Man oh man...what to do...

[sandrag86]

I recently posted about adopting a Yorkie girl from a lady that is terminally ill.
She is six years old and was used for breeding, so she is not spayed...and I was worried about her being aggressive.

Anyways, Lou'e went over and had a playdate with her...everything seemed to be okay between the two of them.
The lady is set on me taking her...she doesn't want anyone else to take her. She said that if she doesn't find her a home that she is going to have her put down.

I have a really big problem...I picked Maggie up, and she really is the sweetest in the world, but when I looked into her mouth I noticed that half her teeth have been rotted out. I was completely shocked and a little furious. How can a woman that says she loves her dog have let her teeth rot out?
She is missing half of them and the other half are just...I can't even begin to describe.

I thought I was going to have a tough time with the cost of spaying this dog but now I am going to have to look at dental costs too.
I cannot leave this dog...I will adopt her...because if I don't then Lord only knows what will happen to her.
Because of these rotting teeth will she have other health problems?

Does anyone have any idea's how much dental surgeries are?


How can people let things like this happen to furbabies that they "love"???

[DvlshAngel985]

In my limited experience, dog dental routines are not common. Most people (usually coworkers) stare at me like I have 2 heads when I tell them I try to brush Kaji's teeth and that I take him in to have dental cleanings.

[Annie09]

Bless you for adopting Maggie, but I am sorry to hear about the dental issues. I totally understand your frustration with people not properly caring for their animals. I can tell you that when our Angel was around 14, she developed some horrendous breath and the vet said to remove the teeth (2) was $3500.00 because the roots go clear up under the eye. Hubby did not want to subject Angel to that because of her age, plus he doesn't believe in spending that kind of money on a dog. PLEASE don't kill me, this was HIS dog and I couldn't change his mind. But just an example on how people view their animals.

Just to reassure everyone, I plan to do yearly (or more frequent if necessary) dental cleanings on Annie to avoid this.

I am not very experienced in these things, so hopefully more posters will offer you better advice, but maybe you can work something out with your vet?

[Buddylove86]

I would look for low cost spays at shelters. Being in a city they should have some good options. I would ask about places or areas for assistance about dentals. Since you adopted her there may be some places out there. The vets could give you Clindamycin (best antibiotics for teeth) and dilute chlorohex solutions too to help with the infections until you able to get her teeth done. You could put a bit away each month until you are able to afford it. February is normally dental month and there may be some vets that have discounted surgery.

[NGessner]

The most important statement you have made was.....
"I recently posted about adopting a Yorkie girl from a lady that is terminally ill."

BRAVO!!!! This was a good thing!!

I am sure the "terminally ill lady" was filled
with gratitude, relief and peace of mind knowing her little girl was going to a very loving
home and will be taken care of. This person needs your prayers and support at
this time instead of rehashing all the mistakes she may have made in her lifetime.
Does she have other dogs that need to be rescued??? Does she have some dogs
that she would like to keep in her life at this time but needs help with??

Sorry for the rant!!! but this just struck me wrong this am. Being a survivor of cancer
I had so much wonderful support and love from friends family and people I did not even know.
I know that had a major effect on my recovery. Be thankful you are able to help this lady
and now have a wonderful little girl to love the rest of her life.

By the way, I just paid $70.00 for dental care and antibiotics for one of my little girls.
That included extracting several teeth and cleaning plus meds.

[DBlain]

kudos to you for willing to adopting the pup, however you should know what you are getting yourself into, Dentals can be Extremely expensive and each city is different I imagine Toronto is expensive. My sister had estimates well over $500.00 to just clean her yorkies teeth in Long Island NY. I have also seen threads here on the high price of dentals. If I was you I would ask the lady if you could take the dog to a vet for an evaluation, and perhaps if she hears how much it will cost, she could contribute something. It would be much better to know what you are getting into before bringing the dog home and find out you will have vet bills in the thousands. This is why often it is better to adopt from a rescue group since most of the vetting is done prior to adoption. While you are doing a good thing you need to make sure you are financially able to deal with might be coming you way. A lot of vets will do a free consult on a serious dental. Good luck I know you are in a tough spot

[sandrag86]

Thanks so much for the tips so far - keep them coming - much advice is appreciated.

NGessner - I apologize if the wording rubbed you the wrong way. I wasn't trying to be rude...I'm trying to help this lady out. I'm not really hashing out "all her mistakes". Just saying that this dog has severe dental issues and just need some help as to what I should do.

