I feel so awful

[Wall-eWorld]

I wanted to share, since I know you all love your babies as much as I do. We haven't had any skin kids yet, so Wall-e is the center of our world. We love it.

Even though I brush Wall-e's teeth every week and give him a dentastick daily, we noticed his breath was getting bad just in the past few months. Yesterday we took him in for a cleaning at our vets, whom we really like. They called and told us he was done, and did very well. They did have to pull a few teeth. I figured that might happen, but figured that was the cause of the smelly breath. When my husband and I went to pick him up, the vet told us that even though he's only 5, his dental health was that of an 8or 9 yr old! The Dr said some Yorkies are prone to weak gums, causing teeth to rot or become loose. He then handed us a little pill bottle with Wall-e's pulled teeth, all 13 of them! Our jaws dropped! When I heard some teeth, I thought 3 or 4 tops, not 13!!
So now we feel terrible. We both cried as soon as we got him in the car. I thought we had been doing a good job with his oral health, but we failed miserably. Even worse, for the past year Wall-e has been rubbing the right side of his cheek with his paw. I thought it was a skin issue and have been checking for dry spots and making sure to clean his face really well during baths. Now I realize it was probably his teeth bothering him.
So the point of my post is to brush your babies teeth - a lot! He's been a miserable little puppy for the past 24hours and it breaks my heart. We will be brushing daily when he heals and using a mouth rinse from the vet.

Sorry for the long story, but I know you can relate. Thanks

[Graneet]

Awe poor baby thank you for sharing.

[Doodlebug]

Wow, what a shock. I would have cried too. Thanks for making us aware. Hugs.

[Wall-eWorld]

Thank you both

[Dayswalters]

Thank you for the post. I will make sure to take carry of my baby's teeth.

[Cherie6446]

Zoey has had two cleanings and half her teeth are gone. It breaks my heart for her. I certainly know the shock you felt when you learned how many were pulled. I really dread getting her next dental in a few months. More teeth lost? Don't know but it is scary to think about. I soften her kibble with warm water so she can eat it easily.

[Einstein1]

so are those dental chew sticks worthless for helping with oral health?

[jadabug]

Poor Wall-e Sadly, I know exactly how you feel. We take our babies for annual cleanings and every time Jada has lost a few teeth. Total is about 13 now. She is 8 years old and has horrible teeth. I brush and use a rinse and CET dental chews. She has a tiny mouth though and its near impossible to reach her back molars when I brush them.
I hope Wall-e is back to feeling ok in a couple of days.

[Marhcarter]

That breaks my heart to hear that Wall-e lost so many teeth. I, too, would have cried. Years ago, a friend of mine took her dog for a dental and they pulled all of that baby's teeth! She was devastated & I was livid for her and said how I thought it was malpractice, etc. This was before I had a yorkie and have since learned better, but WOW, what a shocker.
I hope poor Wall-e feels better soon!

[Winkandshiny]

I new to having a Yorkie but with my past pups I was told that the dental chews are bad for their teeth and can cause tarter build up and rotting in the gums. Especially greenies idk if that's spelt right. I hope your sweet baby is feeling better I'm sorry you and Wall-e had to go thru this.

[4carolyn]

So sorry about Wall-E dental problems. I hope all three of you are feeling better. My baby Jaya who is 12 has 4 teeth left. Her breath is better and I think she feels better. We brushed every night and still lost teeth. Vet said its a "Yorkie thing." Those bad teeth can sit in infected gums without us ever knowing. I hope your baby feels better soon.

[Wall-eWorld]

Thanks, everyone. Wall-e is a little better today, so that's a relief.

My vet knows we give Wall-e the dentastix, and he's never said it was bad so we continued. Wall-e goes crazy for them, and even asks for one every afternoon. It's a good point though, I'll look into it.

[SirTeddykins]

If it makes you feel any better, my vets opinion is that brushing and dental sticks are ineffectual and that only cleaning works because we can't floss between teeth etc....


You are a good parent, anyway, for taking the baby to the vet and having the correct procedure done

[Scoobstersmom]

Its not just a yorkie thing - it is a small dog thing. I have a toy poodle, about 9, that is down to three teeth. Even with yearly dentals and regular oral care, he lost at least a few every year. At his last dental in July, the vet pulled the rest of them and left just 3 out of 4 canine teeth to help hold his tongue in. In retrospect, I think he was always in pain from his teeth. He was scrawny, a picky eater and underweight his whole life. It took a few months for his gums to toughen up, but then his appetite took off and now he eats like a horse. He has filled out and gained a little weight and looks great. I feed him one wet meal per day (Primal Raw dehydrated but mixed with water) and he is free fed and happily munches on his kibble throughout the day. He could never chew on bully sticks or anything like that before, but now he goes to town on beef tendons and loves those Beems catfish skin chewies. Having those teeth removed was the best thing I've ever done for him, even though it was a tough choice.


Diana