Dentals

[Guest Carrie]

Seeing as I don't have a grey yet, I'm curious about a few things!

 

I see dentals mentioned here a lot. Do greys tend to have a lot of problems with their teeth? It's not something I'm very familiar with—on my terriers I've never had the need for a professional dental cleaning, since I show them I always brushed their teeth every week and scaled them before each show. It was very good at preventing any bad breath or yucky looking teeth and we've never had an abscess or infection. Is there something about greyhounds' teeth that make this not as effective?

 

And out of curiosity, how much does the average dental cost? I know these things can vary greatly from vet to vet, state to state, but I'm just curious about how much it averages out to.

[Guest Ola]

This really varies by dog - some have nice teeth and others get yucky despite brushing, etc. Generally brushing weekly isn't enough, I've heard the suggestion of every other day so that plaque doesn't have time to solidify on teeth.

 

We feed a raw diet which has really helped clean up their teeth (except the canines unfortunately) to the point where we've been able to avoid a dental. Folks who feed kibble have had great success with giving an RMB like a turkey neck or the like a few times per week.

[Guest LokisMom]

Greys tend to have bad teeth. Not all will, but generally, yeah, they're bad.

 

Have you read Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies yet? I believe it is mentioned in both that and the Branigan book.

 

We have just started feeding raw/RMB twice a week to see if we can cut back on dentals.

 

We brush Loki's teeth daily and give dental chews. He still needed a dental within a year of getting him. (Although his was due to gingivitis/bleeding gums, not really bad teeth, however, once the vet got in there, he ended up needing 2 teeth pulled.)

 

I don't know the validity of this but I believe I read their bad teeth have something to do with the diet at the track? I'm not familiar with this much so I don't even know what they eat at the track but I think it was in one of the above books. (Maybe it was raw meat mixed with rice or something?) Also, I am not sure how up to date the book I read was on the subject so things could have changed since the book was written.

[Guest lotsagreys4me]

I beleive it to also be what they feed at the track. Nothing hard to knock the tartar off, just wet food. Some of the dogs that come from the track have a terrible build up of stuff and gum disease. I must say that I am not all that good at brushing daily. I have a grey that needs a dental each year and two others that have never needed one after their initial cleaning from the adoption group. I know it can be pricey. My vet charges 85.00 plus the bloodwork is another 80.00. I beleive he is on the bottom of the spectrum in regards to price.

[Guest HeatherDemps]

I don't think greys are known for having *good* teeth. I know some with greys who need dentals every year, and some every 6 months. I've been fortunate in that it's every other year. My grey is 12 now, so we do the bloodwork for a senior dog, which tends to be more expensive. I can't remember the exact costs, but I think with the blood tests, it has usually been somewhere around $300. He's not ever needed any extractions though.

[Guest Kitty_cat]

I called many places just last week for dental prices. It seems here in Montreal that it's around $185-$375. The more expensive places often included bloodwork and fluids, but not necessarily. Some places included antibiotics.

This is for a cleaning under general anesthetic, no extractions.

I think many breeds of dogs require regular dentals. Also vets/techs and pet owners are becoming a lot more aware of the importance of dental health in our pets.

Good luck getting your first greyhound!

 

[Guest paulamariez]

I've had a total of five greyhounds through the years and only two of them have had bad teeth. The other three had/have down right pretty choppers! We've had a lot of luck with the Wysong DentaTreat Cheese Enzymes for Bueller's yucky teeth. Our dentals in Wisconsin just north of Milwaukee are in the $350 to 400 range. Down in southeastern Wisconsin where we used to live, it was more like $ 250-300, so it really varies in different areas and different vets. Good luck getting your new grey!

[Guest sheila]

retired greys are athletes and raised to make money. The food they are fed is often wet and they don't get much in the way of dental care because they are not pampered pets at the track.

 

[Sighthounds4me]

If you brush daily, and the dog will let you scale, you should be able to avoid many problems. But some Greys have bad teeth, no matter what you do.

 

My Naples is notorious. I admit that I am not as vigilant with her as I should be, but I do brush a few times a week. Still, she needs yearly dentals, and always loses teeth. That's the way things go sometimes...

 

As for reasons, I'm sure much is genetic, but much also has to do with the high protien, soft diet they are fed at the track. I do know that my old guy, Gunnar, had horrible teeth when he came to us (we adopted him at 9), but I had been in contact with the adopter of one of his litter-brothers. She is a vet tech, and told me her boy never needed a dental after the first one upon retirement. So obviously, Gunnar's teeth had been neglected. I do believe that he'd have had good teeth if he'd have been kept up.

