Teeth Problems And Bad Breath

[Guest gritsnc]

Hello! This is my first post here. I'm excited to find such an active greyhound forum!

 

I'm hoping you all can give me a bit of advice on what you would do if you were in my situation.

 

Boris (seen in my signature) is our wonderful 12 year old grey. We got him when he was 3. He was fresh off the tracks in Florida and in terrible shape. He was full of scars, he's got a stub of a tail (we were told it got caught in the gates at the track), he was so muscular that we figured he had been put on steroids and his teeth were HORRIBLE.

 

We've had his teeth cleaned several times and it helps his bad breath for maybe a day or two. As he is getting older though, his breath is so bad that it stinks up the entire room he's in. It's terrible. I brush them, I feed him breath freshening biscuits, I've tried all the doggy breath drops, etc. NOTHING works. At his last vet visit, the veterinarian said that at his age, it can be dangerous to have them put under anesthesia to have their teeth cleaned. He's also started coughing a lot recently. Scans showed a few spots on his lungs, but we don't want to put him through a lot of testing because of his age. If the coughing gets worse, we'll take him back for more scans of his chest. We just had to put our 18 year old Eskimo Spitz/Cocker Spaniel Mix down due to cancer and congestive heart failure and I can't take another diagnosis of something bad right now.

 

I don't know how much more of his breath we can take though! The vet said it's not a good idea to have him put under anesthesia at his age, but at the same time, I'm really wanting to have some of his teeth removed because I know that they are in terrible shape and probably causing him pain (his gums are so swollen and red) . What would you do? Do you all agree with the vet that it's too risky? Or should we seek ot another veterinarian that WILL do it?

 

Edited to add a picture so you can see how bad his teeth are. The back are even worse and this is AFTER having them cleaned every other year:

 

Edited January 4, 2009 by gritsnc

[Guest longdogs]

Angel, nearly 11, is having her dental right now. She came to us several years ago as a senior with very poor teeth, bleeding gums and vile breath. I took her to our vet the second day we had her, when she was still a foster, because I was so concerned. She had already had a dental and some extractions when she entered the adoption program, quite a long time before we took her. The vet didn't think there was much to be done except do some more extractions when they were needed. Anyway, we worked on her with brushing and bones and and mimimum soft food, and her teeth and mouth health improved enormously. Her breath was never entirely sweet up close but was as good as most dogs. A few weeks ago her mouth suddenly took a turn for the worse and her general health, always good, took a definite downturn. My theory is that she was experiencing mouth pain and was no longer eating evenly or chewing her bones properly, hence her teeth were no longer getting cleaned naturally. She also has a low grade infection. We made the decision to go ahead with the anaesthetic and dental work because we know she is miserable as she is. She is otherwise in good health. If we get her sorted now she should be OK in the future. As she gets older the options decrease, so best to do it while everything else is in her favour. We trust our vet and our keeping our fingers crossed.

 

I thing you have a similar decision. How many of his current problems could be related to mouth pain and resulting infections? Remember a whole lot of problems, including heart disease, can be linked to mouth-related infections. How much is it degrading his quality of life? Heaven forbid, but I'd rather lose Angel in reasonable health and happy than see her miserable and uncomfortable for her remaining years.

[CaliforniaGreys]

My 12 yr old had his teeth cleaned because I knew his teeth were hurting him. He ended up losing 6 teeth. Because my vet is very Grey savy and knew my boy well, I knew he was in very good hands. Came through like a champ. Misty has bad gums and her breath was really bad. My vet has me wiping her teeth and gums with Biotene and it has made a huge difference, no more bad breath at all and it also helped the redness of her gums. And just an fyi, Biotene is VERY safe to use.

[RobinM]

Although, My Polli is 10 and not 12, she has had her share of anethesia. When I got her at 8.5 she had her spay and dental and she lost 17 teeth. She was able to stink up our 3200 square foot home and I am not kidding. I know exactly what you mean.

Since I have had her, she has had 3 dentals in 14 months. I brush her teeth EVERY SINGLE DAY. Even days she didn't eat due to chemo. (She is fighting osteo right now!)

