I hate to seem a bit dim, just understand Luma isn't 1 yet and so I've never had to get her a dental. What exactly do they do? What is the scary part of it? Must be the anesthesia correct? I know I cried my head off all day when she got spayed so I can only imagine. I try to be good with her teeth. Will a vet reccommend when your dog needs a dental or is it up to you to book it every year?

So glad everything went well for Tibbe.

Ditto!:D

Glad to hear the dental went well, and sweet Tibbe is back home with momma!!

Yeah, it is that they usually 'tube them and anesthetize them so the scraping under the gumline can be done around each tooth without stressing them beyond endurance. It can really hurt if there is tenderness and/or a pus formation or infection so they babies have to be "out" to endure the full cleaning. It is scary, painful and so stressful to be put in a scary room with lots of odd-smelling, strange equipment in it, a huge overhead light turned on, then have a big, strangely dressed vet with a mask on, maybe an eyepiece that magnifies and hair-covering putting tools in their mouths which are, I imagine, forcibly propped open with a device and be restrained with ties, covered in paper sheets, etc., as you can imagine. It's a blessing they are out and not knowing what is happening to them but scary due to the anesthesia and the intubation that often accompanies it.

And the meds that are administered and then ?maybe gas? can cause nausea and other post-op problems of CNS-related problems. They are wobbly-legged, disoriented and groggy, whiney and if 'tubed, their esophagus may be tender and sore or, goodness-forbid, stretched, scratched or torn. Nothing pleasant about dental cleanings except the benefits it produces.

I just hate Tibbe having them but without them, he'd have gum inflammation and dental decay I am sure, even with his regular brushings. Tibbe is a dental plaque former that brushings help prevent but don't stop it. I'm just so glad it's over for another year and he's feeling better today, though not back to complete normal yet.

positive energy being sent you and Tibbe's way, good luck wee one

wishing tibbe is back to normal asap and gald he came through safe.

P. S. I meant to say trachea may be sore, stretched, etc., not eso but rarely, the esophagus is actually entered instead of the trach. So the intubation is no fun thing.

About how you know a dental is needed, the bi-annual checkups at the vet cover a dental exam and your vet will let you know. Or, if you dogs breath goes bad, yellow forms along the gumline, the gum gets red or yellowish, puffy/swollen, tender or the tooth gets dark places in it, take the dog to the vet or vet dentist for an exam. He'll tell you if antibiotics are necessary if there is an infection and then usually schedule a dental cleaning.

Thank you so much for all the info!! That was scary just reading about it :( I'm glad Tibbe is good to go for another year!! :)

I give Guinness LiquidFloss and TriFlossBall
I wonder if that is going to help us in the long run... Does anybody else use this??

Tibbe is in my prayers

Things like that don't help people who easily form plaque - it just has to be physically removed. And I hate cleanings. I have sensitive teeth and some of the spots they hit - wooo! I use the Sensitive Toothpaste and still those cleanings aren't pleasant.

Plus, with Tibbe I worry about the toxicity and long-term effects of the things in the liquid plaque removers. After learning of the horrors of Xylitol and things like that, I worry what else lurks in these things that are so strong they kill plaque formation or somehow ?prevent? it? How? How are they so powerful they keep bacteria from forming that gooey film and then hardening, pushing the gums back, etc., without being toxic over time? They don't speak to that on their labels and they seem to have no long-term studies that addresses toxicity or other adverse effects. I just wonder if there are there any long-term studies on their liver, kidney, etc., toxicity or any studies showing they really if and how they work to inhibit the formation of dental plaque when spritzed on several times a week.

How is Tibbe doing today? I just saw your post from yesterday. Please update us! I know a lot of people are anxious to hear from you.

Louise and Zachary

Yikes never thought about that hmmm think I best do more research before I give it to Guinness again!!

That's like me. I never really did until I read about a lady here whose 2 little ones(I think it was 2 for some reason but maybe was one only) got some Xylitol from some BBQ sauce, I think it was, she fed them a taste of. She realized somehow in time to check the label to see if it had any Xylitol in it, it did(!) and rushed them immediately to the Vet ER, where both were pretty bad off but one nearly died, I think from liver and then ?kidney? failure. Might be wrong about the kidney involvement but that poor little thing was so critically ill. That baby was nearly poisoned to death by that tiny bit of Xylitol. Apparently, when they get very little Xylitol the time frame is very limited to save their lives and thankfully she was aware and got them to help in time. Since reading her thread and the close call with her dog(s), and then reading some other things about how iffy the Yorkie liver can be at times, I got to be very cautious about things I put in and on Tibbe. That enzyme spray may be perfectly fine but until I know for sure, I'm scared to use it regularly enough to help so it's useless to us. Poor Yorkies and their dental problems!