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How To Tell If Your Hound Needs A Dental?


Guest iLoveLucie

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Guest iLoveLucie

Is there a good way to know when your dog needs a dental? My Vet reccommends once a year, and says Greyhounds especially need dentals because they are known for their bad teeth.

 

I want to keep my dogs in good health, and understand proper dental care is important. But I don't really want to put my dogs under once a year just for teeth cleaning - plus the cost is a factor.

 

My husband and I brush our dogs teeth about 5 times a week. We also give chewy treats that help their teeth a couple time a week (ie. bully sticks). Personally, I think their teeth look great! Or at least I've seen worse...

 

Both dogs had dentals when they came off the track. Lucie is 4 (retired at 2.5) and Buddy is 5 (retired at 4).

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Guest FastDogsOwnMe

I never do dentals. I scale my own dogs' teeth myself with a scaler, and I give lots of bones. My dogs have gorgeous pearly whites. Never had to do a dental on any dog under my care before. Only on dogs I just got from someone else. And I have an almost 15 year old who has NEVER had a dental and has the teeth of a puppy.

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Usually their breath will start to smell. You can also just pull back their lips and see if they are accumulating a lot of plaque.

Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel

Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee

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You can see it and smell it. Raw turkey necks are a popular item for their teeth. As are the PetzLife products. An honest vet is also helpful -- mine examined Summer's teeth this year and said there was absolutely no need for a dental, that I'm doing a good job. Vet even measured around the teeth for the depth of "pockets" and declared that she was fine.

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Lisa B.

My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer

Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance

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We've never needed dentals since we feed raw and they chew often. I watch out for red, receding, or red gums. Color stains and tarter gunk on their teeth, etc.

 

I would be leery of a vet who says a dental is needed when the teeth are pearly white and gums look 100% perfect. At our last appointment the vet said that Rainy at age 8 had a very high probability of never needing a dental! :ghplaybow

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Jessica

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Guest Fasave

We've never needed dentals since we feed raw and they chew often. I watch out for red, receding, or red gums. Color stains and tarter gunk on their teeth, etc.

 

I would be leery of a vet who says a dental is needed when the teeth are pearly white and gums look 100% perfect. At our last appointment the vet said that Rainy at age 8 had a very high probability of never needing a dental! :ghplaybow

 

I agree that I would be leary of a vet that suggests annual dentals just because they are greyhounds. My first greyhound had a dental as part of the adoption process at age three. He never had another and passed at the age of 12. I brushed his teeth every night with a battery toothbrush. My vet used to bring his techs in to show them his teeth because he was so impressed with them. One of my current pups fell an broke a canine so it had to be removed. I took him to a dentist who did a full set of x-rays and removed one other molar and the canine. He told me with regular maintenance he may never need another dental. How ever, I will say there are those pups who are not blessed with good genetics amd do need more regular dentals regardless of your care. Therefore, IMHO the decision for regular dentals should be based on the pup and not the breed.

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I only ever do dentals on mine if they really need them. I've had two hounds that never needed one in their lives, I've had one who only needed them because he broke a tooth, and I've had two hounds who had bad mouths - largely because we adopted them as seniors and they'd been neglected.

 

We now also have Sid who's had one dental due to a broken tooth, and now needs one because he has one bad tooth right at the back which I hadn't seen. The rest of his teeth are great, but those tiny little back right-behind-the-last-molar teeth hide themselves very well! I only knew because his breath smelled. I couldn't see far enough back in his mouth to get a good look at the problem, and had to take him in to be checked. :(

 

So, I'd say the answer to your question is:

 

1) if they have brown, yellow or orange deposits and/or you can see gunky tartar, they need doing.

2) if the dog is reluctant to eat, or to chew on one side, they might need doing.

3) if his breath smells, it might well be his teeth and he needs to be checked.

4) if his gums are red or inflamed looking he needs attention.

 

To clarify on No. 2, some dogs appear to be fine when eating, but if they are tackling a hard chew or a bone, they'll sometimes pause and look surprised or thoughtful as they bite down, and their ears might flick up and drop again. This could indicate a moment of sharp pain.

