HELP! My pup had her cleaning..17 teeth fell out
 

and they had to pull out 7 more! She has barely any teeth left :(. They said that the reason why the teeth stayed in was they were being held in by tartar. My poor girl was in pain this whole time and I didn't know it.


Now, what do I do?! Any food suggestions? Treat suggestions? Dog mommies with doggies that have lost their teeth, did your babies change at all? I'm so distraught and upset I can't stop crying even the vet was in shock at how bad her teeth were and I had gotten them cleaned a year ago! Please help :(

you poor thing and your baby of course:eek: how old is your furbaby? One of mine , Olly needs to go in for a teeth cleaning this summer and he is only 3!

My late mr Billie had his teeth cleaned when he Was 9 and only had 4 teeth after. The vet said it was common unfortunate issue for Yorkies

It unfortunately is a common problem. That's why we have to get them use to having their teeth brushed every day, starting when they're young so they're use to it.

OP, I'm sorry about your baby. I'm sure she will continue to be the same girl you love. You just have to find the right foods for her.

Sorry your baby had to lose so many teeth :( My Sugar has lost 6 so far with stage 3 periodontal disease. I have managed to save her remaining teeth thus far. How old is your baby?


My belief is it is related to tiny mouthes and the propensity for food to sit for *days* (if allowed) along the tooth and gumline. Sonicare has been a toothsaver for us :thumbup:

You could research home cooking which is not only great nutritionally but also a nice soft diet. Just be sure to visit Welcome to Pet Diets for the proper proportions and supplements.

Sadly what everyone is saying is true, many Yorkies lose teeth. I have worked with rescues, elderly fosters and other dogs with missing or no teeth. It has been my experience that once their gums heal, they can even crunch dry kibble ! One way to look at it is, 'Wahoo no more hurting teeth, sore gums and bad breath !' and the truth is removing bad teeth is the right thing to do, it probably adds years to their life.

Thanks guys! Chloe is almost five. I just feel so guilty. Brushing her teeth was impossible, so I was using tartar gels for her teeth, water additives, crunchy dry foods, greenies, chew sticks. Pretty much every other option besides actual brushing! Her mouth was just too small. She's 3.8 lbs and has the teeniest mouth. The poor thing is breaking my heart. I'm just worried that her quality of life will be compromised :(

I have met others that have 2 year olds that have 4 teeth. Bella is 4 and not lost one yet. It must be a very common thing. I'm sorry.

I understand your shock. When we took our little 4lb rescue in for his cleaning he came home with only 7 teeth left in his little mouth. Now he has this adorable habit of letting his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth. :p

I'm sure he was in a lot of pain with all those bad teeth and his whole personality changed after he healed up. It was really just a few days after his dental that he was chewing on crunchy food again. He just chews it at the front of his mouth.
Now he doesn't eat any diferent than the rest of the pack.

And my vet said the same thing about yorkies - dental problems are very common so don't kick yourself too much. Just watch your little one perk up now!

I have my Tucker's teeth cleaned every year, starting when he was two. He's five now. I brush three to four times a week. He wont chew on anything, so it makes it worse. My dad just rescued a five year old yorkie who has no teeth. He eats canned food and does just fine. Just make sure you brush her teeth often :)

Thank you for the kind words everyone! any suggestions for canned food that she'll love? She's used to eating EVO red meat and turkey chicken kibble!

Oh no :( I'm so sorry! I don't "brush" Yoshi's teeth everyday. I had him for a week when I was brushing his teeth & one of his baby teeth fell out. I felt horrible! And there was so much blood...it scared me to death. I started using those round dental wipe pad things instead. He's a pro with the "brushing" now & we do it every night when we get "cleaned up" for bed. Does anyone have any experience with using the round textured pads instead of a toothbrush? I wonder if I'm wasting my effort & should switch to a brush.

My nickie is 6 1/2 and has all her teeth I use petz life gel daily and instead of a tooth brush I use a wash cloth Yorkies are notorious for tooth loss

She's not too small to brush her teeth. My Jilly was only 3 lbs. as a grown dog & I brushed her teeth. I use the same kind for Tibbe. I use a cat toothbrush that has only about a 1/2 long head - it might be shorter in length than that & it is thinner than anything else out there, too. I was using a baby toothbrush on Jilly before I found the tiny cat toothbrush. You must brush her teeth to prevent her losing more each year and being in pain if she has caries or gum disease. Just look at the cat toothbrushes at several petstores until you find the one with the very tiny head. It has a long handle but the head is tiny. Then buy a food-flavored dog toothpaste & she will even enjoy the taste. She won't love you brushing her teeth but with that yummy-tasting toothpaste & tiny brush, at least she will tolerate it daily.

