|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
12-27-2013, 05:12 PM | #1 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 92
| Late to the oral health game - help! Unfortunately I have not done a good job of protecting my two Yorkies in the oral health department. I give them greenies every day and I was using a spray for a while that was supposed to limit tartar and plaque, but I recently checked their teeth and was horrified by what I found. Our vet had mentioned before that they could do teeth cleaning, but it involves anesthesia. That really scares me, especially because one of my dogs had knee surgery last year and I don't want to put him through that again. I have started brushing their teeth with baking soda but I am not seeing much of a difference. Please help! Thank you so much! |
Welcome Guest! | |
12-27-2013, 08:04 PM | #2 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,220
| How old is he? Tarter is a toughie......once it's there , I'd have a vet remove it. |
12-27-2013, 08:14 PM | #3 |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Anesthesia is really not as dangerous as it used to be you just need to get the blood test before to make sure everything is working right. It is better to get it done sooner then later because later can mean they may loose more teeth and it can cause other health issues.
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! |
12-27-2013, 11:15 PM | #4 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: King County, WA
Posts: 3,817
| I'm thinking the vet is the way to go.... We're wrestling with what to do on our dog, we'll go vet... but we rcvd our old man with extensive work that needs to be done. He'll lose the majority of his teeth. Our concerns have to do with quality of life after teeth removal... Don't wait too long... |
12-27-2013, 11:39 PM | #5 |
Banning Thread Dictator Donating Member | Genetics plays a big part of it, so don't beat yourself up. I have one dog who made it 6 years before vet suggested a cleaning because of mild tarter. I have another who didn't make it 2 years before she had bad tarter and needed a cleaning. She's ready again at age 4. I would recommend the vet and a professional cleaning, then start a regimen of tooth brushing every day. It won't make the problem go away, but it should extend the time between cleanings.
__________________ Mike ~ Doting Dad to Jillie, Harper, Molly, Cooper, Eddie (RIP), Lucy (RIP), Rusty (RIP) and Jack (RIP). Check us out on YouTube |
12-27-2013, 11:45 PM | #6 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,721
| Anesthesia risks are not comparitive to the for sure health risks of not doing it. Dental health is related to so much more than our social system values an an absessed tooth can mean death. One sweet little girl I met had her dental infection go up and lost her eye, she had loving owners who just didn't understand the importance and the risks of not getting that cleaning. My mamas maltepoo recently had to have multiple teeth pulled at only age three! Again, she was lucky she caught the infection. I support the 'go for it' option get that puppy to the vet and get those teeth cleaned hugs of support
__________________ Alyssa and Lilah |
12-28-2013, 05:42 AM | #7 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 92
| Thanks for the replies! What concerns me is anesthesia a second time (he's 10). And my 8 year old has had seizures in the past in is very sensitive. You guys are saying the risk is minimal and worth it? |
12-28-2013, 09:34 AM | #8 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Urbana, IL USA
Posts: 3,648
| Be sure that the vet is aware of your dogs' histories and your concerns. Anesthesia in an older dog shouldn't be a problem. If the teeth are in bad shape and need cleaning, I'd have it done, but if you are still in doubt, or if you don't trust your vet 100%, seek a second opinion from another vet. |
12-28-2013, 09:40 AM | #9 | |
Don't Litter Spay&Neuter Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: So Cal
Posts: 9,874
| Quote:
Clean teeth is a very important part of their health (our's too!). If they get periodontal disease, the bad blood can harm the major organs & bring disease.
__________________ | |
12-29-2013, 02:40 PM | #10 |
YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Jefferson
Posts: 284
| Struggling with dental care as well. My four year old Max has 75% collapsing trachea and is being treated by the University of Georgia Vet School. One of his meds is an opiate elixir, and before I really noticed, he's developed really heavy, almost concrete like tarter on his front teeth right where I put the syringe in his mouth. He takes it twice a day. A month ago, I started using Peteze Tarter control gel on a tiny toothbrush twice a day. It seemed to help a lot at first, but we're at a stalemate. I've been reading about tooth scaling without anesthesia. Anyone out there tried that? Max has become very tolerant of my messing with his teeth. I use one of those tiny, single use toothbrushes, but I pop the mouthwash 'pearl' out of it first. Fits his tiny mouth perfectly. Should I continue to use the gel? Will it eventually clear his mouth? Would appreciate comments from folks who have solved the plaque problem without anesthesia. |
12-29-2013, 06:09 PM | #11 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
12-29-2013, 06:44 PM | #12 | |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,721
| Quote:
__________________ Alyssa and Lilah | |
12-29-2013, 11:03 PM | #13 | |
Don't Litter Spay&Neuter Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: So Cal
Posts: 9,874
| Quote:
This should be closely discussed w/your vet. If your guy has not had a dental cleaning in awhile, it might be best to do it via anesthesia or some other sedation they suggest. They do have specialists that deal w/high risk patients that need to go under anesthesia.
__________________ | |
Bookmarks |
|
|
Thread Tools | |
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart