Need advise regarding teeth and eyes, feeding
 

Hi, I am new to the forum. I recently adopted an adult yorkie from a woman who got very ill and could not longer keep her. She had two yorkies. My mom took one and I took one.
1. FOOD? They were eating Cesars but when I took my dog to the vet she told me the dog was getting tartar on her teeth so I got my dog to start eating dry small Wellness kibbles. Recently she has shown no interest in eating the Wellness. I get her to eat a few kibbles a day and she eats the hard wellness treats along with a nutrident treat from nylabone. This morning she ate a few kibbles of another dry dog food and some kibbles of Acana but only a few. I make sure to exercise her at least 20mins a day through play. She has never been trained to walk on a leash. She is 5lbs. What is the best quality dry kibble food for Yorkies? What can I do other then give her table or wet dog food?
2. TEETH? My dog's breath smells and her teeth appear to be brownish. I have been rubbing on a small about of Tropiclean Gel in the morning and at night with a gauze pad. I massage it into her gums and teeth. I do not see blood on her chew toys anymore but I don't think this is working very well. I am afraid of putting her under anesthesia because of her small size and delicate state. I heard of a product called PetzLife and CET. Can someone recommend the best thing I can use and do to take care of my Yorkie's teeth at home?
3. EYES? Her eyes do get some discharge and I have been wiping it away with cotton balls soaked in warm water. I got Burt Bees Saline Eye Wash but she hates it. Can anyone recommend a vitamin supplement for her eyes and a safe eyewash? Should I change her drinking water to bottled water instead of tap?
I very much appreciate your responses. I live alone with my Sweet Little Girl and am finding it tough financially to survive in my area of the country. The vet in my area charged me 85 dollars and was very little or no help at all. Thanks again. Angel

Some of what you're asking for is in this section of the forum: Yorkie Health & Diet - YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community

Some of it can be found through the search feature here at YT.

Acana is a highly rated food. Sounds like you're headed in the right direction. Teeth cleanings are highly recommended. Controversy surrounds anesthesia vs non anesthesia dental cleanings.

I would suggest that you look for another vet. You can find vets who are AAHA accredited here:
AAHA Healthy Pet
You might want to call the ones that are close to you and find out about cost for visits.
Vetting a yorkie inexpensively is not an easy venture...there are definitely things that can happen to them that can end up costing money. Prevention is good ... yes, you can use products on their teeth, BUT if she already has smelly breath it is likely that she is in need of a professional dental. Then, after that, you could look into teeth brushing and things that would help avoid plaque and tartar.
As for her eyes, nothing but warm water imho ... you really need a vet to check them if you have not already. I would not put any over the counter product in her eyes.
Kibble will not clean teeth. Again, she probably needs a dental.
Good luck!

thanks
 

I have looked at a lot of posts before becoming a member. I do need a bit more help. I want to know what others have had success with.
I don't know how to find out about non-anesthesia dental cleanings. I am surprised that there is not more info about them... My dog is in a delicate state and is only about 4 to 5 lbs. I am afraid to put her under anesthesia. I went to Petland, Petco, Pet Choice, Pet Goods and Pet Smart yesterday looking for a product called PetzLife... or CET. I want to know the safety/effectiveness of each and where to find it because NOT one of those petshops sold either product.

My four and five pound pups have dental cleanings every year under anesthesia. There is not the risk that people think.

If you want to know about products for teeth and also to learn about the hazards of dentals without anesthesia (there are many risks and only a small majority of people actually use them...most people opt for professional cleanings under anesthesia...saving money may be putting a pup at risk)
look at this link:

Information for Owners | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College

Here are some links regarding anesthesia free dentals that may help you understand more about them:

Anesthesia Free Dentistry for Pets, Dogs, Cats..Malpractice? | Veterinary Dentistry Today

https://www.facebook.com/Toothvets

Dental Scaling Without Anesthesia | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College

My dogs are 10 years old and about 3.5 or 4lbs, too (they fluctuate). I'm not an expert, not a breeder, don't show dogs, and not saying that you should do what I do.... but here's how I handle the concerns you mentioned in your post.

