Clean Teeth

[Taz_Zoee]

Zoee's teeth are not perfectly white....should they be? I bought a toothbrush and paste a while ago and my niece brushed her teeth. But they are still icky.
Are there any treats or other solutions (besides brushing or vets) that would make her teeth whiter?
Thanks! :)

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Kibble tends to stain teeth, and you'll probably never get them perfectly white again but feeding raw bones a few times a week will definitely help a lot. I don't brush my dogs' teeth, as it really doesn't seem to do anything. I just give them raw bones, and their teeth are all pretty clean.

[Seravieve]

I know that our two big chewers (Bunny and Eli) tend to have whiter teeth than Zeke.. Ive always thought that had to do with how much they chew on rubber bones and kongs. =)

[Giselle]

Yep, I feed Giselle and Ivy half raw half kibble so they still get the teeth-cleaning benefits of raw. They also get a lot of chews such as Bully Sticks and raw meaty bones.

Unless Zoee's teeth are really bad, you should be fine with a bunch of chews, teeth brushing, and/or raw bones. However, only feed raw bones if you're absolutely comfortable with it and well aware of the risks, such as intestinal blockage, cracked teeth (molars, especially), viruses, etc.

And give a couple kisses to Zoee for me ;)

[Taz_Zoee]

Thanks for the responses!!
Yeah, I am a little leary of feeding raw bones...even more so after what you just said Sophie!! :eek: LOL
She does have a rubber bone thingy that she chews and chews on. I just got her a new one, because we lost the first one. :( Although, she doesn't seem to chew on it as much anymore.

Another question: How often should I have her teeth cleaned at the vet?

[Giselle]

Oh, don't let me scare you. Feeding raw is rather safe for the most part, but there are definitely risks and it's always good to expect the unexpected :p

As for dentals, do it as much as is necessary. Giselle got her first dental in Feb because it was oral health month and they were handing out promotions. With the exam and bloodwork, it costed a total of about $500. Lucky needs a dental so he'll be getting his soon, but I don't think Ivy will ever get a dental in her life. It's too pricy to do "just because" =P

[mruffruff]

Holy Cow!!! $500 will get me complete annual exams and shots for three dogs with two dentals.

I know I get a good deal at my vet's (Boy I love her :D ) but I know I only paid about $50 plus bloodwork when Scruffy had his teeth cleaned. He's 13 or 14 so bloodwork is required.

I have a lot of teeth-cleaning toys for my two to chew on. They have little rubber nubs to clean their teeth as they chew. Bella has only had to have a cleaning once in 5 years, Scruffy two or three times in his life.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

I've just started using this on Tobey and Archie and am quite impressed. Their teeth look less stained and they are certainly fresher to kiss ;)

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=328&pf_id=4336&mscssid=NCDD2AU40MTG9MVNB7H37L50THW91V30

[dragondawg]

Zoee's teeth are not perfectly white....should they be? I bought a toothbrush and paste a while ago and my niece brushed her teeth. But they are still icky.
Are there any treats or other solutions (besides brushing or vets) that would make her teeth whiter?
Thanks! :)

Well I feed my dogs that evil (dry dog food) kibble and their teeth are pearly white- which is exactly what I would expect for 4 yr olds. I've never fed them bones, and if I ever felt the need it would be a joint or knuckle-bone, that would not splinter. Everyday they get a rawhide chip to chew on. It might help get a little tartar off the teeth.

The most important thing is to look at the gum lines. If the gum lines look inflammed then it's probably time for a cleaning. My Clover had her's cleaned about 1 yr ago while getting a minor surgical repair after getting into an arugment with some barb wire- she lost. Her little brother Barney hasn't been cleaned yet. My previous dog had 2 cleaning in 11 yrs. The cleanings should cost around $80. The important thing is to keep gum infections down, as staph infections in the gums tend to find their way to such places as heart valves.

[Catlady711]

The most important thing is to look at the gum lines. If the gum lines look inflammed then it's probably time for a cleaning. My Clover had her's cleaned about 1 yr ago while getting a minor surgical repair after getting into an arugment with some barb wire- she lost. Her little brother Barney hasn't been cleaned yet. My previous dog had 2 cleaning in 11 yrs. The cleanings should cost around $80. The important thing is to keep gum infections down, as staph infections in the gums tend to find their way to such places as heart valves.


How often an animal needs a dental depends on the individual. As a general rule cats and small dogs need teeth cleaning more often, but there are exceptions.

If animals aren't given vet done dental cleanings at the first sign of trouble, things can get much worse. We've had several people recently who's pets have DIED from not doing the dentistries when we recommended it. From that point the bacteria got into the gums and caused all kinds of havoc with the heart/kidneys/liver etc. If you think about how your mouth would look/smell if you never brushed your teeth for a few years, it's just as bad for animals. Not only can it cause bad breath, but left untreated bad teeth/gums can kill your pet.

The ONLY way to have the teeth properly cleaned is by a licensed veterinary dentist and done under anesthesia, anything less is not getting the job done in any significant way. American Veterinary Dental College (http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:D58dksRoAdUJ:www.avdc.org/Dental_Scaling_Without_Anesthesia.pdf+non+professi onal+dental%2Bdog&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us)

Once your pets teeth have been professionally cleaned then a regular brushing routine will help keep tartar off the teeth. Brushing teeth yourself will NOT remove the tartar, it has to be scraped off. Starting a brushing routine when your pet is very young is the best way too keep teeth healthy longer.

