Teeth

[Breeze mum]

When we first adopted Breeze 5 years ago at the age of 4, our vet said her teeth were none too good and recommended treatment under anaesthetic. He recommended a dry food which she didn't like but we found she got on well on another dry food with a small amount of moist food as a topper. About 2 years late the vet again recommended scaling and cleaning her teeth under anaesthetic, we put it off for a while but eventually had it done. She doesn't take kindly to having her teeth brushed but we give her the dental sticks regularly.

Now another two years down the line the vet is wanting to do her teeth again. I obviously want what is best for Breeze but quite apart from the large expense, I worry about all this non-emergency anaesthetic. I know greyhounds have a reputation for bad teeth but she never seems to have any discomfort.

What do other people do? I would be most grateful for your views and experiences.

 

[bertha]

I would get her teeth done. I am lucky me greyhound has good teeth, has bones twice weekly which helps, plus I us Logic tooth past daily.

My 9 year old whippet dog I left a bit too long to get his teeth done, he ended having 21 teeth out and huge bill to boot, so take care of your dogs teeth. :thumbsup:

 

[TTT]

I find bones help to keep their teeth clean.......with careful supervision, ie: every dog in its own cage while the bones are out to avoid scraps.

 

[Breeze mum]

Thank you Bertha and TTT. I see you both give bones to your dogs, something I haven't done and think it might be worth trying. What sort of bones do you give? I will get Breeze's teeth done again but I'm not happy about doing it every couple of years and I wish I could keep her from needing treatment. Our other dog, a cross breed terrier, has perfect teeth and yet he gets exactly the same to eat.

 

[Flowerpot]

Hi....I had Bobby an adopted Greyhound years ago and I had the same problem but I did keep getting his teeth done as my Vet recommended it. Since then, I`ve fed my dogs fresh carrot everyday and they love them. Millie is 12 years and Cassie 5 years and both have excellent teeth. They are Jack Russells but my Whippet also had good teeth all her life ( 14 years)

So maybe they`d like a bit of carrot each morning ! haha !.

 

[TTT]

I get cow leg bones from the butcher, cut up to suit, also I feed chicken legs to my dogs. i too, feed mine regularly with carrots and apples as well. I think these help to keep the teeth clean.

 

[Macha]

I think large fresh bones do help. I find the microfibre finger covers sold by Lintbells (best known for Yumega products) are easy to use on the dogs' teeth, easier than brushing, and all four of my dogs tolerate them well. There are various ointments and powders advertised as loosening plaque. I thought Plaque Off did have some effect -- you still have to brush the dog's teeth but hardened plaque only comes off with scraping so if there is a way to soften the plaque the brushing will be more effective than otherwise.

 

[seh.al]

hi , i know its been awhile since you posted about bad teeth in greyhounds , i have a deerhound/ greyhound and the vet was the same BUT i tried clean teeth gel by tropiclean from pets at home and its working ! i put a couple of drops on the affected ones nd the plaque seems to be coming off ! saves on the vet bills !

 

[jrtfan]

Hello, thought I'd just add something else for the benefit of anyone reading this post in the future - my Vet gave me a powder compound to add to my JRT's food called ProDen PlaqueOff, it's made from seaweed, it gets added to every meal and does a fair job of keeping the tartar down following a dental.

Also, it might be worth checking with local rehoming charities because I take my Greyhound back to the centre he came from for a basic de-scaling about once each year, I have to pre-book because the person doing the work is only available on certain days but they're trained to do it and it's done without the need of an anaesthetic. They don't actually charge for the treatment as such, they just ask for a donation to the charity and I give them around £20-£30 each time.

Hope this helps.

Chris