What do you know about cleaning your dog’s teeth?
Here’s what I knew.
They make tooth brushes and toothpaste for dogs. I even have one of each. In fact I had to use the brush once when Delilah got a little greedy in the cat’s litter box.
Yes I know. EWWW.
Notice I said, ONCE. Because I’ve never been good about cleaning my dog’s teeth.
Neither Sampson nor Delilah’s teeth have ever been too bad, and I saw a huge difference when we switched to raw and they started crunching on those neck bones. Additionally I give them the stuffed white bones which they gnaw at.
When Sara first opened the shop at The Mellow Mutt, I bought two of those finger toothbrushes. You know the ones that fit on the end of your finger, I thought, well now that their teeth are pretty clean I can use those brushes and clean their teeth.
Turns out I’m as good at cleaning their teeth as I am at applying ointment.
Go Figure.
I had heard at some point, the vet needed to clean the dog’s teeth. I also heard that to clean a dog’s teeth, the vet put them under anesthesia to clean them AND the older the dog is, the more risky it is for anesthesia.
Sampson just turned 8, so when he went for his annual exam in October I discussed teeth cleaning with our vet. She said his teeth really weren’t that bad, although she thought he might have a little bit of gingivitis beginning. We agreed his cleaning could wait until spring. Which would give us some time to save up for it (It’s very expensive!)
Last week when I went to pick up treats at The Mellow Mutt, we somehow got on the topic of teeth cleaning and I mentioned how Sampson needed his teeth cleaned and we were going to do it in the spring.
Based on the reaction I got, you’d have thought I told Sara and Diane (the groomer) that I was giving my dogs away.
Why would you risk putting him under anesthesia just to have his teeth cleaned? They asked.
Well he’s eight years old, he needs his teeth cleaned, isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? I responded.
They told me a few stories that really freaked me out.
Diane said, Our vet used to just flink (yes she said flink) the tartar off with a pick. I’ll clean his teeth, he’s a good boy, why don’t you bring him in and let me give it a shot?
We agreed on Wednesday.
You know me, I second guessed my decision instantly, but still I came home on Wednesday, put Delilah in the crate with a handful of banana chips and loaded Sampson in the car.
Our appointment was for 4:30.
She took us a little late because a woman was there picking up her dog.
We took Sampson into the grooming area and put some towels on the floor. Diane got some peroxide on a paper towel and put some toothpaste on one of those finger brushes.
Diane rubbed the toothpaste on his teeth.
She said it helps soften the tartar.
She flinked the tartar off.
I sat with him and stroked him and told him he was okay.
Did he like it?
I’m not going to lie, he didn’t like it, but he never snapped or growled and he let Diane do it.
We were done at 4:40 pm. Less than 5 minutes from start to finish. I asked her how much I owed her and she nothing. I told her she could give me a price or I would pay her what I thought she deserved. She said $10. I gave her $20.
Then I bought Sampson a new stuffie to bring home.
As soon as he was done, he jumped up and strutted around the shop.
When we got home he and Delilah had a game of tug with the new stuffie, until Delilah destroyed it.
What I really liked about this was I got to stay with him the entire time. I didn’t have to drop him off (with no breakfast) and wait for someone to call me, we were in and out…..Just. Like. That.
What do you know about cleaning your dog’s teeth? Do you brush them? Do you think the benefit of having their teeth cleaned by the vet outweighs the risk of putting them under anesthesia? Would you have your groomer scrape your dog’s teeth?
Mom brushes my teeth every day. Every. Single. Day. UGH. She rescued me when I was 3 and my teeth were already pretty stained, but the vet said no gum disease or tartar serious enough for the ordeal of a vet cleaning. Whew! Mom has never had any of her dogs’ teeth professionally cleaned. Too scary. She thought about it when she got me because I was only 3 and my breath was deadly. The vet said it wasn’t necessary, and my breath is better now.
Love and decent-smelling licks,
Cupcake
Awe Cupcake!! Your mom loves you enough to want to take care of your teeth! I’m glad that you have no evidence of gum disease or tartar and that of course is all because of your mom!!
Mommy starts brushing our teeth every night before bed the day we start living with her. The first times she uses her finger, then a finger brush and then a toothbrush. We love it and look forward to it every night. Mom never would let us be put under for teeth cleaning and brushing takes just a few minutes every night. I am 6 and my sister is 10 and we both have great teeth. The vet said my sisters were starting to discolor a bit on the lower bottom teeth but that is no big deal. So simple and it avoids so much trouble!
That is great news indeed Emma!! I’m glad to hear it, I have to get better at taking care of Sampson and Delilah’s teeth!
You’re right, best to save any anaesthesia for when they truly need it. Am impressed by Genevieve and Emma that they clean their dog’s teeth every night! We rely on dental chews but wish we’d got ours used to a toothbrush from the start.
If the vet really feels it’s necessary I will do it, only because I don’t want to leave it until he’s too much older. 🙁 I think I’ll have to work on getting them used to the toothbrush.
I’m glad Sampson didn’t have to go under!
I can’t imagine brushing Silas’s teeth. Mr. Anxious will let me handle his feet and mouth, but he isn’t wild about me doing it for any duration. By which I mean, he will buck and pull and squirm until I can’t get anything done. Right now we’re working on nail trimming, since I finally got him a nicer pair of clippers. Maybe in a year or two we’ll work up to teeth brushing, if he needs it.
Conquer one thing at a time! He is still young and you still have time. Poor little Silas and his anxieties, I hope it is something he will grow out of.
That’s awesome that Sampson was able to have his teeth cleaned that way!
I’m hoping it’s enough.
Our mom Brushes Our teefs with Chicken Flavored paste… and a little Peeps Teefs brush… WELL we EACH have our OWN little Peeps teefsbrush… AND she ALSO uses this stuffs called Plaq Clnz which we do NOT think much of…. butt it WORKS GRRRREAT and our Teefs are in SUPER SHAPE. Our Dogtor ALWAYS gives Mom an A+ fur Teefs Care.
You can look that Plaq Clnz stuffs up on the innermutts and find out about it. Our Dogtor did that and he is VERY IMPRESSED.
there is a Groomer Lady (Miss Buzz Off) that lives a few miles from us… She ALWAYS Cleans and Scrapes the Tarter off her clients’ teefs… It just goes with the Grooming… like (SHUDDER) Nail Trimming does… with HER. BUTT This lady actually went to SCHOOL to become a FULL SERVICE Groomer and she LEARNED to clean teefs…. from an Actual Dogtor….. If it is NOT done RIGHT… Teefs and or Gums can be Damaged or become infected.
Thanks for the tip about the Plaq Clnz, I will have to check that out and see how it works. You have a very great mom, who knows many things about dogs! How did you get so lucky?
Glad the process worked out so well for you. I suggest people start when the dogs are very young, preferably puppies, just using your fingers over their teeth to get them used to the idea. If you brush them regularly, then you don’t end up having to have them cleaned later.
I wish I’d started it early, but I suppose as long as I start, it’s a good thing right?
My comment comes from having worked in a vet hospital (where I can say I never saw any complications from going under anesthesia for a dental. They are keep very light.), being a former groomer and also due to having a degree in dental hygiene.
If she is scaling your dog’s teeth and not polishing with a polish like what they use at your dentist (it’s more abrasive then regular toothpaste.) she is actually damaging the enamel of the tooth which means Sampson could require cleaning more often. Scaling roughens the surface of the tooth and makes it much easier for plaque to stick to the teeth. The polish your dentist uses on your teeth is more abrasive so it smooths the surface making it less hospitable for plaque. We used the same polish when I cleaned teeth at the vets for the same reason.
If you don’t get under the gums while scaling, you are leaving calculus, plaque and bacteria there which causes pockets and gets into the bloodstream. It is felt that bacteria in the mouth contributes to kidney disease.
Also doing a cleaning like this may be illegal in your state. In most in it considered a veterinary procedure and must be done under the supervision of a vet. It is important to make sure they autoclave their instruments before using them on another animal. They also should be sure they are sharpening their scalers. They get dull very quickly and dull instruments can cause a lot of damage.