Every vet charges different prices based on his/her overhead. A larger building, more staff, more equipment, longer hours, bigger city, etc results in a generally higher fee. A phone call to other area hospitals should get you a rough idea what the average charge for a dentistry is.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thanks everyone for all the knowledge! :D
So, I will look into having her teeth cleaned and then keep up on her dental care. Today at the vets she said her teeth looked good. :)

[dragondawg]

Catlady,

I shutter to think of trying to brush my two monsters. I can envision a situation where the only place devoid of doggy toothpaste in the house would be the doggy's mouth. :D

P.S. My previous dog ate the toothpaste faster than I could brush with it. :p

[Catlady711]

Catlady,

I shutter to think of trying to brush my two monsters. I can envision a situation where the only place devoid of doggy toothpaste in the house would be the doggy's mouth. :D

P.S. My previous dog ate the toothpaste faster than I could brush with it. :p


LOL it's not any easier with cats lemme tell you! When Dusty finally had to have her first dentistry at 12 yrs old and Jack had to have one at 1 1/2 years I seriously tried to implement a brushing routine. The cats would NOT tolerate any such thing. Both these particular cats are my most difficult to do certain things with.

Pooky & Bear had to have their teeth cleaned recently at 5 years old but both of them were so squirmy I couldn't even check their teeth beyond smelling bad breath. I had to take them in for the boss to evaluate. Lemme tell you that's embarassing to have to have your vet boss check something on your pets that you figure you should be able to do yourself. ROFL ;)

[Giselle]

I dunno where the rest of you guys live, but everything is expensive over in the Bay. The place I work at charges an average of $300-$500 for Grade A and B teeth. Realllyyy nasty teeth can easily go $700 what with extractions and extended amount of anesthesia plus fluids and pain/antibiotic injections and all that good stuff.

The cheapest you can go for a dental ONLY is probably $300. The only dental I know that is only $80 is feline dentals. Giselle's estimate was about $400 for the dental alone, but the bloodwork and exam costed us about $100. And I don't even want to know how much extractions cost...

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Winston is the only one of my dogs who has ever had his teeth cleaned by the vet, and only because he had a bad one that we thought might need to be taken out (it didn't, fortunately, and it's in good shape now) due to conditions previous to living with us. The others have no need for it and probably never will with good upkeep and such. I don't believe most dogs should have to get their teeth professionally cleaned ever as long as you take care of them.

[dragondawg]

Winston is the only one of my dogs who has ever had his teeth cleaned by the vet, and only because he had a bad one that we thought might need to be taken out (it didn't, fortunately, and it's in good shape now) due to conditions previous to living with us. The others have no need for it and probably never will with good upkeep and such. I don't believe most dogs should have to get their teeth professionally cleaned ever as long as you take care of them.

The day I will have such beliefs will be the day I call my dentist and tell him, I no longer believe my teeth need cleaning. Not that I consider going to the dentist ever an event of joy.

Until that time, I will take seriously any recommendation by the Vet that one of my dogs needs its teeth professionally cleaned:

Association of periodontal disease and histologic lesions in multiple organs from 45 dogs.

DeBowes LJ, Mosier D, Logan E, Harvey CE, Lowry S, Richardson DC.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506, USA.

J Vet Dent. 1996 Jun;13(2):57-60

In the forty-five dogs studied, an association was found between periodontal disease and histopathologic changes in kidney, myocardium (papillary muscle), and liver.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Dragondawg, don't think it hasn't been brought up at the vet's office. We've asked him many times if he thinks they should have their teeth cleaned, and each time he's said no. If they needed it done and our vet agreed, of course they'd have their teeth cleaned.

[kallisto4529]

mousse and ginger both had there teeth cleaned by the vet, only twice for them both and i had it done when they were having other surgical things done so they were only put to sleep once. The vet and I both tried to keep that down. They always had things to chew on and it helped alot, only when they started getting a little bit of inflamtion was it time to be cleaned.

[Catlady711]

Dragondawg, don't think it hasn't been brought up at the vet's office. We've asked him many times if he thinks they should have their teeth cleaned, and each time he's said no. If they needed it done and our vet agreed, of course they'd have their teeth cleaned.


I think she was responding more to this comment...


I don't believe most dogs should have to get their teeth professionally cleaned ever as long as you take care of them.

rather than your own dogs needs based on your vets recommendations.

[Catlady711]

I dunno where the rest of you guys live, but everything is expensive over in the Bay. The place I work at charges an average of $300-$500 for Grade A and B teeth. Realllyyy nasty teeth can easily go $700 what with extractions and extended amount of anesthesia plus fluids and pain/antibiotic injections and all that good stuff.

The cheapest you can go for a dental ONLY is probably $300. The only dental I know that is only $80 is feline dentals. Giselle's estimate was about $400 for the dental alone, but the bloodwork and exam costed us about $100. And I don't even want to know how much extractions cost...


WOW!!!!

Around here that would be utter highway robbery and then some!!! :eek: Heck around here for those prices you could have a couple large dogs spayed with all the vaccinations and probably some heartworm medication!!!!

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Perhaps I worded it wrong. I wasn't meaning to say that no dog should ever have their teeth professionally cleaned, as I don't feel that way. Most of the dogs I personally know have never had to have their teeth cleaned though. Ultimately it's up to the owner and the individual dog's needs, of course.

[ratdogg]

erm, so i KNOW this isn't the greatest method, but my dog chews up sticks and my bestfriend said that chewing the sticks probably helps keep her teeth beautiful....lets just hope she never gets a blockage :eek:

[Giselle]

Yeah, no kidding. Whatever you do, never move into the Bay Area. The vets will drain you dry.

You wanna know how much spays cost? I got Ivy done for $25 through a low-cost program. The clinic we went to tried tacking on $400 worth of extras. I declined everything, but she needed two deciduous teeth taken out. That racked my bill up to $150-ish. Woot for baby teeth.. :rolleyes: