Avoiding dentals?

[Toothy]

We have two 4.5-year-old Irish greys who came to us with beautiful teeth. After 6 months, both have some visible plaque, in spite of tooth brushing a few times a week and adding plaque remover to their water. I want to be proactive about taking care of their teeth and avoid the need for full dentals with anesthesia as much as possible. Can anyone recommend something that removes plaque in its early stages? Our dogs eat Hills Science Diet dry food (green bag) moistened with water, with some dog treats and dental chews (not consistent). Thank you!

[Toothy]

Sorry, the food is IAMS for large dogs, not that it matters.

[greysmom]

It sounds like you're doing a lot - more than I do anyway.   

Ultimately, I think a lot of it comes down to genetics.  I've had greys who could go years in between full dentals, and ones who couldn't get through 6 months without needing another one.  All of them have eaten the same food, got the same treats, chewed the same dental chews.  It just depends on the luck of the draw.

I'll just add, unless you have an indication that a dog has had previous issues with anesthesia, actual mouth issues are worse than the *possibility* of having anesthesia issues.  If a dog is generally healthy and hasn't had problems before, it's almost always better to get the dental done rather than let things slide.  (This is always assuming your vet uses greyhound-safe anesthesia protocols and monitors their recovery closely.)

[Toothy]

Thank you. We had never had a problem with anesthesia when we took our greyhounds for dentals. We also had a "touch up" done in our home by a local greyhound expert and that went fine (although I just read that is no longer legal). However, recently we moved to a new area and one of our greyhounds, who had done fine with anesthesia in the past, died while coming out of anesthesia. She was in fine health and not very old. The vet claimed to have experience with greyhounds, and we Googled the meds that were used and nothing jumped out as the culprit. so now we're a bit nervous about getting full dentals in this area. At the very least we'll check around with other greyhound owners for a more greyhound savvy vet.

[FiveRoooooers]

Brushing as often as you can is great. We use these dental wipes that I find much easier on all of us  Hills also has a dental kibble that we sometimes used as treats.

I'm so sorry about your other greyhound's unfortunate experience, you have every reason to be reluctant to do future dentals. Gah. I will say that it would be worth trying to locate a grey-savvy vet or dental specialist in your area and doing a M&G with them. Punkin had a dental 1-1/2 years ago and lost six teeth (IIRC) but her mouth remained a cesspool. Just a few weeks ago she underwent an extensive dental and lost 22 teeth - all she has remaining are her two lower canines. I felt like the worst dog mom to learn how sore her as-it-turned out infected mouth was. The first days after the proc were tough but she has recovered beautifully, eats like a champ and no horrid breath!

[Time4ANap]

The Virbac chews always worked well for us. Some of the dogs who arrive here had teeth that were just too far gone to avoid dentals / extractions. Rocket had great teeth but still needed to have a couple of full anesthesia cleanings over the years. He had one at age 11 without any issues. Good luck! 

[Toothy]

Thanks, I'll try them!

[MP_the4pack]

Houndstooth does non anesthetic dentals. While not as good as the deep cleaning under anesthesia,  it a great in between cleaning.  See if she travels to your area.

https://houndstoothpetdental.com/

[cleptogrey]

houndstooth is ok, but  just about everyone who used them in this area ended up needing a regular dental anyway. raw marrow bones, collagen rolls(safer than rawhide) helps. also, dry food, i found out from a vet friend that i could be feeding my gh dry with out worrying about bloat, it's generally the AKC gh who get it. also HILLS makes(made) a dental food- larger pieces that helped keep the enamel clean.https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-td-canine-dry?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=12261618933&cq_con=112560662610&cq_term=hills dental care dog food&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gclid=CjwKCAjwyeujBhA5EiwA5WD7_eW67wyrFHnrfKFLWL6jHjEFogcJaDzdSpqCYILqOaOX-aOvu3608BoCCCMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds