Teeth Cleaning

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by beautifulboy

My little yorkie will be needing his teeth cleaned. Is there a vet who will not put a tube down his throat? I wouldn't mind a shot to put him to sleep but I fear the tube because of collapsed trachia.

Some Advice Please!!

The tube is needed so he does not get water in his lungs

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by beautifulboy

My little yorkie will be needing his teeth cleaned. Is there a vet who will not put a tube down his throat? I wouldn't mind a shot to put him to sleep but I fear the tube because of collapsed trachia.

Some Advice Please!!

Anesthesia and intubation is done regularly without issue. I work in the people OR for the past almost 10 years. With my experience I wouldn't hesitate to ever have a teeth cleaning for my dogs. It's very safe and highly overrated as being dangerous. For the health of your dogs teeth cleaning needs to be done. The complications from not properly caring for your dogs oral health. So please do not let pseudo fears deter you from a teeth cleaning.

[beautifulboy]

Thank you so much for the information. I had a yorkie who developed collapsed trachia and he was unable to breathe caughing all the time. But the alternative of not having my little guy get a professional cleaning is so far worse. I appreciate your input.

[My lil friend]

Mina had her teeth cleaned last Thursday. All of her front teeth had minimal tartar on them because they are brushed almost everyday. She has a tiny mouth and therefore I can not reach the back teeth. She still gets a dental done approx. every 18mos because her molars need it.
The new thing around here will be to atleast get a little toothpaste on the teeth,on the days that are just to crazy. This will atleast cut down on the bacteria in her mouth.
Tilly is smaller than Mina, her adult teeth have started coming in so we are beginning to do toothbrushing lessons.

[beautifulboy]

Hi My Lil Friend -- Megans Momma

I didn't know that was the reason for the tube. Of course I will have his teeth professionally cleaned. I clean his teeth every day with a finger tooth brush and they look quite good except for the eye teeth.

I hope they have smaller tubes for little mouths. Take care guys and thank you so much.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by beautifulboy

Hi My Lil Friend -- Megans Momma

I didn't know that was the reason for the tube. Of course I will have his teeth professionally cleaned. I clean his teeth every day with a finger tooth brush and they look quite good except for the eye teeth.

I hope they have smaller tubes for little mouths. Take care guys and thank you so much.

Yes, your vet has different size intubation tubes and they chose the appropriate size. Just like in humans there are all different size tubes to properly intubate an infant, child or adult. There are tiny premature infants that need surgery and hospitals are able to intubate them for live saving procedures. My point of bringing this up is that many very sick people have surgery every day and having a dental on our pets is so minor in comparison. Also every surgery and patient should be address individually and not with some imaginary broad sweeping blanket. This misconception that your loved one or pet goes under and never wakes up is a very very slim chance I understand we all love our family (both pet and human) but there is far too much fear being placed on this idea.

[beautifulboy]

Megans Momma I am relieved to read what you have written. And I thank you for writing it. Bless you.

[Melimar]

I am going to take my Yorkie(Gizmo) to get his teeth cleaned and have one tooth extracted. We can only hope for the best since any procedure that requires anesthesia is risky.

[Zoey Zendaya]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

I think it's a judgment call.

I wanted to avoid general anesthesia for Thor as much as possible, and I was so proud of myself for brushing his teeth every day for the past three years. Well, one of Thor's teeth fell out last week, and he's at the vet's today for emergency dental surgery.

Thor is a little plaque monster, and it turns out my original vet was entirely too casual about his dental health. I guess what I recommend is finding an excellent veteranarian you trust implicitly and going with their advice. The Heath & Wellness forum is a good place to read up on what an excellent vet should be doing (anesthesia monitoring, etc).

How old is Thor....

[Zoey Zendaya]

Originally Posted by My lil friend

Mina had her teeth cleaned last Thursday. All of her front teeth had minimal tartar on them because they are brushed almost everyday. She has a tiny mouth and therefore I can not reach the back teeth. She still gets a dental done approx. every 18mos because her molars need it.
The new thing around here will be to atleast get a little toothpaste on the teeth,on the days that are just to crazy. This will atleast cut down on the bacteria in her mouth.
Tilly is smaller than Mina, her adult teeth have started coming in so we are beginning to do toothbrushing lessons.

Have you tried getting a child's toothbrush and , with their favorite toothpaste, slip it sideways along mouth for them to chew on? Mine loves to really knaw at those bristles. Just a minute is all it takes. Sometimes I let her have at it on the floor and she brushes her own teeth. Try different sizes , I was surprized.

[Franceen]

Originally Posted by gracielove

I know that some vets prefer to get the animal out from under anesthesia as quickly as possible.
To me it is more important to consider the circumstances. If my dog was being spayed I don't think I would want it to stay under anesthesia long enough for a complete dental cleaning as well.

Many people are using the new enzyme type cleaners on their dog's teeth. They seem to keep the tarter off the teeth quite well. Of course some brands work better than others so check the reviews. I prefer doing this to having my dog's teeth done at the vet's office so frequently. I also give her things to chew that help keep the teeth clean.

Could you tell me which enzyme type cleaners work better than others? If not, can anyone else help, please?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by beautifulboy

My little yorkie will be needing his teeth cleaned. Is there a vet who will not put a tube down his throat? I wouldn't mind a shot to put him to sleep but I fear the tube because of collapsed trachia.

Some Advice Please!!

You want the intubation bc you want the medical team to always have access to that airway, should something occur where it was needed. I also always encourage people to give IV fluids during any surgery bc the venous access could be needed in an emergency - plus, it supports hydration for after the surgery. The vet will have very small tubes for the intubation for your kiddo, and this is something you should feel free to ask them about.

Originally Posted by Franceen

Could you tell me which enzyme type cleaners work better than others? If not, can anyone else help, please?

There are lots of products out there. One that is VOHC approved is Healthy Mouth - I use it on mine. I also use Wysong's Dental Sprinkle. There is also PetzLife, PlaqueOff, CET toothpaste, CET chews (contain dental chemicals which are beneficial), Leba III....what else am I missing here?

I believe chews are very important...I like RMBs (raw meaty bones like Bison ribs), CET chews, Honest Kitchen Beams, Bully Sticks, Munchy Stix and a few others. If you get the CET chews, get them at much better prices on Amazon, not at the vet's.

[YoYo2000]

Have you considered the teeth cleaning that no anesthesia is involved? I do it on both of my yorkies every 3 months. It's alot less stress on your dog and you not to mention the cost.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by YoYo2000

Have you considered the teeth cleaning that no anesthesia is involved? I do it on both of my yorkies every 3 months. It's alot less stress on your dog and you not to mention the cost.

It does not do the same thing as a full dental and I have heard many vets do not recommend them. What I have heard of how they are done it sounds stressful to the dog to me.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Franceen

Could you tell me which enzyme type cleaners work better than others? If not, can anyone else help, please?

I really like and use CET