Oral Hygiene - Help!
 

Hello, everyone.

I've been searching through the forums for an oral hygiene product. Biscuit is 2 years and 5 months and still hasn't taken to tooth-brushing, so he has some tartar buildup on his back teeth from lack of brushing. The color is yellow but his gums look like the usual pink. I think he might have a loose tooth though; it doesn't seem to bother him at all but it does worry me like crazy. I already left the vet a message and am waiting for his call. (Should I be scared of a dental cleaning? I would hate putting Biscuit under anesthesia, but if it's absolutely necessary I suppose it'll have to be done.)

I've come across three products in the forums: Petzlife, ProDen PlaqueOff, and Leba III. The way I understand it, Petzlife comes in a gel/spray, ProDen is a powder that is mixed with food, and Leba III is a spray.

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding which product I should buy. Petzlife and Leba III each contain ethyl alcohol, and ProDen has trace amounts of arsenic (which shouldn't be a problem, according to the website description). Needless to say, I'm a bit frazzled.

I feel like such a bad mom, and I'm just hoping for any advice and recommendations (even some chastisement, that's ok too).

Having said that, Biscuit and I thank you in advance :) :animal-pa

I don't think any of them ever like the tooth brush. You just have to do it.

I brush and then spray with ptezlife. But I am bad, I only do it on bath days, so mine have some tarter also.

I'm not convinced that any of those products are healthy.
Have you looked into Maxiguard?
His teeth really should be brushed though.
Very few pups enjoy it, but you're bigger than him. ;)

If you go ahead with a cleaning (and if there is build up and a loose adult tooth, it is probably needed), the vet can apply OraVet and you can use it weekly after that.

I haven't heard of Maxiguard so I'll look into it. Thank you for the suggestion :)

I'll also do my best with brushing. He's just going to have to put up with an "overbearing" mom!

The possibility of a dental cleaning worries me, but I know that it can be necessary for his health. I'm a worrywart so I'll still lose sleep over it, though :rolleyes:

That's pretty normal. Anesthesia can be scary stuff. :(
Just make sure that your vet is following the right surgical protocol and all should be fine.

I really like the Oxyfresh Pet Gel for "brushing". I use a piece of gauze wrapped around my finger as the toothbrush. They still don't like it, but tolerate it much better than any type of actual brush, even a finger one. I hen use a q-tip to apply soem Bluto's Yummy Brun Brush by Aromadog. Neither of these contain ethyl alcohol or arsenic.....

Yes, anesthesia is one of my main concerns. :(
I'll definitely be questioning the vet if the procedure has to be done.

I think I'll try the gauze, LuvMySissy. I've tried a fingerbrush without success so this sounds like a good way to do it. I'll also look into the products you mentioned. (When I read "alcohol" and "arsenic" in the ingredients list I kind of had a :eek: moment, but I know some people here use those products so I wanted some feedback.)

Again, thanks everyone!

Where do you buy the oxyfresh?

I hate to have to bump this thread up, but the vet came to look at Biscuit while I was napping. My mother handled things and told me what went on.

According to the vet, the loose tooth is a baby tooth and the adult tooth is "coming in". How likely is it that the adult tooth still hasn't emerged? Biscuit is 2 years and 5 months. I would have expected the adult tooth to grow next to, or near to, the baby tooth.

Either way, he's going to get that loose tooth extracted tomorrow. What bothers me is that they didn't talk about the possibility of infection or periodontal disease. I KNOW his back teeth are yellow and that his breath is stinky. His gums look a healthy pink but I haven't been able to properly look at the gums in the far back. The possibility that the loose tooth (which has buildup) is an adult tooth worries me.

I also don't know the regular procedure for a tooth extraction. I know that they're usually done while spaying/neutering, or when there are double rows of teeth... but what if there's an infection? Wouldn't bloodwork be necessary? How about x-rays? And if the tooth is already loose, will he be under anesthesia or sedation? I really wish someone had woken me up. I would've run my mouth off.

