Hootie & Hobbs teeth are DISGUSTING! Petzlife QUESTION!
 

Their breath reeks, a few of their teeth have green stuff growing on them and their gums are red. I have some Petzlife for teeth gel and spray but obviously I haven't been using it like I should. I've never brushed their teeth before, I've just put the Petzlife in their mouth. But tonight I put some Petzlife gel on a doggie toothbrush and brushed their teeth. And in the mornings I'll be spraying their mouth with the Petzlife spray.

So, to my question...if I start brushing their teeth regularly and using the Petzlife like I should, will this take care of the problem or do I need to have their teeth professionally cleaned by the vet??

I never used petzlife but i took London to get her teeth cleaned cause they were gross! I brushed them with dog toothpaste, and tried many things and nothing worked but the dog cleaning, now her teeth are very clean and i brush them almost everyday to prevent them of getting like before.

I don't know the answer to that, it sounds like they need professional help. Petzlife should be used in conjunction with tooth brushing. The Petzlife softens the tartar and you brush it off. It takes several months to work if the dog has obvious signs of tartar, your dogs sound like they already have advanced gingivitis and probably need more help than this can give them. Many people use it to prevent tartar buildup and also if their pets can't be placed under anesthesia, and so this would be very useful. I think you should get in the practice of doing it daily, and also, use chew sticks to help your dogs teeth and gums.

I don't normally brush Pippin's teeth. I do if I remember but I don't do it on a regular basis and everytime he goes to see his vet she marvels at how white and healthy his teeth are. He chews on alot of pork hide which his vet said was good for his teeth. I've never even heard of Petzlife before. Pippin doesn't have a doggy toothbrush, I bought him a toddler toothbrush and just brush his teeth the way I used to brush my cats teeth, and that was with a luke warm slightly salted water. He doesn't mind it and he lets me brush his teeth, now if only he'd let me put an ear cleaning solution in his ears. He's impossible when it comes to that.

-Kelly

teeth!
 

I had a Maltese that was 13 before the vet mentioned teeth cleaning and of course I didn't do it, that was long ago enough that they didn't recommend it like now. But at the time my vet gave me something that worked great and since the Yorkies have such historically bad teeth, I use it now for them. It's called Antirobe Aquadrops. It's in liquid form and not expensive. It's an antibiotic that targets the bacteria in the mouth and it is used one week a month to prevent tooth and mouth problems. It really worked great on the Maltese whose teeth were tartar caked for 13 years, it loosened the tartar and it either came off or could be scraped off with your fingernail. No more bad breath or red inflamed gums and for an old boy it was amazing. I have used it for my 5 1/2 year old Yorkie for a couple of years now. I made sure to ask about the over use of antibiotics and they assured me of the safety of this because it really targets the mouth. It is always a matter of possible side effects weighed out against the probability of what bad teeth can cause. As well as the horrible possibilities of what can happen under anesthesia. I couldn't imagine a lifetime of regular anesthesia for teeth, not to mention the cost. I also just found this seaweed powder that you sprinkle on their food called Plaqueoff and it has made quite an impression on people and vets around here. I just started using it for the puppy so I don't have feedback yet. Sorry for the long post but I know this is such an issue for Yorkies!:D

You could go to the vet for a consult and ask how much time you could risk (before tooth loss) to give the Petzlife a chance to work before doing a full-on dental. Petzlife makes some great claims, so I wonder if it could live up to what you need it for.

There is a new prodcut posted in Health by Gracie2006 that looks interesting too. :)

My guys' teeth are beautiful from feeding raw - but I think you've been down that road, right? Oddly, Wylie's teeth were at his worst during homecooking (vs. kibble). Then, they cleared up on their own once he was on raw. (which I didn't really expect)

Here is a link for some info for you.

ACVC 2001 - Periodontal Disease in Dogs and Cats

Deana
Prestigeous Yorkies

Thanks everyone! Hootie and Hobbs are both really small so avoiding anesthesia is my goal. I'm going to continue with the Petzlife twice a day, brushing with the gel in the evenings. I'm also going to get a scaler (like the metal thing they use at the dentist to scrape plaque off the teeth) and start using that once the plaque seems to break up.

My grandmother's vet (my grandmother also has a yorkie) recommended giving her yorkie a greenie once a day for her teeth. Are the new greenies safe???

Get the double ended scaler its the best, my handler showed me and told me to get that one.
I have some that will just lay there and let us scale their teeth then we have some that are just too freaked out with it and have to be wrapped in a towel in someones arms and we just slowly do a lil bit at a time.
Best of luck with your two.

Deana
Prestigeous Yorkies

THANKS! Where can I get the double-ended scaler?? I saw one on Drs. Foster & Smith, but it wasn't double-ended.

- Tartar Remover/Scraper #16-110

Here is the link
I meant to add it to the previous post.

Deana
Prestigeous Yorkies

THANKS YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

I would take them to the vet first and have them clean, I brush mine every other day and they have white teeth, I have use petzlife for many months is ok but I really think the best is brushing the teeth with tooth paste I also have a scraper but be very very careful with the gum:aimeeyork

This isn't something that should be treated at home unless you are doing it under the supervision of a vet in my opinion. Green teeth and red gums most likely means infection. Infection means at any time their heart, liver and kidneys could weaken because of it. They may be in pain. They could start losing teeth.

Petzlife works for some people but for some it doesn't.
The alcohol so close to the top of the ingredient list is questionable.

The teeth do need to be brushed.
I even floss Ellie sometimes.

If they are as bad as what you're describing, I'd go to the vet.
I waited and didn't want to deal with Ellie's mouth and now she is out 9 adult teeth that had to be pulled and a couple that fell out...

I know anesthesia is scary though.
How much do they weigh?

Scaling at home may be okay but you won't be getting all of the plaque and they may look clean which can be dangerous because there is still hidden bacteria/plaque.

Not sure if you saw this thread, but it's kind of interesting:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...oothpaste.html