Opinions on my dog's teeth

I know some vets recommend pulling out really nasty teeth to help overall health. She was a rescue and already had most of her teeth gone when we got her. We’ve been trying brush them and give her various dental treats but nothing seems to be working.
Shes healthy now, and isn’t having any problems. My wife is just worried and wants her to live as long as possible.

What do you guys think? I know there’s some vets on here. Would appreciate your input.

 

They are looking a bit on the dark side. Maybe a good professional cleaning at the vet and keep up on the brushing, I have had pretty good results with Bio-Dent a Tooth supplement on my older pup.
We get our dogs teeth cleaned at the vet every year or every other after they get to about five years old.

How old is the pup if you have any idea?

 

There is a vet here that offers his advice. Look him up and post to his thread

 

We’re guessing she’s around 9.

 

Those are very bad-I realize she was like that before you got her and I dont think anything short of professional cleaning will help.

She needs to go into a vet for bloodwork first to see if she can take anesthesia then sedation and scaling. I would also do dental x-rays as hard chews can actually fracture their molars. A friend of mine is a veterinary dentist and recommends those x-rays anytime the teeth are cleaned. One of my two GSDs has had his teeth cleaned several times while the other never seems to accumulate tartar, and normally I have not seen this as much in the bigger dogs and more in the smaller ones. Not sure why but some are more prone than others I have been told.

Like people the gums are the portal to the heart so it really is very important. Once they are clean, there are additives for water that can help (according to my vet).

 

@jaredmillerdvm will know what to do

 

@Kerch71

 

Get it checked. I've had dogs with a buildup of tartar that looked just like that. It pops off with a pick and reveals a clean tooth underneath. A vet can tell by looking what it will take, or if they are in fact compromised and need extraction.

 

Yep, these guys are great. Not knowing the past history, we've always have good luck with dog's teeth on a strictly dry food diet with hard chew toys readily available. We currently have two that just turned 14 and both still have almost all of their teeth.

 

Chihuahua/pug mix by chance?

 

Dachshund/Chihuahua mix. From what I’ve read they’re both notorious for bad teeth.

 

She needs a cleaning with likely extractions under general anesthesia. It's the only way to fully assess the situation. I would also recommend pre-anesthetic bloodwork to look at WBC count, liver and kidney function to make sure it's safe to put her under anesthesia. At this point, no amount of brushing, dental chews, raw diet (which I NEVER EVER recommend) or water additives will do anything to correct this. I also put all of my patients with advanced dental disease on Clindamycin (antibiotic) after a dental cleaning with extractions. Personally, I think dental xrays are only required in certain circumstances, not for every dental cleaning.

 

That's where I was headed unfortunately.

We have a Chugg (chihuahua/pug) and his teeth aren't all that great. We also have another pug/beagle mix - his teeth are worse. Lucky for us, there is a local place that does deep dentals (under anaesthesia) for only about 200-300 depending on work. We have started taking them in annually in an effort to help maintain their teeth. I know it can get a little frustrating even with proper hygiene and trying to keep up with good, quality food.

I'd call around and see if you can get a dental special and if you can find a good deal by a solid place, I'd say you may have to do something like that maybe once or twice a year.

Hope for the best for the pup and hopefully the issue there now is only tar that can be cleaned off.

 

Yeah, they usually develop advanced dental disease when they get older. Smaller dogs in general are more prone to dental disease.

 

Really appreciate your input. We’re gonna go ahead and get an appointment for next week to see what the local vet wants to do.

 

I used to scrape the plaque off my goldens back teeth with good flat headed screwdriver after she woild finally give in and let me.
Here she is keeping her distance, lol.

 

Our vet has these little plier things, grabs the tartar and cracks it right off, dog is not put under, in the right hands a tool like that can remove lots of junk. Its a start atleast.

 

I never knew there was such an argument between feeding raw and using regular dog food.
I’m staying out of it though.

Personally I’m sticking with using normal dog food.

 

My 12yo Miniature Dachshund had 13 teeth extracted just this past year at one shot. I woke her up one morning and her poor face was swollen due to an abcess, she went right to the vets and had to re-learn to eat with what little teeth she has left. She's been good since but refuses to let us brush her teeth and she's terrified of the car anymore since the ride to and from the vets office. I tried the smaller greenies for her breath and the little shit would chew them just enough to swallow them whole and be done lol! It was a neat little magic trick once I realized why she was finishing them so quickly!

 

@nowayout, this thread is meant to educate and help Tundras.com members with their animals. Feel free to go elsewhere with your opinions and spiteful attitude. You're not a veterinary medical professional, and you're not helping.

 

I had a pup who had to have a few removed and teeth cleaned. I definitely think it’s good for their overall health. Just like humans, bad teeth can lead to a plethora of problems.

 

Looks like nothing more than tartar buildup. Buy some dental cleaning tools and begin scraping the tartar away.
hth,
B

 

Get them cleaned. That's all plaque that can be chipped off. As long as the gums arent receding to far they will be fine. 19 yrs as an RVT and now an ER nurse for 10yrs.

 

I'm not a vet, but I'm a dentist.

I think I would start with a cleaning and then evaluate what the teeth and gums look like once you can see better.

 

I will apologize for participating in this craziness. Have seen this get even more heated on DOG forums so should have known better than to to play in.

Hopefully the OPs appointment with the vet results in finding out the dog can safely tolerate sedation, the teeth can be cleaned / extracted as needed and a future course of action can keep it under control, minimizing the need for more cleanings. My daughter has a chi that has challenging teeth. Constant battle.

The irony is that I have talked with people pontificating on the nuances of feeding their dogs then their own food and that they feed their kids is total garbage. Go figure.

 

I just want to know why my picture was deleted?! It was relevant! OP has a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix, I have Dachshund too?! CMON MAN!

 

Now I'll NEVER know what color oranges are...

B