I'll be going to the appointment tomorrow and will ask questions, but any thoughts are welcome.

Yes, they have to be sedated and now would be a good time to have a cleaning. I also do the blood work prior to sedation.
Don't let it worry you , mine are 4 and 5 have lost several of their front teeth, they do fine without them.

I don't know much but I would think they would have there permanent teeth before 2.

I wrote down the Anesthesia/Surgery Protocol and hung it on my wall. I just wasn't sure about mild sedation with a loose tooth.

I checked his mouth again and his teeth aren't that bad in comparison to what I've looked at online, but I'm considering the cleaning and will ask about it. (I don't think the vet suggested it, but he might tomorrow.)

Thanks for the response :]

Good luck with the vet visit!

I just want to add our experience on the tarter issue - we have none! :) And we don't brush! We just had her annual check up last month and the vet was amazed.

My Bailey is 2.5 years old; she had a few baby teeth extracted when she was spayed at 7 mos. I feed Bailey a homemade raw diet with lien hamburger, eggs, rice, cottage cheese, etc. I contribute her no-tarter and no-bad breath to her diet.

This diet was created by my mom who has extensive knowledge in dog nutrition. True Story: once, my mom took in a rescue who had heartworm and needed a dental really bad. They couldn't do the dental due to the heartworm treatment. However, after several weeks on this diet, his mouth healed and it was determined that a dental was no longer necessary! Even mom was amazed with the quick results from this raw recipe.

If you're interested in the recipe, I'd be glad to post it or pm you. Its all human grade ingredients you can purchase from the grocery store (with the exception of a few supplements - i.e bone meal and potassium) I don't want to portray this a the "miracle food" - but as far as teeth are concerned, we swear by it!! :)

If it's a baby tooth, it should be pulled at this age.
Occasionally vets use a local anesthetic if if it is only going to tak e couple minutes, but if they are doing a cleaning too (and they should be if the back ones are yellow), then the protocol for anesthesia applies. Bloodwork should be done before.

Karrie, that sounds amazing! I never really considered feeding him a raw diet until I started reading about it here in the forums. I don't know if I'll be making the transition soon, but I'm definitely interested in the recipe. Thank you very much for the thoughtful response :)

Ellie May, it thankfully appears to be his only baby tooth. I hope he won't have to go under for the tooth extraction, but I'll ask for bloodwork if that's what they suggest. I'll also ask for the cleaning. Thanks again, I feel more prepared and less like a neurotic nut.

You can find it on Ebay......

do the teeth need to be brushed daily? i am a bit lazy and i brush my dog's teeth once or twice weekly; i also use the bluto's brush; however when brushing her teeth she bleeds somtimes from the back teeth; i am assuming that's a sign of dental disease? is there a way to reverse it or is it time for dental cleaning. she's on the honest kitchen food.

That's great!!! I'd love to have the recipe too please :D

Ohhh, could I have it too please? I'm really dreading dentals for my 6 babies and will do anything to prevent it. I hate to admit it, but, I've very lax on brushing their teeth. It's like fighting a bear! :p

Preferrably daily, but 3-4 times a week minimum.
Sometimes their gums can get irritated if you don't brush often.
It can happen to people when they don't normally floss and then start and it doesn't always mean periodontal disease.

thanks; i am using an enzyme toothpaste that smells like poultry but it stinks and i really dont want to use it anymore; so i am brushing with the biotene maintenance gell for now; however i need to get a toothpaste soon; which one do you recommend.

We use CET Vanilla-Mint. It smells like rootbeer floats. :)

I feel so much better after hearing that we're not the only ones with a toothbrush hating puppy. Gucci is about a year and a half and I try to brush about 3 times a week with a mint flavored doggie toothpaste. It's amazing how strong those little guys are! When we were in for his last check up, I was told that he still has 2 of his puppy canines and they think they should be extracted. I'm like a lot of you and do not like the idea of sedating him, but I guess there's no way around it. I've been dragging my feet, but don't want to wait too much longer. They'll clean his teeth at the same time. How often do you all have their teeth cleaned?

