Post # 1
Member
760 posts
Busy bee
So here’s the deal. I went to the vet about a week ago and my poochie has some serious plaque build-up. Greyhounds are sort of known for their garbage mouths… but I need some advice.
The vet pretty much told me that the only way to get rid of the plaque and tarter build-up is to 1.) put my dog under anesthesia and 2.) have the vet remove the plague; all which costs a ridiculous amount of money.
Does anyone out there know of products that can help get rid of plaque and tarter build-up BEFORE I have to go this route? I’m not necessarily doubting a professional, just doubting whether or not they are giving me the most cost effective way to help my dog with her plague and tarter build up. This is also the same vet clinic that I paid over $500 to so that they could misdiagnose my greyhound with the WRONG parasite for almost half a year and kept giving me the wrong meds for her, so you can see where I am a wee bit skeptical…
HELP!
Post # 3
Member
3106 posts
Sugar bee
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17: my dog is 5 and has no brown or yellow on his choppers AT ALL. He chews lots of rawhide and it keeps them clean as a whistle. His breath still smells, but he always get compliments at the vet.
I like compressed rawhide bc it tends to last a little longer.
Post # 4
Member
1051 posts
Bumble bee
Give your boy something delicious and long lasting to chew that will help scrape the plaque off. Our dogs are on a raw diet so they have pretty much 0 tarter/plaque because they eat leg quarters/turkey necks/lamb knuckles or some other delicious bone, which scrapes their teeth clean.
You could try some beef ribs, beef or bison knuckle bones, my girl loves lamb knuckles, etc. Real, uncooked and not smoked bones are usually the best 🙂 Poultry is a little soft for teeth cleaning, you want something they need to really work and scrape on.
Post # 5
Member
9875 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
I’ve heard raw turkey necks are amazing for cleaning teeth, but I haven’t tried it myself.
We order these in bulk and both my dogs get one at least every other night. They do smell a bit, but they aren’t messy and the dogs love them. My dogs are 3 and 4 and have clean teeth with no brushing required.
http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/bbs/page_14309_11/economy_cow_ears_dog_treats.html
Post # 6
Member
753 posts
Busy bee
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17: My puggle has one tooth with a spot of plaque – rawhides and denta sticks usually keep it under conrol! Also, have you tried greenies? I don’t like to give too much of anything, so I throw a bunch of things into the mix.
Post # 7
Member
2563 posts
Sugar bee
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17: If your dog has a lot of tartar, only a cleaning by a vet will help. Bones and rawhides are fine when you are starting with a clean mouth to help remove plaque, but once that plaque mineralizes into tartar anything your dog chews on that would get it off would also crack a tooth. Also, the sprays that are advertised to “melt away” tartar don’t work. Again, they would dissolve the tooth if they actually dissolved tartar.
If your vet is recommending a cleaning, your dog needs it. They can have serious illness secondary to dental disease. He may even need teeth pulled if his dental disease is very bad. You can look at different vets to see what the pricing is, but honestly the cheaper ones are cheap for a reason and may be cutting corners. Proper dental cleanings in dogs needs to be done under anesthesia, anyone who offers “awake” or “sedation” dentistry for you dog is wasting your money. If your dog is otherwise healthy, the risks of anesthesia are very minimal and that shouldn’t be a deterant to getting him proper oral health care.
Post # 8
Member
1205 posts
Bumble bee
We try to brush our pup’s teeth but aren’t always good about it (she gets wiggly and the brushes are all too large for her tiny mouth). Since we worry that the irregular brushing isn’t enough, we got a gel that dissolves plaque. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00379KT66
So far it seems to be working but Lucy’s still just a baby with puppy teeth–this is more to get her used to brushing and de-plaque-ing than anything.
Still, maybe something to try if what you’re doing now isn’t working. The Petrodex chicken flavored toothpaste is the one we use with little rubber toothbrushes that (theoretically) fit on the tip of your finger. They fit DH just fine but are way too big for my fingertip, so I just hold it.
Post # 9
Member
62 posts
Worker bee
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17:
Look into non-anesthesia ultrasonic teeth cleaning. You can get it done for about $120 or less. It works wonders on my dogs. Your dog’s dental hygiene cannot be overlooked. After getting the teeth cleaning, I recommend brushing your dog’s teeth at least once a week. Get one of those chicken-flavored toothpastes made specially for dogs. This sounds like a good deal of work, and $120 is a lot to get teeth cleaned, but it will save you many headaches in the long run. You don’t want to have to deal with gum disease and all that terrible yet preventable stuff in the future.
Post # 10
Member
601 posts
Busy bee
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17: I give my dog dentasticks, raw bones and nylabones. Her teeth are amazing at 6 years, no plague. These only work if your dogs is a big chewer. If the vet didnt suggest these go with the idea of having them do the work and do up keep afterwards. Look into pet insurance some cover dental cleanings sinces its a very important health issuse for animals too.
Post # 11
Member
2563 posts
Sugar bee
@beetrothed: I would reconsider non-anesthesia dental cleanings, there are many reasons why your dog needs to be under anesthesia, not just for the cleaning but for a proper exam as well. Here is some information from the college of veterinary dentists: http://www.avdc.org/dentalscaling.html
Post # 12
Member
352 posts
Helper bee
I second that if your pup already has alot of the build up, the only thing that will help is a teeth cleaning by vet. However, don’t be afraid to shop around. All vets, at least in my area, quoted us something different for the procedure. If the $500 is steep for you, (which it would be for me), call other vets and see what they charge. My dog is having her first teeth cleaning in July and I know how pricey they can be…
Post # 13
Member
760 posts
Busy bee
Thanks all for the advice. She has rawhides but again, for anyone who owns a grey, theyre teeth are just super prone to plague and tarter build-up no matter what you do. I probably should have kept up with her teeth more and brushed them but… hindsight is 20/20 yes? :-/
@beetrothed: where can you get this procedure done? I’d be interested in trying this! thanks for the advice!
Post # 14
Member
62 posts
Worker bee
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17: Hi! I would ask around and maybe just google it for your area. I found out about it through my doggy daycare and the pet store where I buy their food. Good luck! As a previous poster said, there are numerous benefits to undergoing anesthesia to REALLY remove ALL the gunk, but the non-anesthesia method is also a good alternative. I intend to put them under anesthesia in a year or so — right now, they are quite young and have outstanding teeth, so the ultrasonic cleaning is mainly for upkeep!
Post # 15
Member
1517 posts
Bumble bee
I would not recommend rawhide, a dogs body does not digest it and it gets stuck in the intestine, possibly causing problesm in the future. My vet recommends Nylabones. My dog LOVES her bones!! And it really keeps the teeth looking good. I also have dog toothpaste and finger toothbrush that I use. She hates it, but it’s too bad 😉 THEN I also have a spray (almost like doggie mouthwash) that I spray along her gumline at least once a day. Like you, I refuse to pay $800 to get my dogs teeth cleaned!!
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17:
Post # 16
Member
3099 posts
Sugar bee
@the_newlymintedmrs-s17: My cat just had this procedure done a few weeks ago! His plaque build up was so bad that our vet said some of his teeth were totally encased in it and you couldn’t even see the teeth. It cost $400 and he removed 4 teeth.