Actually, I DO educate people who adopt from me. AND...I can tell you that if they cannot afford dentals, they don't need a yorkie. There are other breeds that are not quite such high maintenance. I will NOT adopt to a person who has not shown that they are willing to do dentals and other necessary care for their pups. I make no excuses for that! My job is to do my level best to keep any pup that crosses my threshhold from ending up back in the system. My job is NOT to give people what they want and cannot afford.

If you knew Linda at all you would know that educating people and helping Yorkies is pretty much her life's purpose. I haven't walked her walk but not many have. She has earned the right to talk the talk.

When I took Sadie in this week with the loose tooth. I described to my Vet all the things I was doing to keep Sadie's teeth healthy. He laughed and said that there was only one thing I could do that I wasn't - have a breed other than Yorkie. I told him I wasn't prepared to do that.

I hear that! :)

If a vet is repeatedly damaging a trachea through intubation, they def need an inservice to refresh their intubation skills. Proper intubation can still result in a bit of a sore throat, but it shouldn't really damage the trachea to the extent you're mentioning...again, if done properly.

Well, my goodness, my fellow Wisconsite (where I grew up :))...I'm feeling a bit of a windchill here :rolleyes:. I would tell you to chillax, but maybe ya need to warm up a little here :D.

I sure would hope that an association that focused on a certain health issue would release White Papers and PS's that covered their expertise. Yes? No? Of course they're going to focus on promoting the subject matter. I mean, would we rather the ACVD wrote about liverwurst or...?

I read Vet Derm papers/PS's/White Papers...and my expectation is that those papers are about Derm care, rather than promoting NOT getting care.

On this teeth issue, my concern is not only pain, but also that oral injury (during at-home dental) could be severe. Oral issues have great secondary effect upon the heart, not to mention other organs.

Anesthesia is always a risk, and we talk about it often here. It's also a risk to get a vaccine, to walk across the street, to feed kibble, to feed raw, to feed homecooking. My point is, as pet owners we have to weigh all the factors and make decisions accordingly. If the best risk factor for you is to perform home dental, okay...but I hope those w/ pets seek Vet dental care when it's needed, rather than not get it due to fear of something that may be less risky than the dental issue itself.

Best of luck with your kiddo. How is Wisconsin?

Only one of my girls have had a traditional teeth cleaning with anesthesia. It was because she was also getting x-rays for retained teeth (under the gums) and crowding/bite issues.

The remaining of my dogs get their teeth cleaned yearly with a vet that does the cleaning without anesthesia. We also brush 2x weekly, use a water additive, and give raw meaty bones on weekends to help with clean teeth/breath.

Wisconsin is cold, colder and snowy!!!! Now you got smart and moved to AZ!

I will stand behind my many years of observation on the subject of intubation. Damaged tracheas are a very serious problem, and as you know, much more research needs to be done in ways to repair them as the method used now is ofen unsuccessful and painful for the dog. Periodically it's necessary but if yearly can be avoided with home care then that, I feel, is preferable. And when vets advocate cleaning every 6 months I draw the line.

I've cleaned teeth on hundreds of yorkie's teeth with a scaler. Not nearly as efficient as a cavitron but it's all we used to have. And no, I've not seen damage caused by this method as long as care and common sense are used. Some dogs can't be restrained any way but chemically. They have to go to the vet. But if a dog is taught to tolerate weekly brushing plus periodic gentle scaling of teeth most mouths can be maintained beautifully. As a point of interest, the chemical composition of the saliva greatly affects the build up of tarter. That's why some people need to have their teeth cleaned frequently and so do some dogs. But chewing helps remove tarter. Chewing dry food doesn't.

And while in a perfect world we could demand that everyone who owns a yorkie has the financial means to pay for anything and everything the dog needs medically I don't find that to be a reality. Dentist are being hit hard with this economy, it goes without saying that dog dentals will too. And there are vets in my major metropolitian area that charge upwards of $500. for a dental. The bottom line is that it just isn't going to happen. So again, I feel that if there is infection, excessive build up of tarter and loose teeth go to a vet. But if there's a way that the gum line can be kept clean so the above don't happen then I hope people will consider trying weekly oral maintainance.

Thank you for all the input in this thread. Thanks Crystal for the reseach and information.:)

I will not be doing my own dentals at home. I am uncomfortable with doing this for many reasons.

Luckily, I have a vet that we trust and is very experienced with small animals. I was just wanting to know how often this is done. My vet has not suggested every 6 mo. This was discussed as a yearly procedure if needed, sometimes can be less frequent.

Really depends on the dog. I was told that Ellie's should probably be done at least once a year and probably twice. Home care has gone extremely well for her, so it has been three years now. Your pup's vet should be assessing teeth and gum health 1-2 times a year to make a decision on if a dental is needed. The more you brush, the less they will be needed. Brushing should be done at least 3-4 times a week - preferably once or twice a day. Never more than about 72 hours between...