Advice For Dental Cleaning?

[Guest PaulyG]

I recently adopted a beautiful 2 and a half year old named Tessa, and am wanting some advice/opinions on dental cleaning. The vet said she has quite good teeth (for a greyhound) but that they should be cleaned which they quoted at about $500. Her breath smells slightly bad and there is some yellowing at the tops of a few of her teeth. Would daily cleaning at this stage be any use, or does she really need to get a proper clean first?

Thanks in advance for the advice, I'm just finding it a hard pill to swallow for the amount it will cost me.

[Time4ANap]

The prices on dental cleanings are all over the map, and often higher in metropolitan areas. Since she is a recent adoption, I'm surprised that her teeth weren't cleaned while she was under for her spay surgery.

 

If you adopted her in the past few months, I would ask your adoption group if a dental cleaning was done and if so, let them know what you are being told. If you are uncertain whether or not she needs it, I would ask for some opinions on good local vets and get a second opinion before moving forward.

 

Daily cleaning can't hurt if she lets you brush her teeth. Chewing is the most effective cleaning agent, so raw turkey necks a few times a week, bully sticks etc provide the most cleaning action. Do not give cooked bones, rawhides etc as they can lead to choking or stomach issues.

 

If you give raw bones, be sure the hound is supervised at all times. You will hear varying opinions about bones, some give them, some don't and each have their reasons. I give them to Rocket, but never leave the room until he is done with it, just in case he splinters a piece off. He is a pretty gentle chewer. Others have experienced broken teeth from various bones, and don't give them at all.

 

You can also use a water additive like Plaque Off or similar in the water bowl to help loosen some of the plaque. It works slowly, so it will take several weeks before you notice any difference.

[Guest normaandburrell]

My vet does not approve of bones of any sort, so we brush our hound's teeth after every meal. It took a while to teach him, but giving a reward, in our case, a denta stick after brushing, helps him cooperate. We did this with our first hound and he never needed his teeth cleaned in the six years we had him, and never had any dental problems. Interestingly enough, whenever we would see another vet, we were always told our dog's teeth needed cleaning.

I agree, the adoption group probably cleaned the teeth when the hound was fixed, and you can try to maintain his teeth without cleaning. Also try to find a vet who doesn't overrecommend expensive and invasive procedures.