brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
Jun 26, 2014 16:09:34 GMT
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Post by brandy327 on Jul 29, 2014 19:44:42 GMT
How many of you routinely have your dog's teeth cleaned at the vet?
I love my pet, do routine checkups and vaccines but we've never had teeth done before. I took my pup today for his checkup and they recommended a cleaning at nearly $300-500.
The area where I grew up, dogs were just another animal on the farm. Other than rabies vaccines, no other vaccines were given and certainly no yearly checkups or teeth cleanings. Obviously, I'm not in total agreement with that but I'm just not sure about the teeth cleaning thing.
Soooo, if you own a dog, do you have their teeth cleaned regularly?
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Post by khaleesi on Jul 29, 2014 19:48:21 GMT
We do not. Our dogs have things to chew on and they love their rawhide chews and lamb ears. We actually get comments from the vet about their teeth at their appointments and it is from the chew treats they get. We also give them Greenies once or twice a week.
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linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Jul 29, 2014 19:54:53 GMT
No I don't. I had my Maltese's cleaned once to the tune of $350 but he had some rotting teeth that I was afraid were going to cause stomach problems.
I have a shih tzu and Lhasa, I give them dental bones. I tried brushing their teeth but they want no part of it.
I do check their teeth and if I ever saw any inflammation or infection I would have them cleaned. My vet told me if their teeth get infected swallowing the poison from infection could cause stomach problems.
I would love to hear some home remedys for teeth cleaning!!!
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Post by giatocj on Jul 29, 2014 20:03:34 GMT
We have had Tucker's done twice to the tune of $ 900+ each time. He is not a chewer, and doesn't like rawhide or those greenies things, so even with brushing it got to the point of necessity each time.
Now that he is almost 8 we will not have it done again, because we don't want him under anesthesia. We bought him some huge, crunchy kibble like stuff with some plaque fighting enzyme that he gets as a treat every day. Those he LOVES!
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Post by KikiPea on Jul 29, 2014 20:05:03 GMT
We do. Our vet told us once a year was fine as long as we gave him dental chews and brushed his teeth at home. We don't brush them at home much, but do give the dental chews and his last check up was great. We will be getting his yearly vet cleaning next month. It will be between $175 and $250 for our 2 yr old. It was over $500 for old old dog due to needing blood work done first.
Dogs can get really sick/die from teeth/gun disease, so for us it's worth it.
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,580
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Jul 29, 2014 20:06:09 GMT
Yes, I've had my 2 Dachshunds' teeth cleaned multiple times, at some expense. ETA: because they're NASTY and you can tell, their breath is AWFUL! NOT BECAUSE I'm a dog vet services snob.
BIG difference in price between the 'farm vet' and the 'city vet' though. "Farm vet" charges under $150 per dog, "City Vet" at least double that.
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,580
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Jul 29, 2014 20:14:45 GMT
We don't. When we first got our dog, we did take in her for some major dental work, including a root canal. She had periodontal disease, and the dog dentist cleaned up her mouth and took care of a bunch of problems. Since then, my dh has been very good about brushing her teeth on a regular basis. My dog is so sweet...she sits so nice when my dh is brushing her teeth. I complain about the millions of dollars we seem to spend on her, but man, when I see her being so good, my heart melts. ( I need the love smilie from 2 peas here, lol!) Is she the Beagle in your avatar?
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katybee
Drama Llama
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Jun 25, 2014 23:25:39 GMT
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Post by katybee on Jul 29, 2014 20:17:02 GMT
It's definitely an expense and something you have to consider if you can work it into your budget. But there's nothing sadder than seeing an otherwise healthy dog go downhill because of dental issues.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jul 29, 2014 20:19:31 GMT
We don't. All of our dogs are large breeds so their teeth cleaning would be super expensive. At the pup's new vet just an office visit is $110.00 (nothing is too good for dh's baby). Dd does brush their teeth and they have a daily chew though.
Our vet did tell us to not let the pup chew on tennis balls though. The rough material will wear down her teeth if she does it for years. So we are switching all her balls to unfuzzed rubber balls.