 

I completely understand your concerns about general anethesia but that is the only way to get teeth cleaned. If her breath is as bad as you say, then something is going on and untreated could cause organ damage. It's not an easy decsion, but if you trust your vet and he/she is knowledgable about greyhounds, then together you will be able to make the right decsion. If he does not seem overly concerned and he is consevative by nature, I would do it.

 

 

[Guest SusanP]

How often do you brush? When you do it, are you getting both tooth and gum, brushing right at the gumline? I'd have them cleaned, have the vet check carefully for infection and do extractions if necessary, and then get on a schedule of daily brushing.

[Fudge]

In hind sight, when Hope was 12 and had a tooth the exact same looking as Boris'. I wish I would've had it taken care of from a grey savvy vet at 12.

 

I had her to several vets and none recommended doing a dental instead we put her on pulse antibiotics because what is worse is the bacteria from that tooth can enter their blood stream. The pulse antibiotics kept things at bay but I think, like I said in hind sight, she would've been more comfortable without that tooth.

 

I noticed a lot of older greys on this forum get dentals with no problem at that age. I really wish I would've had it done when Hope was 12 instead of knowing at 14 I should've had it done at 12. If that makes sense.

[Guest gritsnc]

Thank you everyone!

 

I'm going to take him and have them cleaned and also ask that all the bad teeth be removed. I'd rather him have NO teeth than to have rotting teeth that could cause him harm. I can always blend or moisten his food.

 

 

[Charlies_Dad]

Along with cleaning their teeth daily we also give a couple sprays of Oral Care Spray. It was recommended to us by the adoption group and we have found it helps a great deal. It's not cheap though!

[RobinM]

Thank you everyone!

 

I'm going to take him and have them cleaned and also ask that all the bad teeth be removed. I'd rather him have NO teeth than to have rotting teeth that could cause him harm. I can always blend or moisten his food.

 

Greyt! Let us know how he is doing. We are here to hold your hand during! We all know how nerve wracking it is!

 

 

[Fudge]

Yes! I'm sure he'll be fine. I'll be checking back for updates.

[Guest Raelen]

Please let us know how he is doing.

 

Raelen's first dental she almost died under the anesthesia. Sadly they didn't get all of the teeth they wanted to. So I ended up taking her to a dental specialist. He did a pain block in the nerves of her jaw and only put her under the lightest of anesthesia. She pulled through brilliantly. The down side is that it was much more expensive. She still has some issues with her remaining teeth (we have to brush everyday), but she is a much happier pup. The specialist asked us a month or two after her surgery if she felt better, and I laughed and said that she did a bit. He was disappointed and thought she would feel much better. I laughed and said that the day she realized she was home to stay she became a different dog. Even with 28 teeth gone she doesn't miss a meal or a treat... Please keep in mind that she had very bad CUPS when we got her. (Chronic ulcerative periodontal stomatitis) Basically incurable periodontal dsease that created ulcers on her lips and gums.

 

All in all if your vet is grey savvy then the dental is definately worth it. No more bad breath and no more infection pumping through his system. I just wanted to bring up the fact that there are other anesthesia options out there. Lots of good thoughts for you both!

[Guest TaraCoachCougar]

My 13 year old Coach had to go under when her lower gum was pulling away from her teeth. Due to the vast amounts of blood, bed and dog looked like something out of a horror movie the morning we hauled her into the vet. She lost 6 teeth including a lower canine (hard to remove according to vet and only done when they absolutely have to). I am hesitant to put them under, but with the right low dose stuff, mine have always done fine even as seniors.

 

Good luck!

 

Edited to add: If the NC in gritsnc means you are in North Carolina, I can recommend an excellent grey savvy vet in Concord.

Edited January 6, 2009 by TaraCoachCougar

[Guest sage7]

I also have a 15 year old german pointer called ellie. Ellie has had a couple of very bad cavities at the base of her canines which fill with muck and cause very bad ulcers on her cheek linings & gums. Like you, I was given antibiotics which cleared them only to return a month later. after the 3rd course of antibiotics I realised I had to find another way. I tried using logic dental paste which I found to be very good but as her gums are so tender and they bleed at the slightest touch, it's difficult to really get to grips with the problem. A dental is out of the question at her age.

There is a fantastic forum called sighthoundsonline forum to which i belong and a member on there suggested neem bark. I ordered a tub and decided to do a little trial. I placed a pinch of the powder on one canine only, right up near the gum where the cavity is. It stayed there perfectly well. After a week we checked and were astounded to find that the tooth that I had been applying the neem to was now a sort of milky beige at the base. When I compared it to the other canine on the other side that had not had the neem applied, it was the original dark black smelly state. We couldn't believe this had worked so well.

My routine now is to place the neem bark on her teeth near her gums last thing at night. At some point in the day when she's relaxed I can give a gentle brush with a baby toothbrush. Her ulcers have all but gone and her breath is a lot sweeter. To me, this is truly an amazing product. I even bought some neem toothpaste for myself and it really makes your mouth fresh. I'm sure you can get it in the states but this is the english website

http://www.neemgenie.co.uk/Merchant2/merch...Product_Count=3

really hopes this helps you. I also use it on my greyhound winnie

[tbhounds]

I would have the lungs/chest re-evaluated before I pursued the dental prophy.

[Guest longdogs]

Angel came back from her dental a renewed dog. She was dopey for day and on soft food, now she's back to her cheerful and chirpy self and is attacking her dinner with more relish than she's shown for a week. Having a sore mouth and aches and pains was dragging her general health down. I'm glad she's fixed and she didn't lose any more teeth.

[ivon]

My dogs both have a dental once a year, their breath is usually much better at least for a while after....Darla is 12 1/2 and last summer she had to have 7 teeth extracted, yes there is an increased risk with an older dog, but do you really want your dog around longer but in pain? If it was just the smell, oh well, I would let you suffer But if you suspect your dog is in pain, I would take the risk and have the dental done, I am quite convinced dogs would rather be dead then in horrible pain, I may be wrong, and I may get flamed for this, but I think having the dental and maybe a few extractions are in the pups best interest, if the worst happens, it was not in your best interest.

When it comes to health issues I try to go with the option that causes the dog the least amount of pain, and after having watched my older dog get through dentals with less drama then my younger dog, I no longer believe the "she is too old for this" myth.

[Guest chancemom]

I'm new here! I stopped by to check into dental cleaning thoughts and experiences for senior greys. My boy has not had his teeth cleaned by the vet in a year and a half. He, Chance, will be 12 in April. I've been debating about having him put under by the vet for cleaning, at Chance's age so, I wanted to find out from those that know....you! I'm grateful this forum is here! I now feel more comfortable about getting Chance in for another dental cleaning.

[PrairieProf]

I don't know anything about senior teeth, but welcome, Chancemom! Do post in the Introductions section and tell us about Chance so everybody will be able to say hii.

[stlgrey]

Ali is 9 and needs a dental each year. She lost 9 teeth last year but she has always had bad teeth. She goes in on Jan. 22 for this years dental. I trust my vet and their staff. They do blood and system work up prior to the dental along with a an ekg to make sure their is no issues before the procedure.

 

They monitor them throughout the procedure and also are antisthetic savvy. Her breath smells so much nicer when they have dental done.

[tbhounds]

Folks--think you are all forgetting that the OP mentioned that her dog is coughing and has spots in the lungs. I would be the first one to pursue the dental prophy--and yes, even on a 12 yrs old dog--but, a dog with some lung involvement really should re-evaluated before being anesthetized. Losing a dog on the table during an elected procedure would be horrible!

[Guest Beth]

Good advice, tbhounds!

 

I'm glad I took the time to read through this. Our male is 12 next month, and as he gets older, we're very careful in our decisions that involve anesthesia for him. It's good to know there are options for pain control during surgery. Our vet has never mentioned them, but then again, our pups have always pulled through just fine under general anesthesia. Thanks for the information, everybodies!