My new Yorkies Teeth
 

I've discovered that 'Holly', our new family member, aged 14 months and 4lbs in weight has had quite a few teeth (sides upper & lower) extracted. She joined us 4 days ago and had been 'spayed' a fortnight before, so I presume the dental work wisely took place at that time. I noticed a 'whiff' when we first got her and put it down to change of diet?

The odour has now virtually gone and I'm getting her checked by our Vet next Monday. Whilst of course its wise to pull the offenders does it weaken the remaining teeth roots? A friend has a very small York (3.5lbs) and said his dog had some teeth out and was advised it was more prevalent with smaller Yorks, as the same 42 meggies have to fit in a tighter space than say Crystal our other York who weighs nearly 9lbs, with a skull twice the size. I'm going to get some doggy toothpaste etc from the Vet next week, but wondered if anyone here had a similar experience with a small Yorkie and their periodontal/teeth problems? - Thank you

Yup...I've known lots of yorkies who've had to have a lot of teeth removed - it's just so crowded in those teensy mouths! So, this isn't unusual. One of my relative's yorkie had all its teeth removed - and he still lived/ate great :).

Not our yorkie, but we have a small toy poodle with a little tiny mouth. Our vet has a dental specialty and was concerned that there was not enough room for all those adult teeth. We had dental ex-rays done when she was spayed at about 9 or 10 months, which clearly showed that it was too crowded in there. They pulled her four back molars to make more room for the rest of her teeth. The teeth were not decayed. It was done prophalactically to prevent future problems. Vet said it was a common issue with very small dogs.


We also have another, older toy poodle that must have been BORN with bad teeth. LOL He was a rescue and when we got him at 5, his teeth were in terrible shape. We scheduled him for a dental right away and he lost half of his teeth. The next year, he had another dental and lost the rest of them. He is now left with just three little canines. He does just fine without teeth, and gobbles his primal raw patties. He can also chew - or maybe gum - little tiny milk bones and other treats.


Our 2 year old yorkie has lost one of his front teeth. It did not have visible cavaties, but the root died for some reason, the tooth turned gray, and had to come out. Its right in the front of his mouth!


Little dogs are notorious for teeth problems.


Diana

My poor little Zoey (7lbs - 5 1/2 yrs) has lost about 20 teeth. Every time she goes in for cleaning out come more teeth. It is heart breaking. I soften her kibble with warm water so as not to break any teeth and to help her eat. She also gets canned RC rx food.

Thank you everyone. 'Holly' has discovered she likes Crystal's chew sticks, perhaps I should prevent her from using these to preserve her existing teeth?

:) Hi Martin + extended family!!! Little Holly's soooo gorgeous - and happy to hear all's going so well :)

Just wondering - how do you brush Crystal's teeth? Harry's a bit of a nightmare with it all (he's SUCH a boy :rolleyes:) but I manage to do it with toothpaste on a bit of gauze, making a game of it.

Apart from that (and I know many on here will disagree with me eek!) but for the last year or so I've added a squirt of Tropiclean Oral Care water additive to his water (!!!) - and I've found the difference amazing. Not just his breath - but to the general condition of his teeth - no yellow, quite pearly! :D xx

Hello Sal, I've got some doggy toothpaste and finger brushes for Crystal, but she's a complete nightmare with it's application. Holly's wonderful, lies on her back and just opens her mouth and lets me clean away. Same approach with her grooming too. After your introduction to Lily's (now delivered weekly by Tesco's at 99p) I've ordered some "Tropiclean" too - what a good idea - mouthwash for Yorkies!:)