Guest krisandzoo Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Both of my greys are new to my home (Bentley's been here 8 weeks and Bravo 3 weeks) and came with their dental work done. I know they are prone to bad teeth so I'd love to know what the greyhound pros recommend. Right now I give them a crunchy omega fatty acid treat that is designed to remove tarter and help the coat after breakfast. They get a few baby carrots after dinner. I brush their teeth a couple of times a week. I used to add a breath freshner/plaque reducer to my other dogs' water bowls. It did seem to help. Does anyone use this? I've since switched to the Big Dog drinkwell fountain so I know when I am gone there is plenty of fresh, filtered water (5 dogs DO drink a lot). Does anyone know if the water additive would still work through the filter? I'm trying to get in a groove with their oral health so I'd love to know what works for everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BootsyCollins Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 My grey has major hillbilly teeth. Had to have 4 pulled right when we got him. We brush his teeth several times a week, at least every other day. And by "we," I mean my husband. Quote Christie and Bootsy (Turt McGurt and Gil too) Loving and missing Argos & Likky, forever and ever. ~Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to. ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tydyelady Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Opie doesnt like the water additive - wont drink when I put it in the water. I give him the dental chews, he likes those, but only once in a while (he's finicky about treats). I give him a piece of turkey neck, or chicken leg or drummetss, whatever is on sale that week, which does help a lot. I know I have to be better about teeth brushing. Quote Mom to Toley (Astascocita Toley) DOB 1/12/09, and Bridge Angel Opie (Wine Sips Away) 3/14/03-12/29/12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HeatherDemps Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Both my dogs aren't very good about letting me brush their teeth. My grey will eat the toothpaste as soon as the brush is put in his mouth and my italian greyhound will just attack the toothbrush like it's trying to kill him. For my grey, he has had dentals every 2 years which from what I am told, is not bad for a grey. I also give the dogs bully sticks and rawhide as treats, but my grey has kind of lost interest in these so I'm not sure what I'll do now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerlinsMum Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Not sure what works best - I certainly haven't found it yet... Merlin has disgusting breath. He had a dental just over a year ago, before we adopted him. I'm probably going to make an appointment for another one in a couple of weeks' time. The vet told me she's going show me how to scrape his teeth. Not looking forward to the bill for the dental which is going to be over $300. Ugh. I buy some of those dental chews sometimes, but I don't know. Both DH and I have been really lazy and bad about brushing his teeth, and we hardly brushed more than once a week. This week we've forced ourselves to work on preventive dental care, and we're now brushing every day. Hopefully I'll get into the habit of it eventually and won't have to remind myself to do it all the time. Quote Kerry with Lupin in beautiful coastal Maine. Missing Pippin, my best friend and sweet little heart-healer 2013-2023 Also missing the best wizard in the world, Merlin, and my sweet 80lb limpet, Sagan, every single day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sassy Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I know many people who RAVE about two products: Wysong Denta Treat http://www.wysong.net/Merchant2/merchant.m...Product_Count=1 PetzLife Products http://www.petzlife.com/index.html (There are several testimonials by greyhound owners) I use a paste of 50% baking soda and 50% hydrogen peroxide that I swap on their teeth a few times per week. It can also be wiped or sprayed on. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down very quickly and baking soda may as well; so, only mix a small amount, use it, then throw it away. Hydrogen peroxide cleans and bleachs, while the baking soda neutralizes the plaque. Between the fizzing of the hydreogen peroxide and the baking soda taste, they will make faces. Have fun afterwards to make the experience a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 We feed raw. This prevents buildup in the first place. Secondly, an enzymatic toothpaste such as Petrodex can make a big difference. When you buy it, throw away the brush it comes with or use it to clean your BBQ grill or whatever: it's too stiff, and too big. Buy a child's size toothbrush, as soft as they come. Use that to clean the teeth; fit it sideways (bristles pointing down) to get it in the cheek, then rotate to get the bristles against the teeth to get the molars. We combine a regular nail-trim and brushing as part of a general maintenance thing. Afterwards, there's a treat. Our fosters get the same treatment; we've been lucky not to ever have had any "screamers" that minded their feet being manipulated. It's part of being alpha: the pack will submit to grooming at any time, for any duration, to one who is alpha. Minerva is so good about it that just bringing out the nail clippers puts her in a sphinx position, ready for grooming! For a dog that otherwise won't lay down on command, that's pretty good. Tooth brushing used to be weekly; we've gotten lax. If the teeth were bad, we'd just bump that up to biweekly, or Monday-Wednesday-Friday, or (if really bad) every day. Note that really bad breath may not be a function of calculus or other readily reparable oral hygiene issues so much as infections (oral and nasal). Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RocketDog Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 We feed raw, and offer bully sticks as chews... I swear, the dogs have whiter teeth than I do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackandBrindle Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 We feed raw, and offer bully sticks as chews... I swear, the dogs have whiter teeth than I do! Same here! We just (as in two nights ago) started using (ack! Forgot the name, but it's in food and dietary) and we'll see how that works for the canines. Sadie has some tartar/irritation and enamal loss on her canines. Other than that though, their teeth are white white white! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SusanP Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Best thing is daily or near-daily brushing and vet cleanings every couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ola Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 We also feed raw, actually we started especially for the dental benefits. It was only a few months after we adopted our grey, and although he had a dental just before we adopted him his teeth were starting to look bad already. And the breath - yuck! I also wasn't looking forward to annual dental cleanings at $200-300 each. The raw diet cleans both their teeth beautifully except for the canines (which don't really get used with raw). There's many folks here who feed commercial foods and give RMB (raw meaty bones) a few times a week for the tooth cleaning benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytelectric Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I just started using the Wysong product and haven't tried the Petradex product but both are prohibitively expensive. My greys don't tolerate brushing very well, but I am thinking that a finger brush might work better than a toothbrush. I'll see what results I get from Wysong and then make my decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krisandzoo Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 My pooches were started on the fingerbrush and now let me use a doggie brush. They all do well with it thankfully. It was some work on my part with a couple of them to get to brush their teeth but they know afterwards there are yummy treats and lovins. Thanks for the details on HOW to brush. I wasn't sure if there was a way that was better than others. My newest guy has great teeth (he better since he just had a dental!) but his gums were looking a litttle irritated last night. Does anyone use a rinse for their mouth? Do the bullysticks stain dogs beds or furniture? I'm always hearing how much the dogs love them so maybe I will try those instead of rawhides. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlackandBrindle Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 The bully sticks have never stained anything here, but I don't let them on the furniture with them. They get them about twice a week to curb Sadie's chewing habit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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