[dooder]

i also adopted a yorkie with the worst teeth issues. our dog had 2 rows of teeth and had one row removed before we adopted him. our vet told us that dental issues are big in this breed, especially if they are poorly bred. we were told all of his teeth would fall out over a period of time (and they have). our vet bill to have his teeth cleaned an checked isn't all that bad (he only has 6 teeth left). if you explain things to your local shelter they can direct you to people that can help with costs (i.e. clinics, vets that are willing to cut cost for adopted pets, etc.) snickers had a bit of trouble with crunchy foods depending on the size, but all in all he is a very healthy boy. no teeth doesn't stop him from trying to steal the linguica dogs! he grabbed one and hid under the deck, there are some very large spiders under there. ( he didn't eat the linguica because he cant bite it but it was funny to watch him. its the first time hes ever been food aggressive.) good luck with your new friend and other than the horrendously stinky good morning kisses i am positive you've made your friend feel very comforted in the fact that her baby is going to a wonderful home. you are a beautiful soul for giving a good home to someone else's beloved. all the good you give may you receive 3 fold

[NGessner]

I am sorry!! I guess I misread this post as a "poor me I have
been victimized by a terminally ill person".
Your statements of " How can people let things like this happen to furbabies
that they "love"? and "How can a woman that says she loves her dog have let
her teeth rot out?" just set me off. Were you really sincere in your quest for information
you could simply ask your questions concerning the health and care of this
little dog without bashing this lady. Right or wrong, she has enough problems
right now.

[sandrag86]

Let's stay on the topic please, does anyone else happen to have some advice?

She is missing half of her teeth. Does anyone have any suggestions on food for this pup as well?

[DBlain]

Originally Posted by NGessner

I am sorry!! I guess I misread this post as a "poor me I have
been victimized by a terminally ill person".
Your statements of " How can people let things like this happen to furbabies
that they "love"? and "How can a woman that says she loves her dog have let
her teeth rot out?" just set me off. Were you really sincere in your quest for information
you could simply ask your questions concerning the health and care of this
little dog without bashing this lady. Right or wrong, she has enough problems
right now.

I am glad you survived cancer but at the same time I don't think it's fair that you should use it to express thoughts that very likely were not even occurring in the OP's mind. It's natural to question why someone that loves a dog can neglect it to the point it's teeth are rotting. While you were reading one thing into the OP's post I was reading another. I was thinking about a woman that used her dog to breed and make money off and now wants to pawn her off to someone else to take care of. I think the OP must be a wonderful person to take this on, and I bow down to her because I sure would not be willing to take this dog in.

[DBlain]

Originally Posted by sandrag86

Let's stay on the topic please, does anyone else happen to have some advice?

She is missing half of her teeth. Does anyone have any suggestions on food for this pup as well?

I honestly think before we can give a lot of advice you need to have her seen by a vet. When buying a puppy the first thing people tell you is to have her checked out by a vet, I think that should be the first thing anyone should do when taking in any age dog.

[navillusc]

First, thank you for helping this lady and providing a loving home for her loving little girl, Maggie. I am sorry you are dealing with both a spay, and dental issues, but I would hesitate to lay any kind of blame on the terminally ill previous owner...even if your statements were not meant to do that...having no idea what her situation was, how long she was ill, or even if her vet was good enough to notice. I have heard some stories about 'bad vets' and the aftermath the dog owners had to deal with because the vets ignored issues. I have also known some very loving owners unable to completely prevent dental issues regardless how hard they tried. The dogs had 'bad teeth' bred into them and who know what else went wrong, and these great people ended up having toothless dogs. I would additionally point out that while meds like aspirin may not be routinely given to dogs, I discovered that the serious gum issues I had in my 20's were related to meds prescribed for headaches depleting CoQ10 levels, screwing up calcium absorption, etc., resulting in ME having to have MAJOR oral and foot surgeries! Little Maggie may have ended up in the situation she is in BECAUSE of what was thought to be 'good' care...that's is EXACTLY what happened in my personal situation. You could try giving her CoQ10:

https://www.google.com/#q=CoQ10%20for%20dogs

...it might help...or she might need meds for bacteria...does she have eye tearing/tear stains, too?

Second, you might check to see if there is a 'neuter commuter' or 'humane society' or even a 'pet store' where less expensive procedures are available...some pet stores are affiliated with local veterinary services, and offer 'specials'...even if you think you might not 'qualify' for such services. If there is a monetary qualification, you would want to let them know the circumstances under which you acquired the dog...she is 'technically' a 'rescue'...if you had not taken her, she would have been PTS. Perhaps start with her spay, unless the vet thinks that surgery would be unwise due to the dental condition...and take a little time to get organized.

Finally, if no such services are available, call around to all vet hospitals you'd consider using and compare prices. I have had girls spayed at different vets...all with good reputations, mind you...LOL...because their prices and/or availability was so much more in line with my needs. Don't feel guilty about it either...think of it as establishing a secondary veterinary service for such a time when you might need to switch. Vets do move out of state, too.



Congratulations on having sweet Maggie's love, and bless you for helping her like this.

[Magnus]

I just wanted to say thank you for taking her. If I remember right, I thought she wanted $2,000 for her which I thought was ridiculous.

I take my two to Banfield. I know a lot of people don't like them for various reasons but the vet at this particular Banfield is wonderful. I think I paid something like $500-$600 for their 1 year package that included dental. I'm sure there's a package that includes spaying as well. They have payment options too so you won't have to come up with the entire amount.

Even if there isn't a Banfield where you live, perhaps there's something similar to? I hope you are able to find something that you can work with... And again, thank you for bringing the sweetie home with you even with all the issues.

[Teegy]

It's a shame but when an animal is used purely for breeding often they are treated like a machine and the money doesn't go back into the dogs it goes in the breeders, I use the term loosely, pocket