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Post by originalvanillabean on Jul 29, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
We don't and we love love love our dogs. I think we should, but at $125/pop I thought it was a lot. I guess, comparatively, it's a bargain. The lady who does it comes to daycare every quarter so it isn't any inconvenience at all.
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Post by Bitchy Rich on Jul 29, 2014 20:24:42 GMT
What dental chews would everyone recommend? I have only heard negative things about Greenies, so I know we wouldn't get those.
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
Still peaing from Podunk!
Posts: 4,546
Location: North Dakota
Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Jul 29, 2014 20:25:05 GMT
I brushed Stella's teeth religiously every morning for the first 5 years. Sadly I've gotten out of the habit. The vet checks her teeth yearly at her annual checkup and he's never mentioned having them cleaned. I really need to get back in the habit of brushing them. She sits so patiently when I do them.
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brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
Jun 26, 2014 16:09:34 GMT
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Post by brandy327 on Jul 29, 2014 20:35:36 GMT
Thanks for the input ladies! My pup is a good boy and sits really well so I may try brushing. He does love chews so I think I'll get some and try to give them to him on a regular basis and see if that helps. If they don't start looking better, I'll get them cleaned and then be super vigilant with cleaning (as long as he lets me). And because you girls rock...here's a pic of my baby. <3
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Post by krc11 on Jul 29, 2014 20:37:01 GMT
No.
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Post by shevy on Jul 29, 2014 20:38:08 GMT
We use a water additive to help with plaque or a foaming gel daily. We also let him chew on smoked bones and occassionally a dental chew. The thing that helped was the foaming gel. We starting using that every day for a month and brushing with a toothbrush to get the plaque under control.
(FYI: my dog is my baby though and I fully expect that in later years we will be paying for teeth cleaning.)
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brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
Jun 26, 2014 16:09:34 GMT
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Post by brandy327 on Jul 29, 2014 20:40:03 GMT
shevy - the foaming gel...how does that work?
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linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Jul 29, 2014 20:40:19 GMT
We have had Tucker's done twice to the tune of $ 900+ each time. He is not a chewer, and doesn't like rawhide or those greenies things, so even with brushing it got to the point of necessity each time. Now that he is almost 8 we will not have it done again, because we don't want him under anesthesia. We bought him some huge, crunchy kibble like stuff with some plaque fighting enzyme that he gets as a treat every day. Those he LOVES! What's the name of the kibble with enzyme?
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linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Jul 29, 2014 20:41:56 GMT
shevy - the foaming gel...how does that work? Yes, this. Can you give product names, I'm finding this very informative! Thanks peas!
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Post by shevy on Jul 29, 2014 20:44:45 GMT
shevy - the foaming gel...how does that work? Foaming Teeth CLeanerThey have it in foam you squirt in or a gell or a water additive. It's enzematic and as the saliva mixes with it, it foams and eats away at the plaque. And as a bonus, my dog smells really good afterwards. lol
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brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
Jun 26, 2014 16:09:34 GMT
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Post by brandy327 on Jul 29, 2014 20:51:17 GMT
Oh thanks! I've added it to my cart!!
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Post by blueeyedpups on Jul 29, 2014 20:57:53 GMT
We used to brush their teeth daily, now only occasionally. But we use Proden PlaqueOff. It is this stuff that you sprinkle on their food. Our pups are 13 years now and always get glowing reports on the state of their teeth from the vet.
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Post by peasapie on Jul 29, 2014 21:03:57 GMT
I just did it last year for my then 7-year-old malt-zhu because he had bad breath that didn't go away when I brushed his teeth. (Which admittedly I wasn't doing regularly.)
They administered a sedative and then cleaned his teeth and had to remove three of them. I think I may ask them to do that deep cleaning every year or two and I've been trying to do a better job of brushing his teeth. And yes, it did cost around $500.
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Post by peasapie on Jul 29, 2014 21:05:24 GMT
Thanks for the input ladies! My pup is a good boy and sits really well so I may try brushing. He does love chews so I think I'll get some and try to give them to him on a regular basis and see if that helps. If they don't start looking better, I'll get them cleaned and then be super vigilant with cleaning (as long as he lets me). And because you girls rock...here's a pic of my baby. <3 What lovely TEETH you have, my dear!
