Doggy Dentistry

[fidgiegirl]

What do you think about doggy teeth cleaning, where they put them under anesthesia and do the whole deal?

I have never had my dog's teeth done and they have, admittedly, looked awful since I got him five years ago (he's 11). But they don't appear to bother him. We had many, many dogs growing up and never worried about their teeth. However, EVERY time we go to the vet they mention a dental.

Money maker or legitimate doggy health need? Somewhere in between?

[Anda]

I think it's important, and if your baby's teeth need a lot of care it may be necessary to put him under for thorough work. Both my dogs were adopted within the past few years, and both had been given dental care at the shelter. Pickman, my boy, actually had a lot of dental work. He's missing two teeth on one side and has difficulty playing tug-of-war for very long, which breaks my heart because he loves it. I brush their teeth on bath day (we call it "doggy spa day" because they get combed, bathed, teeth brushed, nails inspected and clipped if necessary and a general once-over). I use dog toothpaste that was $7 at Pet Supplies Plus, and my finger because they don't like the brush. I ask the vet at every checkup and she says we're doing a great job. (We also give them crunchy treats and toys.) Remember, your dog's mouth is also his hands. And when his teeth are gone, they're gone. :(

[Kevin]

It depends how bad it is, and that may in part be a matter of opinion. It was recommended for our 2 year old Miniature Schnauzer by one of the vets at the surgery we use, and so we made an appointment to see their dental specialist. He said that regular brushing with a doggy toothbrush and poultry flavour toothpaste for dogs would be enough, and that cleaning under general anaesthetic wasn't necessary.

A lot of dogs have gum disease, and it can cause the same kind of problems it does in humans. If a professional cleaning is required then following up with regular brushing at home is very worthwhile if your dog will tolerate it. Diet can make a difference to preventing dental problems.

Kevin

[iris lily]

I think it is absolutely, legit. That said, I don't do it. :)

I had a weird doggy dentist experience some years ago. I took my favorite bulldog to the specialty clinic for, crap, what was it? Can't think of it now, but it was serious enough for me to skip over the local vet and get right into it with specialists. The head doc there said "I'm not so worried about this thing (whatever it was) but there's something serious going on with her jaw..." and sent me over to the board certified dentist, another veterinary practice. $1,800 later she was without a bunch of teeth and there was still some unclearness about what's going on.

I took a deep breath while she recovered form all of that oral surgery and decided: we aren't going back. And we didn't.

But what's bad about mouth stuff is that you do not know how they are suffering, bad teeth can do awful things, and they are so damned stoic. This bulldog died 3 years later, another issue where the diagnosis wasn't clear, but here was something going on in her cranium, blood tests did not reveal. By then she was 11 years old, a good age for a bulldog, and I was ready to let her go. I still wonder if that mysterious jaw thing is what ultimately killed her.

Of the pack of 6 Frenchies that we rescued, one of them, the youngest, had horrific teeth and she was starving. SOMETHING had to be done with her mouth, but my role as rescuer was to get her fattened up, which I did, and then turned her over to her new home where the dad in the house is a veterinarian. I hear she's doing well, and those teeth have GOT to come out.

[treehugger]

It obviously depends on the actual state of the dog's teeth, but I do think teeth cleaning is a genuine health need. It is for humans; why not dogs and cats?

That said, I highly recommend finding a vet who will do non-anaesthesia cleaning (mild sedation only). Far cheaper and safer and better for the dog over all (unless the dog is too high strung to handle it without being put full under).

I admit I'm biased against the use of anaesthesia when it's not an emergency since I have greyhounds (who don't tolerate anaesthesia well), but I think everyone can get behind the smaller price tag. :)

Kara

[puglogic]

Our pug just had his teeth cleaned for the first time at 9 yrs old -- glad I did, but I'm not sorry I didn't do it sooner. He had a couple of teeth extracted, got all polished up, and his breath is great :)

Our other, bigger, older dog will be going in for it next week - very crummy teeth and is starting to drool a bit. So I'm a believer in it, but I always research veterinary procedures that get the heavy sales pitch, as you are. This one, I think, is legit, but maybe not the every-six-months thing recommended by some vets imho. That's just a profit center.

[jennipurrr]

We have one dog who has awful breath and I have wondered about getting his teeth cleaned, but the vet has not said there is a problem. We rescued him a few years back in doggy middle age. Our other dogs have never had yucky breath and I wonder if its related to his previous diet. When I read Michael Pollans books a few years ago and he talked about the increased need for human dentistry due to diet, it also made me wonder about dogs. Our dogs eat decent quality dry dog food, but who knows what this one ate before? I have read that wet food causes a lot of dental problems.

[Gingerella72]

It is legitimate and needed, IMO. A dog's teeth and gums are no differently really from our own....you can imagine what kinds of dental and health issues you would have if you never cleaned your teeth, right?

The myth that feeding a dog dry food "cleans" his teeth is BS. Would your teeth be clean if all you ate were crunchy cookies?

