Quote:
Originally Posted by hollywillis  Hi all,
Darcy is now almost 18 months old, she has bad breath and the vet has pointed out that her teeth need attention, as she has a plaque build up.
I give her dental chews regularly but they don't seem to help with keeping the plaque away. Her teeth look terrible for such a young dog, and her gums are a little red too. My other 7 year old yorkie has always had great teeth, and we have never a problem.
I have bought some doggy toothpaste, which so far she doesn't even like, and I have a finger brush, I am going to start tonight with the brushing.
Has she inherited bad teeth from one of her parents maybe??
Is it common at such a young age??? |
Tartar is a really bad problem for most yorkies, and if baby teeth aren't removed, some dogs will have a double row of teeth where food can get stuck, and this worsens the condition. I would say that you are lucky that your 7 year old hasn't had a problem; most yorkies, unless you take certain measures, will have a problem. We do several things to help with Joey's teeth. I choose hard kibble over home-cooked or canned because it is better for their teeth and gums. There are also reports that raw has also been shown to be good for their teeth. I also use Petzlife dental spray, this product is sad to soften tartar so that you can brush it away at a later time. I use a poultry flavored toothpaste, and try to brush at least once a week, at age 3 Joey is finally accepts the brushing, but first year or so, he fought a lot. Finally, I use Merrick Bully Sticks; they are a really hard chewing stick that acts like a bone would in scraping teeth. Joey's teeth look great at age, three, but I can't say which product helped the most.