1. Food - I feed Orijen Senior. Kibble is nice and small and it was highly recommended by my local mom/pop dog food store. I give 1.5 TBSP at 8am, and 1.5 TBSP at 5pm. You can buy a sample size bag to try it out before committing to a large bag. take a capsule of fish oil (the kind you'd buy for yourself) and puncture it. Drop a few drops on top of the dry food. this usually entices my dogs to eat if they are reluctant. Alternatively, a little bit of wet food mixed in with the dry will surely work, but be careful because if she likes it enough she may never go back to just dry food! Obviously, you should make sure that the lack of appetite isn't a health issue - but since this is obvious, I'll assume that you've already done this.
2. Teeth - February is dental month and most vets give discounts on dentals this month. I'd book your dog asap. Mine got their dentals last week, they went under full anesthesia. They had a drip the whole time. I talked to the dr. to make sure that everything was done as safely as possible. I would do it as a kick start so that you can remove the harmful tartar now, then start brushing every night so that you can limit the need for future dentals. Yorkies have bad teeth, they just do. Petzlife is not ideal because it contains alcohol. just be careful with it if you use it, and be sure to do a lot of research on it. a lot of people use the CET toothpaste, including me. It's the brushing action that you need to focus on. I put an old knee high stocking on my finger (wrap it a couple of times), then use that to massage and brush their teeth.
3. Eyes - I just use tissues and cotton balls to wipe their eyes as needed. If you have excess gunk it could be an allergic reaction. Check to see if there are any other allergic symptoms (stuffy nose, etc.). If so, the vet can prescribe something for allergies. I don't buy dog eye drops. My vet said that I could put saline (my contact solution) onto a cotton ball and wipe their eyes if I need to. It will sting less than water if it gets in their eyes. And yes, I give my dogs filtered water from my fridge dispenser...because why wouldn't I? it's there and it's free!

I've had my dogs for 7 years now (adopted them when they were 3) and I'm still learning how to take care of them. It sounds like you're already doing a great job!! A lot of it is trial and error and a ton of research. You just have to find what works for you and your dog. Good Luck!!

thanks
 

Thanks so much for your detailed reply and for sharing with me what you do with your little angels. It sounds like they have a good mom with a good heart.
My dog was on Ceasars before I got her so I kept her on Cesars for a while until she adjusted to her new home and then started to mix in Wellness kibbles until I gave her all dry Wellness kibbles. She just stopped eating them. Today, I got her to eat some of the Acana [5-6 large kibbles] and some of the VitaNutr [5 large kibbles] and some of her Wellness treats..maybe 2.5 tbls total. I hand fed her. I don't know how old she is. The previous owner did not give me the papers. I already love her so much and consider her my baby so even if I have to borrow money to take her for a dental, I will. It's just finding the right vet ...one who is an expert at working on small dogs and will help and not cause anymore problems. Do you take your dogs to a 'Dental Vet' or just a general vet? In the meantime, I have been applying TropiClean Clean Teeth Gel to her teeth with a gauze pad. I can't get her to open her mouth so I apply it on the outer teeth. I have been doing this 2xs a day. It says it has a 'natural derived alcohol' in it. Can this be dangerous? Could you please tell me the exact name of your CET toothpaste and where you buy it? Every pet shop I went to did not have CET. Do you do anything else besides brushing to help their teeth, like give them dental chews, bully sticks , etc.? Thanks again.

Dry food doesn't make a difference with teeth. It sounds like she needs to have a dental which is perfectly safe as long as you get the blood work before. Putting off a dental could cause her to lose more teeth and bad teeth can effect her heart and other organs. I would get a dental and then start brushing her teeth with CET tooth paste. Her food should be switched slowly and it's possible she could not be eating because she is in a new location and maybe even misses the other yorkie. I would not use an eye wash because her eyes have discharge if it's not really bad I would just clean it daily with water and that's it.

5 pounds is not to small there are much smaller ones who get it done. The AAHA says anesthesia free dental cleanings are a no and they are extremely trustworthy. Dogs need to have a tube incerted for them to breath when getting a dental or water will go into the lungs which could cause pneumonia. Also it is needed to get under the gum line which is not done with anesthesia free dental cleaning. Plus if your dog has bad teeth more then likely they are going to need at least one tooth extracted and that can't not be done unless they are under anesthesia.

You can get CET toothpaste from your vet. If not, they have it online @ most pet supply stores or amazon. I have 1 available in my site.
If her gums are bleeding, it can be a sign of gingivitis. If she doesn't get a dental done by a vet soon, it can lead to periodontal disease which can cause harm to the major organs & bring on serious disease. She also might need some teeth pulled & non anesthesia cleaning can't perform those procedures.

:thumbup:

My thanks to everyone
 

Hi, thanks you all for your advise. My yorkie ate a small amount of kibbles this morning. I do intend to take her for a dental cleaning. Can anyone tell me whether it is better to take her to a 'Dental/Dentist Vet' or a 'Regular Vet'? and how to find out which ones are good? Thanks again.

I'm in NY and just took one of my dogs to VT. It was an hour and a half away but was over 1/2 less than my regular vet charges. I am lucky to have a friend there and the vet is very familiar with Yorkies so I wasn't worried. She was almost 7 and I guess I'm lucky because she's never had a teeth cleaning and they said she really didn't need it. If yours has smelly breath though, she probably does need a cleaning. It is probably due in part to the poor quality food she has been fed and I think Yorkies have notoriously bad teeth. I wish you luck with your new baby...

to: tjdmom
 

if your dog is 7 and never needed a teeth cleaning, you must be doing some right.
1. would you be willing to share with me what you are doing to keep her teeth so clean?
2. I am in NY as well. could you give me the name of the veterarian you used? I am in white plains new york and the vets in the area are very expensive.
thanks so much

I agree that the non anesthesia cleanings do more harm than good. They do not go under the gumline and it's cosmetic only. Makes the owner feel good about their dog's oral health when in fact it has done nothing.

Food wise, you are headed in the right direction. Cesars is pure junk food. Imagine if you ate nothing but junk or fast food all your life and all of a sudden someone made you eat healthy food. Of course you wouldn't be very happy. Change the food over gradually.

Just for the record, here is the ingredients list off of Cesar's site on their regular pate food.
Ingredients: sufficient water for processing, beef by-products, meat by-products, liver, beef, chicken, chicken by-products, added color, calcium carbonate, natural flavors, sodium tripolyphosphate, carrageenan, dried yam, xanthan gum, potassium chloride, salt, erythorbic acid, t-bone steak flavor, guar gum, zinc sulfate, sodium nitrite (for color retention), vitamin A, D3, and E supplements, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1).

By products galore. Even "meat" by products. From what kind of meat? could be anything! Artificial colorings, nitrats, a bunch of stuff I can't pronounce. Yuck!

Some dogs just have better genetics for good teeth.

Good luck with your new little girl. You might not need to go to a specialist, but if you are able to go to Manhattan, the Animal Medical Center is a great place. You could call them about pricing but I believe they may be subsidized. Here are some links about dentals.

Dentistry | Animal Medical Center
http://www.amcny.org/sites/default/f...al-Disease.pdf
http://www.amcny.org/sites/default/f...ntal-costs.pdf

I use a regular vet, not a specialist. I'm not sure what 'natural derived alcohol' is?! I give my dogs Kongs and other puzzles that have treats hidden inside. last month I tried giving them a frozen raw bone (purchased from a pet store). One dog loved it, the other dog didn't care for it. I was told that this would be great for their teeth. Be sure to do this right before it's time for a bath because the raw meat gets messy. I just put a towel down and let them have at it. Even with everything I do for their teeth, both of my dogs have had several teeth pulled due to tartar or infection. You just have to do what you can, but know that this is going to be an ongoing battle. Yorkies just have bad teeth! :)

Here's a link to the CET toothpaste: Amazon.com: C.E.T. Toothpaste - Enzymatic Tartar...

I don't mind sharing at all. We feed a Prey Model Raw diet also called PMR.
One of the reasons I decided to do that was because it does such a good job keeping their teeth clean. I guess it has worked for me. I had no clue people were taking their dogs to get their teeth cleaned every year! It's not the kind of diet everyone can feed but it works for my crew. Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like more info and you can also do a search and read other posts about it. And the vet I went to in Vermont is in Rutland.

Just because someone made a comment about the above post I will clarify. *MY* personal pups need dentals almost yearly. I do it based on need...it is not a standard, yearly thing....I know when a pup needs a dental and my vet is very good and knowledgable about the need for dentals. It is not due to diet....they all eat different, healthy foods. It is a well known fact that *most* yorkies need almost yearly dentals with some actually needing them more frequently. This is genetic issue! I do know of yorkies who have gone for a few years without the need for a dental, but they are in the minority.

But, people believe what they want to believe. If they have a yorkie that has fairly good gums/teeth, they will believe this or that has done it. Sure, there are things that can be done to help, but the bottom line is that IF your yorkie is prone to this issue, it will become a problem. AND, if ignored your yorkie will, in the end, suffer from health issues because of the bacteria from the teeth affecting his/her organs.

Again, I suggest reading the above link. You will find valid information about dental issues and care.

One of mine didn't need a dental until age 11.5 and it was only because he fractured a tooth on a chew item. He ate chicken and rice his whole life along with kibble. He has never had bad breath or more than minuscule tartar on his teeth. He's going to be 14 in August. He will probably never need a dental again. It's genetics. My friend feeds raw and her two year olds are approaching the need for dentals.

Not all dogs who eat raw have great teeth and don't need dentals. Mine has been fed kibble sense a pup and didn't have to get a dental until 5 and even then it was just because she broke a tooth and the vet dentist told me they had to use a special light to see the tarter and even then there was very little. It's more about genetics then food.

While I agree that genetics play a huge role, I think raw feeding helps. We had dentals on my Rainbow Bridge babies yearly, my little one often needing it sometimes twice in a year. Ashley normally had dentals done yearly, but we had to stop vaccinations and all anesthesia unless absolutely necessary when she was discovered to have an enlarged heart at close to eleven. We did do a dental at sixteen years old because Ashley had an infection. My vet recommended that I give Ashley raw chicken wings to chew on. I couldn't bring myself to do it because I was already worried about her health, but he said chewing through the muscle of the wing would keep her teeth polished. Ashley was four pounds.

Hi! I think the best dry food would be Royal Canin, as i have heard many good reports about it. Here is a link to get you started. Although it may be a bit pricey its worthit! : Yorkshire Terrier Adult - Royal Canin You should brush her teeth, here is some help to guide you about brushing : Brushing Your Dog?s Teeth | ASPCA You are doing the right thing cleaning her eyes out with warm water, i only found out i had to do that too about 2 weeks ago. My girl has eye discharge alot. I give my dog just normal tap water. Hope this helps! PS. Welcome to YT

I just remembered one more thing.... One time when my dog wouldn't eat I bought a can of tripe and added that to her kibble (1 tsp or less...just coat the dry food). This worked like magic! Tripe is helpful for digestion, too. You can get a can at any pet store. Get a small can (size of a tuna fish can) because it lasts a long time. The lady at my local mom/pop pet food store taught me that trick - I had already gone to the vet to discuss my dog's lack of appetite. We concluded that there was no medical issue, but she was just stressed because we had gone on vacation recently and brought her with us. The change of environment and travel didn't sit well with her. Anyways, the tripe worked!

thanks
 

Thanks a lot... I think the stress of being rescued/adopted as an older dog has taken it's toll on my yorkie .. also being separated from her sister for the first time... I think that is why she has not had a big appetite. I did get her to eat Wellness dry small breed adult turkey and oatmeal yesterday and am hoping for success today. She did not really like the Acana or other kibbles I tried and seemed to have a tough time eating since the kibbles were so big. The Wellness Turkey have triangular flatish kibbles that are easier to eat. Thanks for your suggestions and for sharing your experience with your Yorkie.