Dentals

[schultzlc]

I ran a search for this, but came up empty, so I apologize if this thread is already out there.

 

How often do you take your greys in for a dental? Is it something you do annually or does it depend on the dog? Or, do you let your vet take a look during a normal check-up and decide if it's necessary to do dental work?

[OwnedBySummer]

I wouldn't just do it annually. I would do it if it's required. The vet can certainly tell for sure but you'll be able to take an educated guess -- just rummage around in there and if you see tartar build-up and things are a bit smelly...

[Guest snoopycomehome]

We got Gypsy in March, and she had a dental before we got her. She has had bad breath and red, swollen gums, so we just took her in for another dental last week. She was diagnosed with CUPS and is on medication for it. CUPS is an auto-immune reaction to the bacteria that collect on/near the tartar build-up. My husband brushes her teeth daily, and that seems to help with the breath (but not the gums).

 

We got Dragon last December and he also had a dental then. The vet told us last week that we didn't need a dental anytime soon if we scale his teeth. I just started doing 2 teeth per day because he doesn't like it at all. But that brown crusty tartar comes off easily in chunks...I was surprised! I use a tiny screwdriver to do it until he gets used to it, then I will change to the scaler (this is what our vet recommended). We will probably do his every other year, and Gypsy annually. I think I read that they should be done annually.

 

Just make sure you go to a grey-friendly vet, because the anesthesia needs to be decreased with greyhounds!

[Guest sheila]

I've had dogs that have never needed a dental at all. I did have one girl that despite everything needed a dental every single yr.

[Wonder]

Sparks had 1 dental his entire life and never needed another one. He went to the bridge in Feb at 12 yrs old.

Lucky just had his 2nd and he's 5 yrs old

Diamond has had 1 and he's almost 5 yrs old. He doesn't need one any time soon.

Passion is 9 and she's had 2 dentals in her life time.

Lena my foster is 3 and just had her 2nd dental.

 

I am not good about daily brushing but they love bones once in a while.

I started to use plaque-off on 10/1

I use petzlife spray on Lucky because he hates his teeth brushed.

Edited November 19, 2011 by Wonder

[PatricksMom]

Yearly, but that's based on the vet's opinion each year that he needs them. Some dogs have better teeth than others.

[Guest sweetpea]

I've had Sweetpea since 2007, she's never had a dental.

 

Vets always just say "her teeth look good actually, especially for a greyhound."

 

'Just dumb luck.

 

Buzzy

[TheFullHouse]

Mine went almost 5 years before needing them. Now they are getting them yearly.

[grey8greys]

Abel gets a dental every year, Kerri use to get them every year and than every six months, she finally had them all pulled last year when she was 11, she just turned 12 and since all those nasty teeth were removed she acts years younger She came to me at 7 1/2 with a terrible mouth.

[XTRAWLD]

We decided we would likely only do them once in Kasey's lifetime since we would have him and decided the age 8 or 9 would be the time, I wouldn't want to put him under older than that IMO. Turns out he had a bit of an arrhythmia coming out of anesthesia in July and we will not be putting him under again for a dental (my heart sank when I got the news from the vet). Ryder came to us with bad teeth even though they were apparently cleaned and he had his done this year as well. We again will do the same thing with Ryder, perhaps get his teeth done around 8 or 9.

 

It really is dependent on how bad your hounds teeth really are. Kasey never had awful teeth, but eventually there was plaque on the back teeth that we really couldn't get rid of. Make sure you give them bones to gnaw on weekly, daily even, and brush their teeth after a dental is done to get rid of the daily peach fuzz. At least that's our plan for Kasey since we won't be taking him in again.

 

I also found Leba II to be a lifesaver. It truly is some good stuff that works. I think it helped us prolong the length of time between dentals on Kasey for sure.

[schultzlc]

Thanks for the responses!

 

A lot of groups recommend doing a dental once per year, so I just wanted to see what other opinions are out there. Luna came to me with some pretty fantastic toofers, and even though she's really bad about letting me brush them, I use Petzlife every day. Seeing her with a full set of pearly whites is a thing of beauty, since my bridge boy was only down to 5 by the time he passed. I would hate to put her under for something unless it was absolutely necessary!

[Guest KennelMom]

"as needed"...some dogs never need a dental (we feed raw + naturally good teeth), a couple need them every couple years, despite the raw diet (they just have bad teeth). It really just depends on the dog.

[Guest verthib]

Omg a screwdriver? I don't do anything but brush. I don't feel qualified or comfortable to do anything more than that.

[Guest KennelMom]

I would recommend against using a screwdriver or scaler on your dog's teeth! And I'm QUITE surprised a vet would actually recommend this for "home care." When vets do dentals, they polish the teeth after scraping during a detnal, leaving a smooth surface. When you scrape them at home with a sharp, metal implement you'll leave microscopic damage to the tooth, leaving lots of grooves for bacteria get into and grow...you could be making the problem worse, actually. Plus, you can't get under the gumline, which is where a lot of problems can reside as well.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

Leia has never had a dental since we adopted her coming on 6 years now. we brush her teeth daily and if the tarter builds up a bit, we use that Petzgel stuff to get it off. Depresses my vet because he wants so muchto find problems with her teeth so he can charge us for something,,,but so far it hasn't happened. I just don't want to put her out unless it is a medical necessity.