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Post by Lexica on Jul 29, 2014 21:25:49 GMT
Mine hasn't had them done at the vet yet. That happens this summer. He's two, and I should have had it done last year, but couldn't afford it. I did start brushing his teeth daily since I knew I wasn't going to be having them professionally done. The vet recommended one of those finger brushes, but my dog's mouth is small and I couldn't really do it properly. I bought a couple of kinds of brushes at PetSmart and they were okay,, but not amazing. Then I decided one day to just try my electric toothbrush on him. I got out an old brush and backup handle. He loved it! He jumps up on my leg when I'm cleaning my teeth because he's anxious to have his done now. I just have to be super vigilant when I'm picking up the electric brush to do mine since they are in the same drawer. I also bought some dental chews at Costco and he does eat those. I try to get his teeth done daily. I miss once in a while, but because he hears me brushing mine, he typically jumps up on my leg to be picked up and placed on the counter top to get his brushed. I also have a couple of those antlers around and he chews on those things often. They are pretty hard and dense, so I assume they help with keeping his teeth clean. The major bonus for me is he never has bad breath. My sister's dog (same type, just older and about half my dog's size) has horrible horrible breath. Sis had never brushed her dog's teeth and my mom commented on the difference between the breath of the two. My sister confessed she's never done it and that she's so rushed on work mornings that she's lucky she gets her own brushed. I got my dog's stuff out and her dog was so sweet and allowed me to brush hers without any problem. I told my sister she's go no excuse for not following through. I gave her the paste that I bought at my vet's office and told her to make an appointment to get them cleaned. She is really not good with maintenance things, on herself or her dog. I am interested in that foaming stuff too. I figure I need to do all I can on my own for his teeth since I know I won't be having them done at the vet's office more than once a year. Thanks for linking it!
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Post by picotjo on Jul 29, 2014 21:31:32 GMT
I usually do get their teeth cleaned. I do it in February when it is canine dental health month or some such thing and the prices are cheaper. I do one dog one year and the other the next.
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,580
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Jul 29, 2014 21:31:54 GMT
Then I decided one day to just try my electric toothbrush on him. I got out an old brush and backup handle. He loved it! He jumps up on my leg when I'm cleaning my teeth because he's anxious to have his done now. That is pretty darned amazing!
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Post by anniefb on Jul 29, 2014 21:45:36 GMT
Then I decided one day to just try my electric toothbrush on him. I got out an old brush and backup handle. He loved it! He jumps up on my leg when I'm cleaning my teeth because he's anxious to have his done now. That is pretty darned amazing! That ^. I didn't get my dog's teeth done. They seemed to be fine with chews etc. But this is what Cesar Milan says.
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Dani-Mani
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,709
Jun 28, 2014 17:36:35 GMT
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Post by Dani-Mani on Jul 29, 2014 22:40:35 GMT
This is how we learned our Libby had tongue cancer. Obviously I'm in the absolutely yes category.
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linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Jul 29, 2014 22:45:26 GMT
shevy - the foaming gel...how does that work? Foaming Teeth CLeanerThey have it in foam you squirt in or a gell or a water additive. It's enzematic and as the saliva mixes with it, it foams and eats away at the plaque. And as a bonus, my dog smells really good afterwards. lol When I went to Amazon to buy some foam, I saw same company had a product you just add to their drinking water! It had good reviews and how easy, so I bought some of that too!
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Post by Lexica on Jul 29, 2014 23:06:47 GMT
I usually do get their teeth cleaned. I do it in February when it is canine dental health month or some such thing and the prices are cheaper. I do one dog one year and the other the next. I'll have to watch for that at my vet's office. I vaguely recall them sending out some advertising on dental month, but I didn't see that the price was reduced. That would have gotten me in there. And good idea doing them each every other year. I only have one dog, and I may do every other year too. Along with daily brushing. I did talk to one of their dental technicians once and she said the price varies on how clean the teeth are and how easy going the dog is. If they can do it without sedating them, that's cheaper, of course. I also either heard or read that we should focus on the outside of the teeth, and not worry about brushing the inside by their tongue. Anyone else hear that?
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