 

That's my personal checklist!

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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George had a dental when I first adopted him and he had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. I have no intention of doing another one unless it's absolutely necessary. He gets a raw bone every Saturday and Sunday, and my vet says his teeth are great!


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Susan,  Hamish,  Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck

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Guest firegypsy

What kind of a bone do you use, if you don't mind me asking?

 

I have to do something for my girl. She just had a dental but her breath is still DISGUSTING.

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Out of my five, only three have had dentals, once each, since owning them (not sure of the history of the other two). I'm not great at brushing, but try to do it at least a few times a week. The Petzlife product has been wonderful! http://www.petedge.com/product/PetzLife-Oral-Care-Gel-for-Dogs-Cats/51764.uts Good teeth, and good breath! :D

 
Forever in my heart: my girl Raspberry & my boys Quiet Man, Murphy, Ducky, Wylie & Theo
www.greyhoundadventures.org & www.greyhoundamberalert.org & www.duckypaws.com

 

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before we switched to raw, bootsy was sporting good hillbilly teeth and his breath smelled like a barrel of rotting fish. now it is normal dog breath and his teeth are normal dog teeth. the red line at the edge of his gums is gone too. he eats 3 chicken quarters per day.

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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. ~

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Bear in mind that bad breath has more than one cause. The most common is bad teeth, or food trapped between the teeth and rotting (especially things like tripe sticks which stink to start with and only get worse in the warm, moist environment of the mouth), but metabolic disorders like kidney disease or an upset stomach can also do it.

 

If your dog's teeth are good and his/her breath stinks, I'd suggest getting a vet check. :)

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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Guest brit1

Just curious if those little rubber finger brushes work? My dog will not let me use a toothbrush but i think if I put one of those on my finger she might let me. Has anyone use them with the Petzlife gel? brit

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I've used the little finger brushes and they're nowhere near as good as a toothbrush. They are good for dogs with sore gums, because they're softer, but you can't really do much more than spread the toothpaste around with them. If your dog's teeth are good and you're using an enzymatic toothpaste, this will still work, to a certain extent, but it won't clean off tartar or heavy plaque.

 

I use electric toothbrushes for mine. No dog likes them at first, it takes a bit of work and patience to get them used to having their teeth brushed, but I haven't failed yet - even with Jeffie who bucked like a bronco if I even wanted to LOOK in his mouth when we first got him home.

 

I begin by putting a bit of toothpaste on the brush and letting the dog smell it and lick if he wants to. Then I will gently lift a lip and tap a front tooth or two with it to get him used to feeling something that isn't food in his mouth. Next time I gently do one or two brush strokes. Gradually I increase the amount of time the brush is in his mouth and use it further into his mouth until I can brush all of his teeth, in the same session, without protest. Only then will I turn it on, but at first I will just touch it to his shoulder so he can feel the vibration and get used to it - and that first time I'll turn it off before I go on to brush his teeth. Then I'll turn it on and touch it to a tooth. Next time I'll see how he feels about having a tooth or two brushed with it. This process can take a couple of days or a couple of weeks (or longer) depending on the dog. The important thing is never to rush it, and always to try to stop before the dog has had enough, so that they don't feel pressured or uncomfortable. If at any stage they freak, go back a stage or two and start again.

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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We've never needed dentals since we feed raw and they chew often. I watch out for red, receding, or red gums. Color stains and tarter gunk on their teeth, etc.

 

I would be leery of a vet who says a dental is needed when the teeth are pearly white and gums look 100% perfect. At our last appointment the vet said that Rainy at age 8 had a very high probability of never needing a dental! :ghplaybow

 

:nod

 

Since we started feeding raw a few months ago, our hounds teeth have never been better.

We also feed beef bones - right from the freezer - to them once or twice a week.

 

The small amount of tarter that was on their teeth has totally gone.

Our vet was here yesterday and commented on their sprakling white teeth!

 

 

I would never do a 'routine' yearly dental. Get a scecond opinion!

 

Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi.  Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie),  Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge.

 

 

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