Here it is!

1/2 lb lean hamburger (**)
1/4 lb ground turkey
2 cans sardines (*)
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup veg. of choice (I use chopped spinach)
2 large eggs lightly cooked
3/4 tablespoon powdered bone meal
1/2 teaspoon potassium
1 tablespoon safflower of Sunflower oil

(**) you can substitute lean hamburger with venison or ground turkey (in fact, rotation is preferred)
(*) I found the sardines tooooo smelly (lol) so I have permission to replace the sardines with 4 oz. of another ground meat, or 1/2 cup cottage cheese - so long as I squeeze fish oil caplets over her food 2-3 times a week. (its a wonderful trade off!!!)

For the eggs, I'll break them over the hot rice and let it sit for a few minutes, hence lightly cooked.

Occasionally add 1 oz. liver to the batch.

Mix all together and your done! For storage, there are lots of options. For me, I bought 10 oz. gladware containers (6 for $1 in the discount aisle) and fill them about 3/4's full and freeze. One container will last for three days - per dog (I have a singleton). I hardly ever have to replace the containers - they last forever.

Serve one large tablespoon per meal - twice a day.

Typically, I will make up 4 batches at one time and freeze.

For the supplements (bone meal and potassium) - I get them online through iHerb.com. You'll need "potassium chloride powder - sodium free salt substitute" and "100% pure bone meal powder". I found safflower oil at wal-mart.

I also get childrens multivitamins with no artificial sweetners (cut into 1/4's) and give to her every other day.

Bailey absolutely loves this and I know its good for her - so I serve it with confidence. Its really no trouble at all when you double or quadruple up on the batches and freeze!! Our babies are soooo worth the extra effort.

Good luck!! :)

Karrie, do you serve this along with their kibble, or in place of? Thanks so much for the recipe! Can't wait to try it.:p

Thank you for the recipe! I definitely want to try this out soon, and I'll most likely be using the cottage cheese instead of the smelly sardines :D

Have you tried a toothpaste that's meat/poultry flavored? Biscuit hates the toothbrush but sometimes surrenders for a little bit because he likes the flavor... then he bolts :p

I don't know about the number of cleanings. This will be his first cleaning and I hope I don't have to put him through it again. One of my main goals from now on will be to prevent the need for dental cleanings in the future.

Having said that, I hope Gucci has an easygoing, trouble-free tooth extraction and cleaning :)

Nope, no kibble.

At first, I told mom that I wasn't interested in making her food - I thought it would be too much trouble. But then Bailey went through a finicky stage - and wouldn't eat anything (dry or canned); also I had purchased some chicken jerky that was subsequently pulled off the shelves just a few days later - "Smokehouse" brand in 2007.

Between the dog food scare and her not-eating - I finally gave this a try. It was the BEST thing I ever did!!! :)

Good luck!

Oh, yeah...I had to draw the line with the lil fishes! LOL

I'm Karrie's niece Rachel. When i first saw Karrie's Bailey, i knew i had to have a yorkie someday. i'd dreamed about it forever and finally got mine. i always heard Karrie and my dad talk about this raw diet and thought it was too much trouble and there was no way i'd ever feed my dog human food...then i researched and realized that the recipe was super easy to make, (just made my second batch without Karrie's help!!) and that it stores and it's not like you cook every night, and then i also understood WHY we do this, it's better for teeth, gums, breath, coat, skin, tummies, and overall health...so i started her off on it from day 1 and she ate the raw and never would touch the breeder's kibble that he left with us...so raw it was!!

thanks Karrie for showing me how to make it and for teaching me about it

Thank you so much for the recipe! As soon as I get the supplements, I'm going to give it a try. Think I get those at GNC or would I have to order over the internet? :rolleyes: Either way, I'm gonna get them!:p