Cleaning teeth is much more than just taking the calculus off. It’s more than just flicking it off (that vet would be a no-go in my book). I spent a lot of time learning the proper way to scale, the proper way to clean so I’m sorry if I am coming off as preachy, but I don’t feel many people understand how important a proper dental cleaning is. It’s certainly up to each of us to decide what’s best for our pets. I just want to share so people can make this decision with as much information as possible.
I’ll apologize here for the length of my comment. I tend to go overboard when I am passionate about something.
Don’t ever apologize for being passionate about something Dawn! Your response is exactly why I put this post up! I wanted to know what people who are involved in the field know, I so appreciate your candor and passion. 🙂 I will speak with my vet about this in the spring, thank you so much!!
I brush my 2 young dogs teeth everyday (sometimes I miss a day) I had over 1000.00 of dental work done on my pup when he was 8 months old so in order to keep his teeth healthy I should brush them each day. If miner scaling I don’t see anything wrong with hand scaling, you do want to just chip the tarter off and not scrub back and fourth as you create rough surfaces that the tarter will build up faster on without polishing afterwords. Now a days if you have a vet that is current in continuning education and up on the latest and safest anesthetics if proper stuff is done ahead of time you shouldn’t have any problems. I am a veterinary technician and I haven’t had any problems with dentals and I have been in practice for over 20 years. At our clinic they get a full physical, bloodwork done ahead of time, hooked up to IV fluids during the procedure and the proper anesthetics are used accordenly to the patient. If there are dieased teeth and the tarter is sever then I would leave that to the vet as they will do a more complete job and take care of any extractions that may be needed. If small amount of tarter I don’t have a problem with hand scaling but know that tarter might build up faster and may require general anesthetic and full dental cleaning later on.
Thank you for the information. I’m not sure why people like to work me up. 🙂 I worry so much about both of them and hate the idea of anything happening because of a different choice I’d made.
We don’t clean our animals’ teeth. They do get antlers to chew on which do a lot of good. When Storm had to have surgery to remove the growth in her mouth we asked them to clean her teeth where needed. They didn’t really need much. They didn’t even charge us.
Same with kitty cat when she had the growth removed on her side. I think the vet did two teeth and didn’t charge. Kitty cat is the oldest animal in this house, but she eats dry kibble so it keeps her teeth nice.
I have no issue putting my otherwise healthy animals under for teeth cleaning. They use light anesthesia. I have seen people do the hand scaling. I have no issue with that either as long as it is enough to clean the teeth. I doubt a vet wold take a chance on doing the cleaning without putting the dog under. Most dogs would not put up with it.
Glad you found a way that worked.
I just want what is best for them. I have to find some big antlers. Delilah loved them but she freaked me out like she might swallow it, that and it made her tooth bleed she was so enthusiastic. 🙂 Thanks for the info, I feel a bit better now if he has to go under.
Ever since we switched Torah, I find myself brushing the dogs teeth less. At Felix’s appointment last week the vet said his teeth looked fantastic, despite the fact that his last proper cleaning was two years ago.
We’re lucky to have a vet here who specializes in dentals practices non anastetic teeth cleaning.
I find myself not knowing what Torah is. I wish my vet would do non anesthetic cleaning, I’m pretty sure both dogs would tolerate it with no issues. The problem is the area they do it in is tight and there might not be room for me to be there.
I think she was saying switched to raw food – not Torah
It’s a pity you live so far away or I would send you some of my teeth and gum treats http://www.harringtonspetfood.com/products/UK/dog-treats-teeth-gum to try thay econtain Calcium to help promote healthy teeth and parsley and mint to help promote fresh breath!
I try to brush the pup’s teeth, but Bella tries to run and Tavish tries to eat the toothbrush. I’m working on it though…
They’ve both had cleanings at the vet – Bella’s most recent one got tacked onto another procedure, and poor Tavish had to have 8 teeth removed. I haven’t decided what we’ll do in the future though, especially given that Bella is 11 now.