Guest sja5032 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I was at my parents house last night and noticed how terrible Big Ike's teeth are, I brushed them only to have blood come pouring out the second I touched his mouth with a toothbrush. He needs a dental, but he's 10 and I'm wondering if it is worth the risk? FYI my parents are clueless dog owners, the love him to death and spoil him but have no clue that's my job to check on everything, so its not really their fault for letting it get this bad. He will probably lose most if not all of his front teeth and I'm not sure about the molars (if that's what you call them). As far as health, he has SLO which will probably get set off by the stress, but besides that and some arthritis he is in pretty good health for a 10 year old. So my question is: do you think its worth the risk? I'm worried about the anesthesia although hes never had a problem before, and also the recoup from having basically no teeth because he is a picky eater. Any info or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks, Sarah & Big Ike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyhound1 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I had Brenda's done no problems. She is 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PhillyPups Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I had SugarBear's done at 14 no problem related to the dental. I give turkey necks now and it keeps the teeth in good shape. Make sure the vet does a senior panel prior to surgery. Good luck - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Have you ever had a bad toothache? Know how much that hurts? Plus, with all that bacteria and gunk in the mouth getting swallowed, it can be bad for their general health (kidneys). So, bottom line, is if he's otherwise healthy, he should be able to handle a dental fine. Yes, anesthesia is a risk...but it's a risk for any dog of any age. We've had dentals on seniors 12-13 before and they did fine. Quilty just had a large mammary tumor removed at the age of 14. Took her a couple extra days to recover, but the vet said she handled the anesthesia better than a couple of 2-3 year old dogs she did surgeries on that day. Picky eating can also stem from bad teeth, so this may help with that area as well. I'm not familiar enough with SLO to know how it would affect surgery, but if his teeth are bad enough to bleed like that when you brush, I would imagine they aree pretty painful or getting that way. Besides, 10 is young! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytbookert Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 My opinion is that 10 is not too old for a dental. I've had hounds at 13 and 14 have dentals without issue. Be sure that the full blood panel is done prior to the dental and that the vet is knowledgable about greyhounds and anesthesia and everything should be fine. The way I see it, 10 is still pretty young and if the teeth are as bad as you say, then it is better to get the problem taken care of now. Clean teeth and gums will help prevent other issues as he continues to age. Our Mama had a major dental at 12, lost all of her teeth, except for her canines and she was fine. Soft, mushy food was fine by her, as long as she got food, she was happy. After the dental, her overall health improved as well. Good luck with Big Ike! I love that name! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Age is not a disease--you have to judge each dog as an individual not by his or her age. I have seen some pretty unhealthy youngsters and some pretty hardy oldsters. You aren't doing your dog justice by ignoring his teeth. If he has a had an unremarkable exam and his blood work looks ok then I wouldn't hesitate to go forward with the prophy. Remember he is still going to age and those teeth will continue to deteriorate so it's better to have the cleaning now rather than prolong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 (edited) My then 11 yo guy with Chronic Lymphytic Leukemia had a dental last year. Had known his mouth was in desperate need. (Turns out he has stomatitis.) Had waited until we finished diagnostics & got the CLL diagnosis before getting the dental. Was worried he would lose a lot of teeth. Nope, just one. His dental went very well. He walked out of the vet at the end of the day & jumped into the car acting like nothing had happened. His behavior over the next few days proved that he felt better than ever. If your guy's mouth is a mess he needs a dental. I understand your concerns. You, of course, have to make the decision you think is right for Ike. Only you can decide that. After seeing how much better my guy felt last year, I would say you probably need to accept those risks. Get it done. My guy is 12 now & will be getting another dental done in November. Also, definitely get senior blood work done first so you are going into it with your eyes open. Edited October 16, 2009 by kudzu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferS Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Both my guys had dentals when they were 12 and did fine. It really depends on his health, bloodwork, etc. If his teeth are bad, it is probably better to do it sooner rather than later in case he develops problems down the road and can't have one. Quote Forever in my heart: my girl Raspberry & my boys Quiet Man, Murphy, Ducky, Wylie & Theo www.greyhoundadventures.org & www.greyhoundamberalert.org & www.duckypaws.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 blood come pouring out the second I touched his mouth with a toothbrush. If his gums are this bad, the bigger risk to his health is NOT getting a dental. Anaesthesia is always a risk, but bad teeth/gums can make a dog very ill. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Have you looked into an non-anesthesia dental? They don't pull teeth but do a thorough cleaning. Three of mine are getting that done tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Have you looked into an non-anesthesia dental? They don't pull teeth but do a thorough cleaning. Three of mine are getting that done tomorrow. I'm going to take a guess here and say they wouldn't do this dog's teeth. More than likely he will need a few xrays and an antibiotic. I had the non-anesthesia done between dentals before but my vet asked me not to do it again. He's not against it, he even has them come to his office once every few months but for my dogs he prefers I don't use their service Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatricksMom Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Patrick had his last dental done at ten--most likely he'll need one at a eleven. We ran all the pre-op bloodwork, which was fine, our vet used her well developed protocal for putting him under and getting him out, and everything went fine. My vet likes to say old age is not in and of itself a disease. Plus, from what you're describing it sounds like his teeth are presenting a real quality of life issue. Quote Beth, Petey (8 September 2018- ), and Faith (22 March 2019). Godspeed Patrick (28 April 1999 - 5 August 2012), Murphy (23 June 2004 - 27 July 2013), Leo (1 May 2009 - 27 January 2020), and Henry (10 August 2010 - 7 August 2020), you were loved more than you can know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcR Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 My 10 year old hounds had dentals this year with no problems. If his gums are as bad as you describe, it's worse for him not to have a dental. As others have mentioned, it's pretty painful. Advanced periodontal disease can also lead to heart damage. I suspect he'll need multiple extractions, so a non-anesthesia cleaning is probably not an option. Quote Marc and Myun plus Starbuck (the cat)Pinky my AWOL girl, wherever you are, I miss you.Angels Honey (6/30/99-11/3/11) Nadia (5/11/99-6/4/12) Kara (6/5/99-7/17/12) Cleo (4/13/2000-4/19/2014) Antnee (12/1/2002=2/20/17) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LHibner Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 IMO the benefit out ways the risk......bad teeth and gums can cause a whole host of problems. Liz H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Heehoo Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Pipi is 10 & she got one for her birthday. Banker is 12 & he got one for his birthday. Gabby is 12 & because she only has 4 1/2 teeth, Dr B gives her a good exam of the gums/throat. He's afraid if they try to clean the 4, they'll either come out or break. Jack is 9 & he will get one in November. So yes, dentals for a 10 yr old are worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyt2love Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Rex had one done when he was 10 and another at 11. He's coming up on 12, and he'll likely have another unless something should show up on the pre-screening . Given the heart issues that can occur from neglected teeth, and the pain that might be there with neglected teeth, I'd certainly do one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CDNgreys Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Gunner had a dental at 10 years old and came thru just fine. I could notice an improvement in his mood as well, the very next day. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lovemyhound Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I recently made the same decision for my Pomeranian. Unlike my grey, there is NO WAY on this earth she would ever let me clean her teeth - so I guess I just didn't. Her breath in the last few years has just been HORRIBLE!! She has a collapsing trachea so I always said I "just couldn't put her through that". Well, here we are now with her teeth practically falling out of her head, she became horribly infected. She got hold of a raw carrot (one that my grey left behind on the living room floor) and took it to her favorite spot under the dining room table. I saw her with it - took it away from her, and that was that! (or so I thought) Well of course these things always happen on the weekend, right? Next thing I knew her mouth was bleeding... small amount of blood turned into (by Sunday) constant drooling of thick nasty smelly bloody discharge. Great. Do you know how bad I felt?? Fast forward, so she went through a couple weeks of antibiotic to clear up the infection (the bleeding stopped immediately with the antibiotic), and my decision was made for me - we scheduled her in and had that long overdue dental done. Thank goodness. Yes, increased risk of airway problems with her collapsing trachea, but my vet was confident there would be no problems. The outcome? She did great! She had a few teeth pulled, the others cleaned etc, etc.. She was a little sleepy when I picked her up but by dinner time, she was ready to eat! Of course I gave her softened food for a few days but how I wish I had done it years ago! I will never make that mistake again with ANY breed of pup that I may own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Honeysmom Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 (edited) We are going to the Make Peace With Animals group and the Houndstooth is cleaning everyone without anesthesia. I'm really looking forward to this because Otis doesn't do well under anesthesia. They have a website -- http://houndstoothpetdental.com/locations.html Edited October 16, 2009 by Honeysmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sja5032 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Thanks everyone, I just wanted some reassurance I was planning on doing the dental unless I got a big NO response from everyone here. I told my mom he was going to lose teeth and shes like "how is he going to eat?" this is what I am dealing with as far as people to bounce ideas off of lol. That's why I came here, stories of other seniors doing well is promising. I'm just angry at first myself for letting it get this bad and second my parents because I have been telling them for a while that he needed a dental and they never went through with it. The weird thing with the bloody gums is that he eats hard food, cookies, and the occasional hard bone and never bleeds. I think it was mostly his front teeth which he doesn't use for chewing. Maybe we will get lucky and he will just lose the front teeth. Again, thanks to everyone who reassured what I was already thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greensleeves Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I think you'll be surprised at how good he feels afterward! Gracie had a cracked molar that our vet told us wasn't bothering her, and she didn't appear to be in any pain... but the minute that tooth came out--wowza!! She was bouncing off the walls! Good luck! Let us know how it turns out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ghessentials Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I have been using a product called LEBAIII, and it seems to be working very well. If it can cut down on the teeth cleaning it will be worth it. By the way 10 is not old for a greyhound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Better to do the dental than to leave rotting teeth in there. Have them do bloodwork and an exam first to check everything out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatricksMom Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 FYI, greys that have multiple teeth removed usually do just fine--actually you'll probably see a major improvement because he won't be in pain any longer. Quote Beth, Petey (8 September 2018- ), and Faith (22 March 2019). Godspeed Patrick (28 April 1999 - 5 August 2012), Murphy (23 June 2004 - 27 July 2013), Leo (1 May 2009 - 27 January 2020), and Henry (10 August 2010 - 7 August 2020), you were loved more than you can know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JenZ Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I have an 11 and 13 year old, and was wondering the same thing- Are they too old? It's good to see all this feedback! Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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