My vet gave me a cat toothbrush. That's what I was using when I "brushed out" his baby tooth :( I still have it. I think I'm going to revisit that instead of the dental pads/wipes. Yoshi is older now & he's used to having me poke around in his mouth. Maybe it will work out better for us this time around. Can anyone recommend a really good yet palatable toothpaste? The dental wipes I'm using now are mint. One more thing...are you supposed to change a doggie's toothbrush once a month just like you would a person's? Thank you :)

I don't have experience with my Sophie Kate losing teeth (yet), I do brush her teeth a few times a week and I check them a lot. I need to ask the Vet to look at them next time we are there to make sure they are still clean but they sure do look white. As far as changing her toothbrush, I use the same one for about 6 months okay maybe a little longer but I do not change it monthly.

I do have experience with my Cat Avery losing teeth. He is 14 years old and went in December and had his teeth cleaned (probably will be his last). Poor Avery had 4 teeth he had to have pulled. After that he started losing weight, I took him to the vet and we tested for everything and found nothing wrong so we decided to switch him to really tiny kibble and wet food.

Most cat toothbrushes are too big for Tibbe's little mouth. Only the one's from Canine Commissary in Dallas are tiny enough for him. The other cat brushes I've seen are too big. I just use whatever pet toothpaste I find in the pet store - he like it all the same. I brush very gently mindful of the inside tender areas of his mouth & in case he might have developed a tender spot from chewing on something. Sometimes I let him up & run around before finishing the job. Whatever it takes to get a good brushing in without hurting him.

When I adopted Lil Louie, he was 3 yrs old and he is 3.2 pounds. His breath was shockingly horrid. He would not play with any toys (he didn't play at all) and would not eat anything solid. As he is my first yorkie, I didn't know how important dental health is for yorkies. After we seen the vet and he had his dental, he was missing 6 teeth and his bad breath! Now he plays and chews hard food and treats..WE BRUSH EVERYDAY!!!!! Your little one will be just fine, give it time!

I'm so sorry, but your baby really will feel better. You can use the same kibble. Just moisten it with water until it becomes soft. You can make a couple servings at a time and store them in the fridge. I just heat up a serving in the microwave for a few seconds. I hope your little one is better soon.

I'm so sorry! I had no idea though that this was so common with Yorkies! Will start brushing Jaxsons teeth on a regular basis now!! Again i'm sorry....hope she cheers up & feels better!

mine hate brushing. i have tried everything i guess i am going to have to forced them to like it as i dont want this to happen as they get older. thank you for sharing the story hope your baby has no issues further.

Hi all of you yorkie lovers. We have 5 little dogs and 3 of them are yorkies. My tiny one is "Precious", and the other 2 are "porky yorkies" ( about 12 pounds each ) and are brother & sister ....."Harley" and "Laci".
I recently took Harley to a vet to have his teeth cleaned, and without our permission or consent the vet PULLED out 13 of his teeth !!!!!!!! I was in shock, and sooooooooooooooooooooooo upset about that. I am encouraged by all of the posts about yorkies & dental work, but I still can hardly believe that he needed 13 teeth pulled !!!!! I really wonder IF pulling all of those teeth was really necessary, but hopefully he ( Harley ) will be fine.
Thank you for such a great yorkie forum......Sincerely "Terri" (yorkilover ).

Our Vet showed a super simple method for cleaning a Yorkies teeth- gauze pad-a drop of CANINE toothpaste on a cotton gauze pad-get your finger in there and rub the teeth- way easier than the toothbrush-and the puppy thinks its a treat- make sure not to let them tear the gauze- she says its more effective than a brush for these little guys-

I have a toy poodle rescue, 9 years old, that had genetically bad teeth. We've had him 5 years and year by year he was losing teeth at his dental. Finally in July at his dental, the vet had to pull all but three canines. He does fine with just those three teeth and is actually a happier, healthier dog without them! And he has no problem keeping his tongue in his mouth.


Being nine years old, his recovery was quite slow from the dental and we had to hand feed him for a few weeks, and he also needed pain meds for about ten days. Slowly he learned to pick up food from a plate on his own. We feed him his regular kibble moistened, or sometimes a canned version of his regular kibble for one meal of the day, just because I want to make sure he is getting his calories in. He is clearly able to eat kibble out of his bowl on his own now, as his gums have toughened up and are almost as strong as his teeth were. He also gums a deer antler quite often, and always has one hidden in his bed. He has actually gained weight since having all the teeth removed, and we're thinking a diet may be in order. I think he eats more/better because he's not in pain.


Don't worry. There is a learning curve, but your pup will do just fine and within a few months he'll be eating like normal.


Diana