Our dog is getting her teeth cleaned today

[CathyA]

I guess we have been bad pet-owners, because we never worried about our dog's teeth. She is about 12 years old. Last year, we changed vets, and this new place is very good. If anything.....they are too good. haha What I mean is they might recommend doing too much for your pets..........labs drawn too often, etc. But it is good to have a competent vet, after our last one!

Anyhow......at her last visit 2 weeks ago, they said she really needed her teeth cleaned and said her gums in the back were inflamed.
So today, DH took her in and they anesthetized her and cleaned her teeth and the vet called and said that one of her top front teeth needed to come out.
He said the bone under it was crumbling. I asked if she could have a partial put in. :~)

I guess dog's front teeth aren't that important. He also said this isn't uncommon in some breeds and in older dogs.
Anyone ever have to have their dogs top front teeth pulled?

Sometimes it's hard to know how much to do for your pet. Some of the stuff seems a little over-the-top, but I guess it's whatever you feel best doing (or not doing). I'm guessing this bill will be close to $500.

Anyone have an easy way of brushing their dog's teeth? I tried those "greenie"-type chews to clean the teeth, but our dog swallowed them in 2 bites. :0!

[jp1]

We've had to have cat teeth pulled over the years. My firmer cat, Harry, had to have all four fangs pulled and spent the rest of his life looking like he'd left his dentures out. Not a big deal although one of our cats has earned the nickname grimace because he sometimes makes funny faces now.

I agree with you on the greenies. They are worthless. One of our cats (Grimace in fact) is fine with us brushing his teeth. The other says no way.

[Teacher Terry]

Small dogs tend to have problems with their teeth & big dogs usually never. Our 3 small ones need a yearly dental cleaning & often need some pulled. One has no teeth left & the other 2 have about 8 each. YOu have to start when they are puppies to clean their teeth & then give a treat. I did not know this when we rescued ours but most were old by the time we got them. I have spent a small fortune of this but bad teeth cause heart disease & other problems.

[kib]

We've had to have cat teeth pulled over the years. My firmer cat, Harry, had to have all four fangs pulled and spent the rest of his life looking like he'd left his dentures out. Not a big deal although one of our cats has earned the nickname grimace because he sometimes makes funny faces now.

I agree with you on the greenies. They are worthless. One of our cats (Grimace in fact) is fine with us brushing his teeth. The other says no way.
The typo made me laugh. We have a cat who weighs about 20 pounds and he is indeed our "Firmer" cat. Took me a moment to figure out what happened there. Firmer cats, unite!

[jp1]

The typo made me laugh. We have a cat who weighs about 20 pounds and he is indeed our "Firmer" cat. Took me a moment to figure out what happened there. Firmer cats, unite!

Lol. Actually, yes, Harry was the firmer cat. The grimace cat weighs 20 lbs and there's nothing firm about him. He's a big mushy blob of love. Especially at dinner time. Or anytime I'm standing near the food bowls.

[Williamsmith]

I guess we have been bad pet-owners, because we never worried about our dog's teeth. She is about 12 years old. Last year, we changed vets, and this new place is very good. If anything.....they are too good. haha What I mean is they might recommend doing too much for your pets..........labs drawn too often, etc. But it is good to have a competent vet, after our last one!

Anyhow......at her last visit 2 weeks ago, they said she really needed her teeth cleaned and said her gums in the back were inflamed.
So today, DH took her in and they anesthetized her and cleaned her teeth and the vet called and said that one of her top front teeth needed to come out.
He said the bone under it was crumbling. I asked if she could have a partial put in. :~)

I guess dog's front teeth aren't that important. He also said this isn't uncommon in some breeds and in older dogs.
Anyone ever have to have their dogs top front teeth pulled?

Sometimes it's hard to know how much to do for your pet. Some of the stuff seems a little over-the-top, but I guess it's whatever you feel best doing (or not doing). I'm guessing this bill will be close to $500.

Anyone have an easy way of brushing their dog's teeth? I tried those "greenie"-type chews to clean the teeth, but our dog swallowed them in 2 bites. :0!

I firmly believe getting your pets teeth cleaned is a waste of money. If nothing else submitting it to unnecessary anesthetic procedures is well....unnecessary. A good vet is a good minimalist.

[Tussiemussies]

We did brush our dogs teeth every night with a child's extra soft toothbrush and a chicken flavored toothpaste made, just for Dogs. Human toothpaste is not good for them. Then in the beginning I woukd put a dab of the toothpaste on their tounge and they liked it. Then I brushed easy with the toothpaste and they got used to it after awhile. I always gave them a dab when I was done. I did this at night before bed. None of them ever had bad breath but still did have to have a tooth cleaning job in their middle age. The tarter can cause gum disease and it can also lead to heart disease. I believe if you are going to have a pet they should have the best care possible.

[iris lilies]

Last Friday we took our ten year old French Bulldog into the vets because she has been lethargic of late and she does not eat well. I suspected bad teeth,which she has had in the past. The tech verified she needs dental surgery (again)but the doc said hold on, there is something serious besides teeth going on here.

She had advanced staged congestive heart failure. We euthanized her the next day.

No real point here, but I expected teeth problems and got a dead dog. Ten years old is a decent age for these dogs. At least this saved us a teeth cleaning bill which, for this vet, is pricey.

[pinkytoe]

Sorry to hear about your dog, Iris. Ten years...I imagine tht was hard.
Our very old weiner dog has only a few teeth left. We have to be sure her food is moist but other than that there haven't been any problems with eating. Didn't do the teeth cleaning stuff but am told she would have lost them either way.

[Songbird]

My vet doesn't want to clean my Pug's teeth as he says the anesthesia is too much of a danger to him at his advanced age of almost 11 years old.

Iris lilies, so sorry to hear about your dog.

[ctg492]

I just started the entire wild bunch on dental enzyme wipes. The new Vet advised this over rushing into cleaning as he said If you brushed once a year, what do you think happens? Yes this is gross taking a little pad and wiping around in those mouths, but it has helped greatly. It is not like scrubbing, just a quick wipe. I got a generic brand of Drs Foster and Smith.

[ctg492]

Iris lillies, I am so sorry for your loss.

[iris lilies]

My vet doesn't want to clean my Pug's teeth as he says the anesthesia is too much of a danger to him at his advanced age of almost 11 years old.

Iris lilies, so sorry to hear about your dog.

Thanks. We have a steady stream of adult Nd senior dogs, so, do death are non unusual,here.

yeah, the bracychephalic dogs are a problem under anesthesia. Our one remaining French bulldog has bad teeth but she is 14+'years old, we won't be cleaning her teeth.

[SteveinMN]

Our rescue dog has lost a couple of front teeth along the way; no idea how or why (part of the mystery of rescues...). We tried the Greenies as well and found them entertaining for the dog but not efficacious (or inexpensive). We've since tried some other chews that contain licorice and clove and other flavors and are harder so the dog has to chew more than a few times. But the hard work of toothbrushing is done by the groomer every 6-8 weeks. The dog's breath is OK and I don't notice deposits on her teeth or inflamed gums, so we must be doing alright.

IL, so sorry about your dog. Even if it's a non-infrequent occurrence, it's still a jolt.

[Tussiemussies]

Iris Lilys I am so very sorry about the loss of your dog...