Shocked Ashamed and Confused

[mcfalcon]

Originally Posted by Amanda7

Been thinking about poor little Francie and her 15 extractions. How is she doing today?

Feeling much better thank you! She actually looks like your two! Ears down though. Its been rough for me psychologically as I think I should have been more insistant, or should have done more reasearch. I thought it was normal to have a few not so good teeth by age six. Even the Vet told me that. Truth is for years until we started looking for Butler, we really thought Francie was a Silky even though her papers said Yorkie(many are mixed I know) but after joining YT, Boy is she a Yorkie. Most online look like the breed standard, I like them when they look more robust like yours and mine! She still has 2 incisors, her canines and most of the Molars and Premolars. There must have been some baby teeth in there!
Thank you so much for the kind words.

[kalina82]

i'm sorry to hear that your pup had to have 15 teeth pulled. Sometimes there is no way of knowing what needs to come out until you get in there. Did she have a lot of tater on her teeth or did she have gingivitis?

sometimes when doing a dental on a dog or cat once you start scraping the tarter off you notice that the teeth are basically held in by the tarter so once you remove it the teeth are too loose to keep in. Or the gingivitis or peridontal disease is so bad that the pockets above the teeth are too deep. there is a tool used that slides in under the gum line to check the depth of the pockets. these pockets are just loose gum that isn't really holding the tooth in place. when the pockets are really deep that means the tooth isn't held in place very well and teh pockets are just deep bacteria breeding grounds. so the tooth needs to come out and the hole needs to be sutured shut.

[YorkieLvr]

Oh My! I feel your pain, that is a shock to say the least! and poor Francine. We had a similiar event with one of our Yorkies. He went in for a routine cleaning and when I went to pick him up, they handed me a semi-drugged dog with 8 teeth missing! I was SHOCKED! I just burst out crying in the vets lobby like a lunatic, it was so devastating. So I do understand because we had no warning, no phone call, and just assumed he was in for a cleaning. Unfortunately, yorkies are notorious for bad teeth. However; I never went back to that vet I was so upset. I hope you are both feeling better and sending you both a big cyber hug.

[IluvLucy]

Please don't beat yourself up! Rebel is only 2, and recently had to have 9 permanent teeth removed. He has a genetic defect that results in the enamel not forming correctly on his teeth. Our vet consulted with the vet school at UGA before he diagnosed Reb. My baby is very well taken care of, with teeth brushed and regular cleanings, it's just something that's happened that I have to learn to live with. His teeth are brownish, not pearly white like Lucy's - and it breaks my heart to know that he may lose more teeth in the future, but all I can do is take the very best care of him that I can.

And..that's all you can do, too! Hugs to you.

[mcfalcon]

Thank you to all who responded to my post. Your advice, comments and genuine concern really helped us here at home to deal with the shock and frustration. A very special group of folks indeed!
Francie is doing fine and enjoying her new brother Butler. We'll post a photo today! Thank you again.

[toke]

What a difference there is in vets and their practices. Mine always gives an estimate of cost and lists exactly what they plan to do. My Phoebe had an estimate for several extractions a few years back, but, while she was under, they found she needed a few more. Then they only charged me for the planned extractions...nothing for the extras. So, I was mostly forewarned, at least. Good grief, 15 teeth. I would be very unhappy and shocked with a surprise of that magnitude.

[Little Dog]

Wriddle Dog had 12 pulled a couple of months ago. I knew he would have to have a few extracted but 12 geez. When I went to get him the Vet told me he didn't like to put yorkies under so instead of doing a few at a time he took them instead of waiting. Plus he said the other bad teeth would cause more bad ones if we waited to long. So I am glad he did it all at once so that it was easier for Wriddle (and Mommy). But he did great and was eating kibble (stolen from Buddy's bowl) later in the evening. I couldn't tell the difference in him except he was sleeping more.
Hope your furbaby is doing as well as Wriddle did.

[QuickSilver]

It Petzlife gel different from the spray? How is it used?

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

It Petzlife gel different from the spray? How is it used?

Just put a small amount on his toothbrush and brush like you would do with doggie toothpaste. Don't let him drink water for at least 30 minutes after brushing. I sometimes mix his C.E.T. toothpaste with the Petzlife gel, and brush. I've never used the spray...I'm afraid I'd get it in his eyes and nose.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

It Petzlife gel different from the spray? How is it used?

Same stuff, just different application methods, I find that the spray is easiest to use, really fast, the gel takes a little more time, and you apply it with either you finger or q-tip. Some dogs don't like a spray, but it's never bothered Joey, but we never used spays as a aversive punishment, and I know some people do this to reduce barking.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Princes mom

Just put a small amount on his toothbrush and brush like you would do with doggie toothpaste. Don't let him drink water for at least 30 minutes after brushing. I sometimes mix his C.E.T. toothpaste with the Petzlife gel, and brush. I've never used the spray...I'm afraid I'd get it in his eyes and nose.

Petzlife shouldn't be used as toothpaste, it's possible for them to swallow too much, and remember it does contain alcohol. Dog toothpaste contains ingredients that they can safely swallow, they why you can't use human toothpaste either because it contains an artificial sweetner that could make a dog sick if swallowed. Petzlife needs to sit on the teeth for 30 minutes to soften tartar, so tooth brushing with it isn't effective either.

[QuickSilver]

Thank you, I will look for the gel. I tried the spray, but it was like I was firing a gun into Thor's mouth every time I squirted!

Thor has bad teeth, and reading all these stories really makes me want to do absolutely everything possible to keep them healthy.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by kalina82

i'm sorry to hear that your pup had to have 15 teeth pulled. Sometimes there is no way of knowing what needs to come out until you get in there. Did she have a lot of tater on her teeth or did she have gingivitis?

sometimes when doing a dental on a dog or cat once you start scraping the tarter off you notice that the teeth are basically held in by the tarter so once you remove it the teeth are too loose to keep in. Or the gingivitis or peridontal disease is so bad that the pockets above the teeth are too deep. there is a tool used that slides in under the gum line to check the depth of the pockets. these pockets are just loose gum that isn't really holding the tooth in place. when the pockets are really deep that means the tooth isn't held in place very well and teh pockets are just deep bacteria breeding grounds. so the tooth needs to come out and the hole needs to be sutured shut.

Very informative post! That does explain why they sometimes want to remove more than seems necessary. My mom recently had to have several of her little dachshund's teeth removed. They wondered whether that many really needed to come out. I will pass along this info. I learn something new almost everyday on this site!

I wonder why some breeds are more prone to bad teeth. I know for people, dry mouths can lead to a lot of dental problems. I worry about Ben, my male yorkie. I don't think he drinks enough water -- his urine is always very yellow. I know he is heading for dental problems, but it has not been mentioned at the vet's so far. Hope I am not in for a surprise down the line like the OP here! Think I will bring up the subject next visit.

[YoRkiE Te aMo]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Thank you, I will look for the gel. I tried the spray, but it was like I was firing a gun into Thor's mouth every time I squirted!

Thor has bad teeth, and reading all these stories really makes me want to do absolutely everything possible to keep them healthy.

u can still use the spray..... u spray it on a cotton gauze wrap it around ur finger and rub the teeth and gums with it ...on the site they said for best results u use the spray in the morning and the gel at night ... i have not tried it but am reading up on the different options...petzlife...leba III ...denta clean herbal toothpaste and also found a neem toothpaste they say people using neem get beautiful white teeth