A dog's teeth should be brushed regularly (with canine toothpaste that won't harm if swallowed) with a full-on cleaning at the vets once a year.

(same thing for cats, but that's another thread)

[Gardenarian]

My dogs are a breed that tend to have bad teeth, but they are also very sensitive to anesthesia. I give them cow bones from the butcher and that does help to keep their teeth clean, but I am going to take one of them in for a cleaning soon. So I don't do it annually - more like every two years.

Has anyone had any luck with the oral sprays? They claim to remove plaque and tartar. "Petzlife" is one I was looking at, but haven't actually tried.

I must say that I have given up going to the dentist to have my own teeth cleaned! I felt like they were just picking away at the enamel. I brush my teeth after every meal, floss, use dental rinse, avoid sugar.

[grendel]

I take my cats to have their teeth cleaned every three or four years. I've read that it needs to be done yearly, but I'd rather not risk putting them under anesthesia unnecessarily. In addition to the cleaning, I like that the vet can get a good look at their teeth and mouths and do a more thorough exam. They also have to have bloodwork done to see if their organs can tolerate the anesthesia, and two of my cats were diagnosed with chronic but manageable conditions as a result of the precleaning bloodwork.

[jp1]

We are able to brush one of our cats' teeth, so the last time I took them for a checkup the doc was amazed at how great his teeth looked. There was tartar on a couple and she was able to use the scaler to get it off just during the regular checkup. The other one is fussier and won't let us brush his teeth so his mouth needed work. His gums were very red and it turned out that 5 teeth were rotten and had to be pulled when he had his dental. $600 later his remaining teeth are in good shape so now we're forcing him to let us brush them because I hope he can survive the rest of his life without having to go to the dentist again. Unless there's clearly inflamed gums and whatnot I wouldn't have it done. The one time I was put under anesthesia it was 3 days before I finally felt normal again. I assume it's as bad for cats so I wouldn't do it unless I thought it was really necessary.

[daisy]

I think there are vets that try to push dental cleanings as a money maker (I would be suspicious of one that insists on a yearly cleaning), but I do think it is important to keep the teeth and gums healthy. Gum disease is linked to heart disease, so keeping the tartar off of their teeth prevents the bacteria that cause gum disease from becoming established.

We have two dogs, both with some teeth issues. Daisy's teeth are crowded and she has a spot in her lower teeth that will become infected and smelly. So far we've managed to keep it clean enough that we've avoided a dental for the last 4 years. Arlo's teeth are just falling apart. He grew up in a puppy mill and we think his early nutrition was inadequate. So far he's lost 4 of his upper rear teeth and the two largest upper rear teeth have had slab fractures. I heard the last one break as he was chewing on a toy. Now we feed him a mix of canned food and dry food softened with water (both are grain-free). He's had 2 dental cleanings in the 6 years that we've had him. He doesn't process anesthesia very well, but when they have to remove fractured teeth, there isn't much choice.

[Nella]

I had my dog's teeth cleaned once a year. I think it's the same domino affect you get with humans, ie., if you don't take care of the teeth, you eventually get rot, then are unable to eat properly, and then subsequent poor nutrition starts to affect the rest of your biological system.

[Fawn]

We are able to brush one of our cats' teeth, so the last time I took them for a checkup the doc was amazed at how great his teeth looked. There was tartar on a couple and she was able to use the scaler to get it off just during the regular checkup. The other one is fussier and won't let us brush his teeth so his mouth needed work. His gums were very red and it turned out that 5 teeth were rotten and had to be pulled when he had his dental. $600 later his remaining teeth are in good shape so now we're forcing him to let us brush them because I hope he can survive the rest of his life without having to go to the dentist again. Unless there's clearly inflamed gums and whatnot I wouldn't have it done. The one time I was put under anesthesia it was 3 days before I finally felt normal again. I assume it's as bad for cats so I wouldn't do it unless I thought it was really necessary.

If it makes you feel any better, I had to sit on/straddle my beloved youngest son to brush his teeth when he was 2 years old. He hated it. For dental cleanings they used a "papoose board" and I still had to restrain him. He would scream the entire time, "You are killing me......"

He has braces now and brushes his own teeth, thank God!

[pony mom]

I used the PetZLife toothpaste, not the spray, because brushing was much easier than spraying. This worked very well and made a noticeable improvement. There is another supplement called Plaque Off! this is great too---it's a powder that changes the saliva so the plaque doesn't stick.

When I adopted my late dog, she was 4 and had not so great teeth. I wish I had been more consistent with at-home care in her later years. BTW, she was on a raw diet for most of her life (raw chicken bones), which kept her teeth much cleaner than regular dog food ever could. It was a lot of work, but I believe it kept her as healthy as possible for her 15 years.

[larknm]

Our dogs have always gotten small knuckle bones or marrow bones cut into thirds every day. They have fabulous teeth--I do it for that reason, plus the calcium is good for them, plus the chewing calms them and helps their digestion (I give the bones after dinner).