Teeth Cleaning

[Varga]

Has anybody here got any experience with non-anesthetic teeth cleaning with dogs? I know Taggart needs a professional teeth cleaning some time soon, but obviously it costs a lot of money to do at a vet's office. I heard that pet groomers also do teeth cleanings, so I thought that might be a good idea, at least for now, to get back in control of his bad breath. Any brushing or spray or gel just doesn't do much to get rid of his bad breath.
I just don't know if it's worth doing a teeth cleaning at a place like that though, since I'm sure they can't do as good a job as a vet doing it under full anesthesia, so maybe it's a better idea to just save the money and put it towards that...?

Also, do they even take dogs who fight the teeth cleaning? Taggart is a high energy dog and that high energy transforms quickly into high levels of anxiety if he's in an unfamiliar situation. He trusts me to prod and poke him and give him baths and brush his teeth... but it tooks months, even years, for us to get to this point. If it's a stranger doing those things? He will panic and he will bite. I don't even bother letting any veterinarians try and do an exam or whatever without a muzzle anymore. He gets so stressed that it's a lot more humane to just put on a muzzle and get it done and over with as quickly as possible... So yeah, I dunno if it's ever realistic to expect a pet groomer to do a teeth cleaning on him while he's fully awake and panicky :/

[pomtzu]

It is my understanding that dog groomers don't do anything more than brush their teeth anyway. You'd be better off just to keep brushing them yourself and put money aside for a cleaning at the vet.

[Freedom]

What Ellie said.

[Alysser]

We have done it to Mikey before, the groomers simply brushed his teeth. I am sure they did a great job, but I do that at least once a week anyway! Mikey also would never bite someone out of fear (at least humans!) so it wasn't a danger.

If there's a risk Taggart would bite, I wouldn't do it. I am not sure how much the Vet cleanings are but I'd just save up for that. They may be expensive but they are much more thorough and although not permanent they do last a lot longer! I knew someone who did it about every 6 months, so twice a year for her dog. Had the nicest teeth I ever saw!

[Taz_Zoee]

Zoee goes to the groomer on a regular (sort of) basis. And a couple times they have told me she needs to see a vet to have her teeth cleaned. I asked the vet about it and they did a scraping of her teeth, which was cheaper and without anesthesia. But if Taggart won't let someone else touch him like that then it probably would be best to get it done while he's under. I'm waiting for Zoee to have to go under for something else and I'll have them do a teeth cleaning at the same time. Unless her teeth get really bad, of course. And we are avoiding surgery on her leg right now too. So hopefully she won't have to go under for anything anytime soon.
My Taggart has the cleanest teeth I've seen on an adult dog, then again I don't go around checking dogs teeth. And they've never been cleaned, that I know of. I do give them carrots on a daily basis. That might help with some of the build up. ??

[kaycountrygal]

I agree with those who said "save your money & go to vet". At my local vet they a week set aside and it's called "Dental Week" and costs less during this time. Maybe your vet does that also.

[SWHouston]

YUM YUM.. Vanilla Mint !

Sounds so good, it's tempting to get some for me !

Thanks Jessika.

[SWHouston]

I looked up enzymatic toothpaste, but other than non-foaming, no rinse and flavored, is there anything better about it, other than a regular doggy toothpaste ?

[Jessika]

Jessika, do you have a recommendation for an enzymatic toothpaste?

C.E.T. is what we carry and recommend at work. I did a quick search and you can find it online at like amazon.com. It isn't too terribly expensive, either. You may be able to find it at your local vet or other stores in the area as well (I am unsure if they carry it at retail stores like PetCo or PetSmart).

http://www.virbacvet.com/products/De...othpastes.aspx

I looked up enzymatic toothpaste, but other than non-foaming, no rinse and flavored, is there anything better about it, other than a regular doggy toothpaste ?

Enzymatic toothpaste uses enzymes to clean on a "chemical" level (I use the term "Chemical" loosely as it isn't technically a chemical but rather I am referring to the method of action, chemical vs mechanical [mechanical= how we brush our teeth]). With dogs and cats, they don't really stand still, nor do they necessarily tolerate, a tooth brushing long enough for a "mechanical" action to be effective. Therefore using an enzymatic toothpaste is easier on everyone, and it works very well too.

I hope all of that makes sense!

[Varga]

Thanks! I just bought a beef flavoured tube. I know Taggart will still need a professional cleaning but following your advice it should make home cleaning easier until then.

[SWHouston]

I schedule mine for a "formal" cleaning every two years. Sneakers second is coming up soon, and Becca's first.
Does anyone do it more frequently than that ?

[Jessika]

I schedule mine for a "formal" cleaning every two years. Sneakers second is coming up soon, and Becca's first.
Does anyone do it more frequently than that ?

We have some clients with smaller dogs (or greyhounds, they always seem to have horrible teeth!) that do need a cleaning every year. Sometimes it's because they aren't brushing their teeth, but more often than not it is just genetics, small dog mouths. But on average, once every 2 years, or maybe even less frequent if you brush every day!

[Varga]

Jessika, do you have a recommendation for an enzymatic toothpaste?