injury. The solution to that is to give another sedative (usually acepromazine) before the actual anesthesia so they wake up more slowly and can get their wits about them before trying to motor around. The ace will keep them stoned for several hours AND give them a good case of the munchies later. Don't hesitate to ring up your vet and talk to him/her about your anesthesia concerns. Most folks have heard about a dog dying under anesthesia at some time or other, but it is actually a very safe procedure. Some vets don't know about doing a standing dental so you might want to mention it too. Good luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katendarby Posted March 5, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 I'm a little nervous about bones too. Seems like the bones I give them (usually pork or beef rib bones, or the bone from a porterhouse steak, yum)tend to splinter, or they gouge their mouths and bleed. What other kind of hard bones are you all referencing? Both of my dogs seem to have brittle teeth. They both broke off all 4 of their canines around the first year of age. My boxer had no problems. Her teeth were like cement and snow white, and only had them cleaned once or twice also. We have an old dog living with us who will choke on bones if there are any lying around, so I'll have to wait until he moves out this month to pursue the bone avenue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarajakesmum Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 Hi everyone- I was just curious to see what kind of costs it is to get your dogs teeth cleaned. I know everyone prices are different- but I just wanted to get a basic idea. Thanks Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wolf Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 Have any of you ever tried 'Greenies'? They are a relatively new product, a hard 'bone' made of natural ingredients, (the only one I can think of off hand is corn gluetin) and do a nice job on my guys. A bit pricey, but great results and most of the dogs I've encountered really like them. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 Pam, My dogs love Greenies, but I haven't noticed them helping particularly with teeth cleaning. All of my dogs eat them pretty regularly and yet I still had to take a scraper out and remove the tartar from one of my dogs' canines.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampthing Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 I just logged on as a member for the first time to post a new topic and I noticed this one. Last year I attended a veterinary symposium at the University of Florida. One of the people who spoke was an instructor there at the vet school. Her specialty is canine dentistry. She said that she recommends that all her clients use a biscuit called "Tartar Check". It's available at PetSmart. For years I also gave my dog CET chews (rawhide embedded with enzymes), available through my vet. When my 13 year old dog had surgery last week, his vet looked for tartar to clean at the same time, and found only a little on his back teeth. Of course, it could just be very good genes. You never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.