GreytTerp Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 My fur kid is in for his first dental today (now, actually, so technically, I'm being an anxious hound mom at work...), and I wanted to ask this experienced crowd if you went to a soft diet for a few days afterward to help with any residual soreness. Our vet suggests at least a day of some softer food, then to wet his kibble down with water or broth for a few more days. Marvin lives to eat, so he'll eat whatever I give him, bleeding gums or not, so I'd like to protect him from himself and any potential for infection if he cuts his tender gums while eating. Marvin's 7 years old, and this is his first dental with us. His last one was 4.5 years ago, when he was right off the track, transitioning to us. We have been lucky with his teeth that near-daily brushing has worked very well and that today's procedure is just a regular prophy with no anticipated extractions. Has anyone used MaxiGuard, or a similar gel? Marvin is not a chewer - 20 seconds on a nylabone once a month or so is about as much as he'll do, and he can't do dental chews, as he won't chew them into small enough pieces to digest. We do brush his teeth anywhere from 4-6 days a week, but as he gets older, I'd like to see if there's anything we can supplement to keep his teeth and gums healthy. Thank you all, for all of the wisdom, experience, advice, and support you are always willing to share - I'm more of a lurker than a poster to this board, but I love it all the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I give mine soft food for about a day after the dental. I'd go a few days longer if they lost a lot of teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHead Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) Teague is in for a dental as well today (lol so we can be anxious together! ). I do feed soft food to him... he has tiny antibiotic beads placed in some of his gum pockets so I actually can't brush or feed anything hard for at least a week. Large amounts of canned food don't really agree with his system, so I make up a batch of pureed cooked food. He normally eats ground raw so I transition to that after a few days since it is pretty soft anyways. I do everything for Teague's teeth but he has so many dental pockets that nothing helps long term. I do get a dental gel from the vet called BreathaLyser. I know there is a water additive called Healthy Mouth as well that you can get. I've also tried petstore brand gels/sprays, but personally haven't found any of them to be that effective. Teague gets big meaty bones to chew on all the time which is a big help for tartar. Edited August 24, 2016 by RedHead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytTerp Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 Teague is in for a dental as well today (lol so we can be anxious together! ). Teague gets big meaty bones to chew on all the time which is a big help for tartar. Healthy, happy thoughts for Teague as well! What type of meaty bones do you like for him? We made the mistake of giving Marvin a knuckle bone once, and it was so mealy that it turned his poop into the consistency of chalk. Marvin was screaming in pain trying to go (right in front of a busy commuter Metro station in DC, so he had an audience), and I ended up having to use baggies as gloves to pry the pieces out He'll definitely chew meaty bones. A frozen turkey neck lasts him a whole 2-3 minutes, so a meaty bone would be a good alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissy Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 My patients are recommended to eat their regular diet if they had a routine cleaning (no extractions). If they had only one or two minor extractions, especially of non-chewing teeth (incisors) they are put on a soft diet for a few days. If they had major extractions (molars or canines) they are put on at least 7 days of a soft diet. A soft diet means either canned food or soaked kibble (soaked for 20 minutes in warm water or until mushy all the way through). Quote Kristie and the Apex Agility Greyhounds: Kili (ATChC AgMCh Lakilanni Where Eagles Fly RN IP MSCDC MTRDC ExS Bronze ExJ Bronze ) and Kenna (Lakilanni Kiss The Sky RN MADC MJDC AGDC AGEx AGExJ). Waiting at the Bridge: Retired racer Summit (Bbf Dropout) May 5, 2005-Jan 30, 2019 Like us on Facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philospher77 Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I tend to just do the soaked kibble, but I let it REALLY soak. Start soaking dinner right after breakfast, and breakfast right after dinner (in the fridge). You'd be amazed at how much liquid those kibbles can soak up! Quote My blog about helping Katie learn to be a more normal dog: http://katies-journey-philospher77.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytTerp Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 Thank you all for the advice! Marvin is awake and charming the vet techs, and he required no extractions. We now know that he has two "extra teeth"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KarenD Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I soak the kibble too.....for a treat I use broth. Also, try some toast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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