Dogs teeth scaling-vet

[PeteTaylor99]

Hi,

During the annual check up our vet told us he needs his teeth scaled and under a general anaesthetic. He's 4 years old. Their advice is get it done annually(sounds totally extreme). It's not the money, we don't want to do it unless it's absolutely necessary. Having a 'general' and under observation all day is going to cause everyone a lot of stress. I have this 'upselling' feeling, given another staff member at the clinic tried to dissuade us by suggesting alternatives which got me thinking, is it a bit of a con.

Any advice from anyone in the know. He's on a dry food diet mainly. TIA

Pete

[Thevet]

Send some pics of his gums/teeth

[Doofus]

Medivet, perchance?

[andburg]

Bought an emmi pet for Gaston, made a big difference but the key to them is actually scraping off the softened tartar and plaque afterwards not simply using it.

[jmsgld]

You need to think about the overall oral health. If you do a scale and polish and don't change anything else then you are likely to be in the same situation 12-24m later. S&P also causes micro abrasions that lead to more rapid build up of tartar in the future, I prefer to avoid in younger dogs.

Post some photos.

The chewing teeth (towards the back) can be cleaned effectively with appropriate chews provided not too bad. I used dried tripe for my dog. (Don't use the "Jerky" style treats as they can cause a kidney problem - Jerky induced Fanconi syndrome...).

Incisors and canines you will need to brush (at least daily) to keep clean if necessary.

Diet plays a big role - any wet food in the diet will accelerate tartar formation

Don't just ignore it and not change anything, as things will progress, and he'll eventually need teeth out and then regular dentals. My dog is coming up 10, has never had a dental, his chewing teeth are perfect but he does have moderate tartar on his upper canines (no gingivitis). I feed dry food , regular dried tripe and no brushing.

[moorx]

Lots of good advice from the resident vets, so the only thing I would add is that it can depend on breed/type also, in terms of conformation.

Unfortunately (for me) sighthounds tend to have issues with teeth.

Max (saluki x) is now 8 and has already had three dentals - the most recent involving quite a lot of removals and a very traumatic evening watching him bleed everywhere. He was very ill after his first dental as well, but I suspect that was more to do with the vet who did it

We've been told that our not yet 2 year old whippet is already getting plaque on her teeth and that we need to start brushing them.

My other favourite breed (cocker spaniel) is also susceptible to dental issues, sadly.

[Red9zero]

Our Westie has his teeth cleaned by his groomer at each visit, every 5 weeks or so. He is 14 now, so really not worth the risk of a general unless absolutely necessary.

[Rh14n]

Around 6 months ago we fostered and then adopted a 2 year old cocker spaniel. When he arrived we (and the vet) noticed his teeth were quite mucky with tartar. Someone recommended 'Plaque off' to us which is a natural seaweed product. It seems quite expensive at around £12 for a small pot (but you only need a small amount) to sprinkle on his food. I was rather sceptical but the results have been very good. We also changed his food to Millie's Wolfheart but his teeth improved very quickly (and we've stopped using the Plaque Off). Might be worth a try for you.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ProDen-Plaque-Off-Food-Su...

[LordHaveMurci]

Both my dogs & one of my cats (who had gingivitis) have plaque off.

I used to brush the dogs teeth 3-4 time a week but haven’t done for a long time.

I guess we’ll see if it works next time they see the vet.

The dogs are on dry food & get raw carrots 3-4 times a week, recommended by the vet.

Edited by LordHaveMurci on Monday 20th January 07:36

[PeteTaylor99]

Rh14n said:

Around 6 months ago we fostered and then adopted a 2 year old cocker spaniel. When he arrived we (and the vet) noticed his teeth were quite mucky with tartar. Someone recommended 'Plaque off' to us which is a natural seaweed product. It seems quite expensive at around £12 for a small pot (but you only need a small amount) to sprinkle on his food. I was rather sceptical but the results have been very good. We also changed his food to Millie's Wolfheart but his teeth improved very quickly (and we've stopped using the Plaque Off). Might be worth a try for you.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ProDen-Plaque-Off-Food-Su...

Thanks all for the comments. The above arrived yesterday from Amazon(also recommended by someone at Vets) and he doesn't seem to notice it on his food. Will try and get a few pics

[Wildfire]

We do ProDen, an attempted brush with enzyme paste every other day and take him for an ultra sonic (non anesthetic) descale every 3 months. We're new owners so will see how that goes. He hate's having his teeth done, but slowly is starting to accept it.

Like above we have a sighthound.

[PeteTaylor99]

Wildfire said:

We do ProDen, an attempted brush with enzyme paste every other day and take him for an ultra sonic (non anesthetic) descale every 3 months. We're new owners so will see how that goes. He hate's having his teeth done, but slowly is starting to accept it.

Like above we have a sighthound.

Thanks for sharing-we decided to get the ultra sonic cleaning at his groomers. It was carried out today and they said he tolerated it well. He's not telling

[andburg]

PeteTaylor99 said:

Thanks for sharing-we decided to get the ultra sonic cleaning at his groomers. It was carried out today and they said he tolerated it well. He's not telling

The emmi-pet ultrasonic they use isn't a particularly expensive piece of kit, £140 for the kit which is is returned quickly when they're charging £30 a session at my local groomer.

[SamG40]

We took our elderly Shih Tzu to growlers and she was done in 15 minutes (she didnt have many teeth left) and was fine with having it done. Much better than putting her under and all the stress/recovery that would have entailed. If anyone is local to her then I can recommend her. https://www.facebook.com/p/Growlers-10004793897575...

[Wildfire]

andburg said:

The emmi-pet ultrasonic they use isn't a particularly expensive piece of kit, £140 for the kit which is is returned quickly when they're charging £30 a session at my local groomer.

I considered this, but he is a pain to brush at the best of times and then holds it against us, so I’ll outsource the side eye to someone else.

[andburg]

Wildfire said:

andburg said:

The emmi-pet ultrasonic they use isn't a particularly expensive piece of kit, £140 for the kit which is is returned quickly when they're charging £30 a session at my local groomer.

I considered this, but he is a pain to brush at the best of times and then holds it against us, so I’ll outsource the side eye to someone else.

Makes sense to me