[Guest IrskasMom]

 

 

My Morty does not chew any Bones or hard Treats ..... he just doesn't . His Teeth are great right now , because he had

a Dental. The Dental was $ 239 . The Bloodwork pryor to the Dental was $ 108 and the Postcheck on the Dental was

$ 27 . Plus Lyme-Shot and Heartworm -Test . Bustershot to the Lyme-Shot $ 39. By all means ...... I cant afford another

Dog.

[fourofem]

Two of my four have really nice teeth...easy to keep clean with brushing and Wysong (I don't brush their teeth as often as I should). Poor Lizzie...no matter what I do, her teeth are just a mess. My vet seems to think it's from antibiotics she was given early on. She's had two dentals in the five years I've had her at about $150 each (my vet is SO reasonable!). Lewis hasn't had one yet but I'm sure the vet is going to recommend it on his next checkup.

[Guest Carrie]

Thanks for the info everyone! Everyone is so friendly here....

 

Anyways this clears up a lot of questions. I've read a little about the food at tracks but I didn't know a whole lot. (and nope, don't have the dummies book yet. it'll probably be at least a couple years before I get a grey, once I finish college/settle into a job.)

[Guest LokisMom]

Thanks for the info everyone! Everyone is so friendly here....

 

Anyways this clears up a lot of questions. I've read a little about the food at tracks but I didn't know a whole lot. (and nope, don't have the dummies book yet. it'll probably be at least a couple years before I get a grey, once I finish college/settle into a job.)

 

 

Even if it will be a couple of years, I would suggest reading it before you get too attached to the idea of getting a grey to make sure they are, in fact, a good fit, then re-reading it when it is closer to adoption time. That is what we did. I read the dummies book 2 years before we even applied for our first, then read it again right before putting in the application. (Of course I am insane and had a drawer full of "I love my greyhound" stuff and greyhound paraphernalia I had collected prior to adopting but did not put out until Loki came home. It was like his trousseau)

 

I wanted to be sure nothing had changed in my mind that might suddenly make them not as good a fit as I thought. Plus the book is a wonderful source of information.

[Guest Carrie]

Thank you, I just bought the Dummies book last night and I'm about a quarter through already. Picked up Branigan's book too while I was at the bookstore.

 

I've wanted a Greyhound for a long long time...ever since my sophomore year in high school, but my parents didn't want a big dog in the house...hehe. Every time I visit the adoption booths at dog shows I melt...and slip them a $10 bill.

[rascalsmom]

My vet told me that, in order for brushing to be of help, you really, really need to do it EVERY DAY.

 

And yes, like others have said, sometimes even with daily brushing their teeth are just BAD. I've got one with gingivitis, so I have to be very vigilant with brushing....and she still gets a dental every year.

 

But even with three dogs, brushing their teeth daily only takes a FEW MINUTES. It's such a little thing, and if it helps....

[BootsyCollins]

We brush every day and Argos still sports hillbilly teeth. They're not as bad as they were before we started brushing, but he still gets a dental every year. Getting one on Wednesday, as a matter of fact. We usually pay in the neighborhood of $200 for the predental exam, the antibiotics, and the dental procedure.

[KingsMom]

I'm not sure how factual this is but our vet told us that greyhound saliva is so thick that it can sit on their teeth and wear on them, which can cause teeth problems. I do tend to believe our vet though, because he has greys of his own. Also, our adoption group recommends Pet Z Life Oral Care Gel. Link They say it can actually remove tartar. For a hound that has bad teeth and doesn't like to have his teeth brushed we're hoping it will really help! We just bought some so I guess we're waiting to see. Good luck to you!

[PatricksMom]

Patrick seems to need a cleaning yearly, no matter what I do, but fortunately no extractions and he's nine.

 

I pay for a year's worth of routine vet care and meds all at once (saves 10%) and it's $1000, I'm can't remember how much of that is for the dental--maybe half if you include the blood-work ahead of time?

[rascalsmom]

I'm not sure how factual this is but our vet told us that greyhound saliva is so thick that it can sit on their teeth and wear on them, which can cause teeth problems. I do tend to believe our vet though, because he has greys of his own. Also, our adoption group recommends Pet Z Life Oral Care Gel. Link They say it can actually remove tartar. For a hound that has bad teeth and doesn't like to have his teeth brushed we're hoping it will really help! We just bought some so I guess we're waiting to see. Good luck to you!

I was buying dog food the other day, and also bought a tube of toothpaste. The girl at the checkout told me that the PetZLife stuff was really good (not what I bought)...that she has a couple of customers who really swear by the stuff. I didn't see it until I was already checked out, but may look into it....