Greyounds And Gums/teeth

[Guest victoria628]

The vet that we take Mollie too told us that she should get some dental work done now as preventive measures. I think she said she should have her gums scaled back (I might have gotten that wrong - this was information from my mom) It costs $500, but she said that greyhounds tend to have bad teeth and so starting now would be a good idea (she is 8 1/2)

 

She also said that greyhounds can be bad with anesthesia.

 

Does anyone have any working knowledge of this and opinions on whether or not it is a good idea to pursue? TIA!

[ahicks51]

Could it have been a "de-scaling"? That would mean that there is a large accumulation of tartar and other deposits on the teeth, probably most of it around the molars, although other teeth will be affected.

 

There are options, depending upon the severity of the condition. If there is already severe impact and extractions are required, it would be best to go with what the vet has to say. If the gums are still good and there's no signs of decay, infection, etc., then it is still desirable to go with the cleaning- but it is possible to reverse much of the build-up with dietary changes and regular brushing.

 

Raw food (bones and meat diet) can make a remarkable impact on oral health in greyhounds. A turkey neck now and again will help; switching over to an entirely raw diet is more labor-intensive, and may cost more in the short run (but certainly save by cutting down on the frequency with which dental debridement must be performed). The raw diet does entail some amount of studying in order to do it correctly.

 

Brushing is much easier, and can save big bucks in the long run. A good enzymatic paste like Petrodent along with a small, soft-bristled human tooth brush (rather than the model that comes with the paste, better suited to cleaning your BBQ grill), can make short work of buildup. Brush daily (or more often) until improvement is noted; then back off to a "maintenance" frequency (daily, every 2-3 days, weekly, etc.).

 

Another option is the dental vaccine (Porphyromonas Denticanis-Gulae-Salivosa Bacterin by Pfizer). Many dogs have had nasty reactions to this vaccine! However, when it works, it can really make a difference. Its use at this time is discouraged by many vets due to the bad reactions; hopefully Pfizer will tweak it such that an improved vaccine can be developed.

 

Edited to add: If your vet says some greyhounds respond poorly to anaesthesia, you might inquire as to how much experience they have with anaesthesia of sighthounds. Although true as little as 5-10 years ago, the barbituates used for induction that were so rough on dogs- much moreso on greys- have generally been phased out. Newer protocols involving propofol and isoflurane are well-tolerated by most greys, as well as other dogs. Very few vets still use the older drugs. See also:

 

http://www.greyhoundadoptiontx.org/needs/saanesthesia.shtml

Edited July 6, 2007 by ahicks51

[Greytlady94]

Did you just adopt her? If so check with the adoption group to see if they have had a dental done on her since a lot of groups do that as part of the pre-adoption vet work.

 

Greyhounds can have not so great mouths, however not all of them have bad teeth.

 

I would make sure this particular vet has other greyhound patients as there are some differences in how greyhounds are handled with anesthesia, the vet needs to not be using older anesthesias. There are also differences in the "normals" in greyhound blood work versus dog blood work.

 

A few of informative greyhound web pages...

 

http://www.animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com/library.htm

 

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/2098.htm

 

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/444/Demy..._Anesthesia.pdf

 

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/2376.htm

 

http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/advice/dental.html

Edited July 6, 2007 by Greytlady94

[Guest GreytfullDad]

I agree with most of what ahicks51 says above. If the vet is suggesting a dental scaling it is probably time and I would seriously consider it. I would however seek a second opinion, especially at the price quoted, as that seems a rather exorbitant cost to me.

 

The turkey neck/ raw diet idea is great and our dogs have been on raw for over a year with fantastic results, but do your homework.

 

As for anesthesia, it can be tricky with a grey and I would ask my vet what experience he has with this breed, and anesthesia. Also another good reason for a second opinion.

 

JMHO

[Guest canagreyts]

We have had our boy Nebraska for almost 5 years. Yesterday he had his third dental with full anaesthetic. They thought he would get away with only a dental. I always give my vet (pre-op) permission to pull anything that looks like trouble (except his tongue ). When we picked him up at 4:30 he was lighter by 7 teeth with brings his score to 29 removed and (I believe) 15 still in there.

 

Nebby's teeth are miserable even with brushing and eventually cause him to stop eating (at his usual wolfish rate). He doesn't miss the teeth that are gone and can even eat treats (once his mouth has healed again).

 

He is 8 years old and his (wonderful) vet said this was the best he ever did under anaesthetic (heart rate and blood pressure excellent).

 

Our only problem with our vet clinic is that everybody WANTS TO KEEP HIM!!! I told my husband one day we'll go to pick him up and someone will have absconded with him !!

 

Our vet had no experience with greys when we started going to her, but she has a very open mind, appreciates all grey related info we give her and has treated both Maggie and Nebraska as though they were her own.

 

Good luck.

[MarcR]

One big tip off is their breath. If its really bad, that's a sure sign that a dental is in order.

 

How bad greyhound teeth are does seem to vary from hound to hound. All three of my girls are 8. Honey and Nadia have generally needed a cleaning about once a year. Poor Kara is a hound of a different stripe. She was a bounce and in bad need of dental work when I first fostered her. Poor kid lost 29 teeth in one shot.

 

Greyhounds do have special anesthesia requirements (due in part I believe because of their very low body fat). I'm not sure how much specific experience my vet has with greys (at least before she started dealing with me ), but she is aware of the special protocols needed for greyhounds.