Abx Pulse Therapy For Chronic Gingivitis

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

How many of you have had to resort to pulsing antibiotic therapy for your dog's dental health and what kind/dosage did you use. I am looking at starting Bravo on Clindamycin either a week of 10 days out of a month. He went a year after his August 2011 dental with shiny white teeth and non-inflamed gums but we're losing the battle of the gums now and his teeth while not encrusted, are discolored!!

[kudzu]

It was mentioned as a possibility for my senior Grey but thankfully with dental cleaning by the right vet dentist combined with redoubled efforts at home we never had to resort to that.

[Wonder]

I did for Lucky. I don't recall the dosage though. I did it for the first 7 days of the month. I need to get another script since I ran out.

[greysmom]

We've had to start this with our Copper. He's just turned 12 and has been with us almost 7 years. He's had HORRIBLE teeth from day one! He could have a full out dental cleaning every 6 months and it really doesn't make that much difference. My main concern now is to minimize the damage to his organs from the bacteria shed by his bad mouth.

 

He gets the same food as all four other dogs - who have beautiful teeth, BTW - the same treats, the same chew bones every night for his teeth. Nothing makes any real difference. He has bad gingivitis, bad tartar, and his breath can knock you over from several feet away. Using the PetzLife dental spray does help a little, but not enough to keep his teeth from being gunky. He's lost about half of them, and the rest are probably soon to come out.

 

We just finished his second month of pulse ABs and the difference has been dramatic. Not only does he feel better, his breath is nicer, and he seems to have more energy. He's getting 500mg Clindamycin, every 12 hours, for 5 days a month.

[JJNg]

Pulse antibiotic therapy should only be used as a last resort when the risks of anesthesia outweigh the benefits, or in extreme cases. Some dogs, like greysmom's Copper, are just genetically prone to bad teeth and gums, and even brushing daily doesn't keep the plaque and tartar buildup at bay. However, if Bravo went a year after his last dental with healthy teeth and gums, I don't think he falls into that category. Is he healthy enough to be put under for another cleaning? That would be the more effective way to go. And what do you typically do in terms of at-home dental care?

[Rickiesmom]

Not sure if they would help but there are gel products like the one made by Healthy Mouth that might help in combination with brushing. I was given some Vetzlife gel to try as well. (I don't have the same problems you do - but Jeff has recession and here and there it gets irritated sometimes so I am trying to deal with it preventatively).

[Guest greytkidsmom]

We did this for a while with one of our dogs. He has the worst teeth in the house. In addition we brushed, did the dental vaccine, used water additives, etc. I honestly didn't see any change in his teeth or gums after several months of the therapy. We went to a veterinary dentist for a cleaning after some oral surgery so that the surgeons could see his mouth and the dentist said that the pulsed antibiotics had fallen out of favor. Since he seems to still tolerate anesthesia we will just stick to his every 6 month dental cleanings and brush regularly.