doggie breath (bad teeth)

[wingnut]

Anyone had to deal with doing something about a dog's teeth? My wife's miniature poodle has absolutely rotten teeth ... giving her abysmal breath and likely some pain (although she doesn't show it). So Carolyn has been bugging me to see if anyone has had a similar problem and what they've done.
The poodle doesn't have any real health problems ... but did nearly die about 6 years ago from a spider bite. Vet was very surprised that she survived .. apparently her liver shut down temporarily. Carolyn figures that may have something to do with the teeth problems ...

pete

[Boondox]

Pete -- We have that problem with one of our goldens. Glenfiddich is a wonderfully fit dog, except for incredible tartar that led to periodontal disease: inflammed gums and little micro-infections that give him breath that would kill a moose! [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]

Most dogs don't care for people poking around with dental picks. Glenfiddich was no exception. We had to take him to the vet to be knocked out so his teeth could be cleaned. After that, it was fairly easy to stay on top of it with daily brushings (yes, a dog toothbrush and beef flavored paste) and a squirt of chlorhexidine in his drinking water.

Check the gums. If they're inflammed and irritated it's worth a trip to the vet. That stuff doesn't clear up by itself, and all the chew things in the world didn't help.

Pete

[ewoss3]

Our chow has had the same problem for 3 years now and the vet reccomends antibiotic treatment every six months followed by a cleaning. It has really helped with the odor but is not the cheapest solution.

[Stoneheartfarm]

Pete,

Sorry, buddy, I think it's vet time. If the teeth are that bad, the vet may want to do an extraction, or at least give a course of antibiotic.

It's almost spring shot/flea medication/heartworm pill time. If you can hold out until then, you can save an extra vet bill. You can get the doggy toothbrushes and toothpaste at Walmart. But, if her teeth are already that bad, she might not let you have a go at her. You can also get doggy breath mints at Walmart (and I've seen them in feed stores), they might help somewhat. My dog loves them, but I can't necessarily attest to their effectiveness.

Steve

[Hank]

<font color="purple"> Anyone had to deal with doing something about a dog's teeth? </font color>

My wife puts all of our various mutts under an annual dental cleaning at the vet, which involves anesthesia. This seems to hold them otherwise throughout the year. It's not cheap, but in the long run works out to be the best compromise of money vs effort, at least for us.

[jray]

Hey guys our cocker has bad breath as well. But my wife works for a grooming shop in a major pet store chain and they perform tooth brushing as part of there basic care package in order to maintain some hygine through out the year. She also has the cocker on whats called a wellness plan throught the in house vetrinary provider, its cheap consideing all the benefits that come with
it. Its like health insurance for the dog, you pay a monthly fee and recieve certain services through out the year, one of which is two dentals or teeth cleanings per year. Its awful to see dogs with bad teeth and the breath can be really bad. Our large dog has very clean teeth, he gets a dental a year and really dosen't need that most of the time. But he chews on anything he can get his mouth around Like raw hide bones to pieces of fire wood. Well thats it, just trying to provide some info for everyone considering the animals are so important to us. Thanks Jray [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
P.S If anyone wants to know the specifics about the grooming shop or the vet, please email me. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Steelfan]

Hi Pete,

I agree with about everything said here. We have the same problem with our German Shepard. We got the Breath mints at Walmart also. It seems to help some. We are trying to brush her teeth regularly, but she really doesn't like it. I need to hold her, while my wife does a little at a time. Also dogs are not the only ones with this problem, we had a major problems with our cats also. One died at the vets when we had to have her teeth scraped . And two of our cats had liver problem most likely from bad teeth. Cats are even worst to try to brush their teeth. Almost impossible to handle them. Good Luck, I hope it turns out for the best.

Kent

[Boondox]

<font color="blue"> the vet reccomends antibiotic treatment every six months followed by a cleaning </font color>

Yeah, once the tartar begins building up under the gum line you really have to have the vet go after it. Interesting about the antibiotic usage, though. Our vet doesn't use it and within a day of cleaning all the irritation and inflammation is gone...along with the foul breath. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Pete

[Inspector507]

We've had Buddy for over a year now. The vet last year recommended he get an occasional brushing at home.
What ME brush his teeth??? Well, to make a long story short, I have to rush doing mine, he's in a hurry to have his done [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[ewoss3]

Our Chow has to take the antibiotic treatment once a quarter and cleaning once a year. We used to brush her teeth at least once a month and the plaque would still build up leading to some really bad breath. Now I wouldn't say she has refreshing breath but at least I don't gag when I wake up with someone staring at me from 6 inches away [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]