Dog teeth help

FurBabyMomma

I'm at my wit's end with one of my dog's teeth. She's nearly 9 years old and her breath stinks, her gums are inflamed and there is build-up on her teeth despite my efforts to keep them clean.

I have 2 other dogs whose teeth are fine. They are on a high quality dry food (I am a pregnant vegetarian who attempted raw but it made me sick so not going there again right now) and they also get Canident in their food and bones to chew on, which seems to do the trick.

My other dog will not chew bones. She won't let me near her with a toothbrush and I'm afraid of hurting her too. She has a form of lupus that effects her coat and has caused all her claws to be either warped or fall off, so I assume this has affected her teeth too. I don't want to keep having to get her knocked out to clean her teeth as she's getting older.

Any advice on what I can do? Persist with the softly softly approach with the toothbrush? I'm almost out of Canident, so maybe I should change that? You can smell her breath a mile off and I'm concerned for her health.

FurBabyMomma

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

I'm at my wit's end with one of my dog's teeth. She's nearly 9 years old and her breath stinks, her gums are inflamed and there is build-up on her teeth despite my efforts to keep them clean.

I have 2 other dogs whose teeth are fine. They are on a high quality dry food (I am a pregnant vegetarian who attempted raw but it made me sick so not going there again right now) and they also get Canident in their food and bones to chew on, which seems to do the trick.

My other dog will not chew bones. She won't let me near her with a toothbrush and I'm afraid of hurting her too. She has a form of lupus that effects her coat and has caused all her claws to be either warped or fall off, so I assume this has affected her teeth too. I don't want to keep having to get her knocked out to clean her teeth as she's getting older.

Any advice on what I can do? Persist with the softly softly approach with the toothbrush? I'm almost out of Canident, so maybe I should change that? You can smell her breath a mile off and I'm concerned for her health.

You could just get all her teeth removed. Had it done with an old greyhound. Fed her steeped nuts after that and she never looked back. I think that she was about 8 years old and lived another 4, which was old for a greyhound.

em_cat

Yes, defo look into having them removed. She’s probably in a lot of pain with the inflamed gums and possible exposed roots. I know a couple of people with Lupus & the horrific impact it has on them so can only imagine what kind of pain the poor dog is in.

We had to do same with our Havanese despite butchers bones, brushing and high quality food, cooked not raw. She was pretty old by that stage but in the end she survived another 4 years.

FurBabyMomma

Wow, I never would have thought of anything that drastic. But the funny thing is, I thought she'd need some teeth out when she was getting them cleaned, but turned out none of them needed removing. So tbh I'd be reluctant to have them all pulled. Something to bear in mind for the future though!

Edit: Thanks for the concern about the lupus em_cat. Luckily she seems fairly unconcerned by it. She was in an awful state when she was first diagnosed at around 1.5 and on steroids, but she's been grand ever since. You'd only notice the lack of nails and poor coat quality up close, as other than that she has aged very well and loves her walks, happily bounces out the door at every opportunity.

zoe 3619

Get the vet to have a look.
12 year old greyhound had 14 teeth removed a few months ago.her breath stank and she had trouble eating.been doing well since.

Bells21

I would definitely have a vet to check and see if there's anything that they could do. In a meantime a rope toy with something yummy on it/in it to encourage a good chew on it might help to dislodge some of the plaque?

tk123

Canident is extremely overpriced compared to plaque-off : 5-7 scoops of plaque off = 1 scoop of canident! And some people go even cheaper again with generic kelp. Will she let you rub at her teeth with a piece of gauze and clean them that way? Or let you put a drop of e.g. Tropiclean Gel (get the peanut butter one - my two don't like the mint one) I'd head to the vet first and get the inflammation under control first.

I actually relented and bought an extremely expensive toothbrush the other day because I can't get the bottom of Lucy's canines clean but it hasn't come yet - her lip lies so close against them and she's not mad about getting them brushed!

FurBabyMomma

I have used the gel to no effect but I never thought of using gel with a cloth or something to start off, that's a really good idea, thanks!

I do think I'll have to get her to the vet and then just build up to the toothbrush over time.

Btw, where is a good place to get plaque off?

tk123

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

I have used the gel to no effect but I never thought of using gel with a cloth or something to start off, that's a really good idea, thanks!

I do think I'll have to get her to the vet and then just build up to the toothbrush over time.

Btw, where is a good place to get plaque off?

I use 50:50 coconut oil and baking powder. They like the coconut oil so don't mind lol!

I use the get the plaque off on Amazon

aonb

I use PLAQUE OFF with great success - last time I brought my dog to the vet, she was so surprised at how great his teeth were (since last time) that she called in the nurse to see the improvement! I give a tiny scoop in his feed once/day. The cat also gets a scoop in hers - the vet was very concerned with her teeth/plaque/inflammation - to avoid traumatic visit to the vet for cleaning, we tried the plaque off in her food - shes SUPER fussy and zero interest in food, but the Plaque Off addition doesnt bother her. Have just started rescue #2 on Plaque Off now too.

OP worth trying some raw chickenwings - not too yukky to handle as a pregnant vegetarian?!? and because they're meaty-ish, she might try them??

Graces7

aonb wrote: »

I use PLAQUE OFF with great success - last time I brought my dog to the vet, she was so surprised at how great his teeth were (since last time) that she called in the nurse to see the improvement! I give a tiny scoop in his feed once/day. The cat also gets a scoop in hers - the vet was very concerned with her teeth/plaque/inflammation - to avoid traumatic visit to the vet for cleaning, we tried the plaque off in her food - shes SUPER fussy and zero interest in food, but the Plaque Off addition doesnt bother her. Have just started rescue #2 on Plaque Off now too.

OP worth trying some raw chickenwings - not too yukky to handle as a pregnant vegetarian?!? and because they're meaty-ish, she might try them??

Endorsing this.

My four furries, three cats and a dog, all in mid teens, have splendid teeth and get raw chicken including bones, every day

FurBabyMomma

I think I could probably manage the chicken wings as long as they don't smell too strongly! Thanks guys

Graces7

FurBabyMomma wrote: »

I think I could probably manage the chicken wings as long as they don't smell too strongly! Thanks guys

fragrance free lots of noise though!

They gnaw at the sides of their jaws which is what cleans the back teeth.

Dubl07

My 4-year old lost a tiny tooth yesterday from behind her upper canine. It was discoloured, but not smelly. The one on the other side in the same position is loose. She gets raw chicken wings and duck necks on a semi-regular basis. The canines have some build-up of plaque/tartar but the front and back teeth are clean. She won't take food with plaque-off powder and won't let me brush her teeth.

I'm wondering if she needs a deep-clean under anaesthesia. What are the options or suggestions?

em_cat

Dubl07 wrote: »

My 4-year old lost a tiny tooth yesterday from behind her upper canine. It was discoloured, but not smelly. The one on the other side in the same position is loose. She gets raw chicken wings and duck necks on a semi-regular basis. The canines have some build-up of plaque/tartar but the front and back teeth are clean. She won't take food with plaque-off powder and won't let me brush her teeth.

I'm wondering if she needs a deep-clean under anaesthesia. What are the options or suggestions?

Ask your vet. If she hasn’t had a proper teeth clean then it’s probably needed but your vet would need to see her first. Periodontal disease can lead to all manners of issues including cancer. Our lad gets his checked regularly and has a proper clean when needed.