Dental cleaning advice wanted

[DaintyDutchess]

A few months ago my female grey (4 yrs old) was seen for her annual wellness exam. The vet suggested she may need a dental cleaning and would have to be sedated for it, since I asked if there was a less invasive one they could do while she was awake. I realize this may be terrifying for dogs either way.  He said he would check her at her next exam to see if he would still recommend the cleaning. There was only one tooth in particular that looks like it needs some more serious cleaning. The gum line is red and there is much plaque/tarter on the back tooth. I give my grey a dental chew once per day and do brush her teeth regularly, although I need to get better about doing it daily. She does have bad breath, which can be caused by gut issues too. 

I am nervous of  her being put under for this possible cleaning with greyhounds being so sensitive with things like that. She has a history of hookworm and I expect she will have them life long. I have concern that if she is put under that will cause another load of hookworms to emerge so maybe she would need a Drontal dosing afterward? She is currently on monthly Advantage Multi now. The adoption group I got her from had done a dental when they got her (2 years ago). Grateful for that. 

I of course will talk more in depth with the vet when the time comes. I know good dental health is important for both dogs and humans alike. I have never had a dog who needed a cleaning so this is new to me. Has anyone ever had their pets vet suggest a dental for one tooth in question? Not all vets are the most grey savvy so I would like to see other people's experiences with dental cleanings etc. 

Please share your thoughts/opinions and suggestions. Thank you in advance. 

[lukasmom]

The teeth cleaning without being put under only cleans what you can see. It is under the gums that hides all the real issues.If your vet is greyhound savy I would not hesitate to do a real dental cleaning. Yes, you do hear about hounds passing away during/after dentals but most of us have never had any problems. One of my hounds had a dental and the tooth was absesed and it didn't even show up on the x-ray. My hound lost that tooth and I bet he felt so much better with it gone. 

Clean teeth are very important to heart health.

[DaintyDutchess]

20 minutes ago, lukasmom said:

The teeth cleaning without being put under only cleans what you can see. It is under the gums that hides all the real issues.If your vet is greyhound savy I would not hesitate to do a real dental cleaning. Yes, you do hear about hounds passing away during/after dentals but most of us have never had any problems. One of my hounds had a dental and the tooth was absesed and it didn't even show up on the x-ray. My hound lost that tooth and I bet he felt so much better with it gone. 

Clean teeth are very important to heart health.

This is very reassuring! I appreciate your feedback, thank you. 

[MaryJane]

Can you provide a photo?

If a cleaning was done 2 years ago seems pretty soon to have another one ....

[PatricksMom]

I don't have experience with hookworms, hopefully someone else will weigh in, but I have done annual sedation cleanings on all four of my greyhounds over the 17 years I've had them in my life, with absolutely no problems at all. It's usually it's only one or two teeth, or the back couple that need cleaning, but by doing it proactively I've had maybe one extraction over all that time. I do all the bloodwork just to be sure it's safe every time. That said, being nervous is normal, the first five years with my first dog, I sat in the waiting room, just in case.

[greysmom]

31 minutes ago, MaryJane said:

Can you provide a photo?

If a cleaning was done 2 years ago seems pretty soon to have another one ....

I dont think so necessarily.   I had a "bad teeth" greyhound that could have had a full dental every 6 months.  Two years seems like a decent time frame to me, especially if it's for a relatively minor cleaning.

If your girl is healthy there should be no reason why she should hit undergo a routine anesthesia and be fine.  Did she have any trouble when she was put under before that makes you nervous?  Does your vet use approved protocols for anesthesia with greyhounds?

Please explore here for the most recent threads regarding hookworm treatment.  There are a couple different protocols you could try.  It's really important to do everything you reasonably can to clear them as they can destroy your dog's intestinal tract.

 

[GreyTzu]

Hookworms.

There is no reason for a dog to be relegated to a lifetime of hookworms.  Do the reading and the work to get rid of the hookworms.

Dental disease will cause heart disease and needs to be addressed.

As stated above, most greyhounds do not have issues with being under.  Talk to the Vet about your concerns and then get the dental done.  There are a variety of dental chews available, so I would pick a couple of different brands that you can afford and give the dog one a day.  We use OraVet, Pedigree Dental Sticks, VirBac C.E.T. Chews, and Sam's brand.  Most of them I order from Amazon. 

Good luck.

[DaintyDutchess]

Thanks for all the feedback. I have posted in the hookworm thread prior and tried various treatment protocols as well as spending hours on research. I didn’t take the hookworm issue lightly. My grey was treated consistently with dewormer since I’ve had her. 

I will get bloodwork done on her prior to the dental. There were no comments from her adoption group about her previous one. I will be sure to confirm my vet uses appropriate anesthesia protocols for Greys. I will take off work for the cleaning and the next day also just to make sure I can monitor her 100%. 

Patrick’sMom, that’s awesome you avoided extractions with the annual cleanings! Very proactive! I am glad they all went well. So good to hear.

Until the dental I am going to continue with brushing and giving her daily dental chews, that she enjoys. 

[DaintyDutchess]

15 hours ago, greysmom said:

I dont think so necessarily.   I had a "bad teeth" greyhound that could have had a full dental every 6 months.  Two years seems like a decent time frame to me, especially if it's for a relatively minor cleaning.

If your girl is healthy there should be no reason why she should hit undergo a routine anesthesia and be fine.  Did she have any trouble when she was put under before that makes you nervous?  Does your vet use approved protocols for anesthesia with greyhounds?

Please explore here for the most recent threads regarding hookworm treatment.  There are a couple different protocols you could try.  It's really important to do everything you reasonably can to clear them as they can destroy your dog's intestinal tract.

 

My grey just might be one of those that needs more frequent dentals too. I am hoping after this next dental she can go a little longer in between, but time will tell :-) 

[HeyRunDog]

I use Logic Oral Hygiene Gel to brush Grac's teeth with, which as well as having a "mild abrasive action it also contains enzymes to help break down the plaque," or so the blurb on the box says . It does seem to work though and the vet at her last 3 monthly wellness exam said her teeth were nice and clean.

[Zoomdoggie]

On 8/16/2019 at 8:32 PM, GreyTzu said:

Hookworms.

There is no reason for a dog to be relegated to a lifetime of hookworms.  Do the reading and the work to get rid of the hookworms.

 

Unfortunately, some Greyhounds will probably never get rid of them completely. According to Veterinarian Jennifer Ng, some of the retired hounds have contracted a drug resistant form of hooks. You might be able to get them under control, but anytime a highly stressful experience happens, larvae that lay dormant within muscle tissue can be re-awakened. A lot of Greyhounds coming from the Florida tracks have had chronic issues that no protocol seems to eliminate the hooks completely, just keep rhem under control.

[racindog]

Attended some lectures on dental care by Dr. Queck, a fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry at Mountain Hounds in 2018.  In a nutshell her main message was to caution us to take note of who we allowed to treat our dogs. She said that regular vets receive little to no dental education-just a few hours- and as a result they simply cannot provide a high level of care. She said they have no knowledge of how to perform established dental procedures e.g. root canals and that as a result if they see a "problem" tooth or multiple teeth they simply extract them all even when it is not necessary because that is as high as their skill level goes. She also cautioned that the extraction itself was actually a serious procedure that given their lack of dental knowledge could result in problems.  I am very grateful for Dr. Queck's honesty because as a result I located a simply wonderful actual veterinary dentist that knows what is BEST for my dogs and knows how to do it so they get the best care possible.  There are a number of reasons to seek out an experienced veterinary dentist that is certified by one of the legitimate veterinary dental societies. A word of caution per Dr. Queck: there are vets claiming to be dental specialist that are not just because they decided to call themselves that and focus to some degree on vet dentistry. Dr. Queck said that to actually achieve the established level required for fellowship in the AVD and similar that they actually have to demonstrate their ability and test/train even on a practical level-that it isn't just written. She also said that dental xrays demand a level of quality higher than your typical vets typical xrays and so you could very easily miss issues and not to be mislead by that. So thats another vote for using the bonified dental specialist: The good xrays from the specialist in my experience don't cost anymore than the 'cheap' ones from the general practice vet plus you can certainly have more confidence in their evaluation.    https://www.avdc-dms.org/dms/list/fellows.cfm

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