We are the happy owners of a lovely female Fox Terrier Dog which we got from a dear friend who passed away suddenly. Penny is 3 yrs. old. I was checking her teeth and noticed that they could use a cleaning. Has anyone ever done this themselves, or do you have to have a Vet do it by putting the dog to sleep? I heard it is quite costly at the Vet do it. We give her hard dog biscuits to chew on for tartar removal, but it is not doing the job. Thanks for any help readers may be able to give me.
Rosalie from San Diego
Vets offer this service, with general anesthesia for about $100. They also can sell you a doggie toothpaste and "brush" you can use to maintain clean teeth and gums. (08/21/2004)
By Linda
If she has a bad case of tartar buildup, looks kinda like orangie-yellowish stuff on the surface of her teeth, I once had a vet show me to take a nickle (the coin) and use the edge of the coin and press down from the top edge of the buildup and literally chip the buildup off the tooth. Yes, if you are not comfortable doing this yourself you can get the vet to do it too. Good luck! (08/21/2004)
By dmccall
I always keep a tooth brush at the place where I bathe my dog and brush his teeth when I finish bathing him. Your dog may resist you at first, but after awhile he will get use to it. I haven't used tooth paste on the brush (just the plain brush with water), but they have flavored tooth paste that you could by if you feel your dog would like the taste. Hope this works for you. Barbara (08/22/2004)
I had the same problem with my rat terrier. She had her teeth cleaned by the vet twice in 1 year. The dental chews and other dental toys didn't help. I started giving her a bone a day from our dinner scraps. Steak, pork chop, rib, lamb chop, anything but chicken and fish. Her vet was amazed at the improvement and insisted on keeping it up. She hasn't needed a cleaning since the bone treats started. If I miss a week, no biggie, the next couple of bones will do the job. Also, it has helped regulate her bathroom habits. (08/22/2004)
By sufigirl
Our eight year old Rottweiler/Sheppard's teeth had a lot of tartar build-up. I started to give her raw beef bones to chew. I read that raw bones are safer than cooked because cooked ones will splinter. She has been chewing them all summer. I happened to check her teeth and they are now clean. I didn't change anything else in her diet and no one has cleaned her teeth.
By Mike
Please do not give your dog a bone. My husband gave our small dog a pork chop bone and it splinters. It cost us 150.00 for my dog to stay at the vet's office overnight to help her pass the bone. Use a soft child's toothbrush with baking soda. It may take some time but they will get use to you brushing their teeth. (09/21/2004)
By Vicki J
I've heard it's bad to use baking soda so avoid that. (12/14/2004)
By Mariel
I own two dogs, a mini wiener dog and a pug, who love their baths and getting their teeth brushed. They each have their own towel and toothbrushes. I do put just a little bit of toothpaste on it. I take my time and they are okay. I give breath treats between baths. My dogs are like my children, can't have dirty teeth! (01/12/2008)
By tammy
Dogs are anesthetized for a subgingival cleaning and tartar removal. What you see on the outside could be worse below the gums which is why a dental cleaning from the vet may be imperative, especially if your dog develops bad breath, red gums, etc. It may lead to all sorts of diseases. If you brush your dog's teeth every day, this may reduce the buildup and your future vet bills. I've got some "peanut flavored" doggy toothpaste that my dogs absolutely love! (03/06/2008)
By Lex
Hi,
I went to the vet yesterday and he suggested using Bi-carb Soda, mix it into a paste and apply.
Regards,
From Aus (08/19/2008)
By From Australia
Absolutely take your dog to the vet for teeth cleaning and scaling. I have a beautiful toy fox terrier who at 6 years of age suddenly had a bump on her cheek. Within a few hours, it burst open and I nearly had a heart attack looking for a vet who would see her immediately in a regular office and not an E.R. $500.00 later, he put her under anesthesia and not only cleaned all teeth and professionally scaled them, but extracted what turned out to be an abscessed tooth! Dogs can't tell you they are hurting, it's not worth it. You can clean their teeth yourself as directed, but take your dog at least around 5 years of age to the Vet for really good cleaning and scaling which you cannot do as well as they can. It's not that expensive for them to just clean teeth and you won't have a surprise like I did. Good luck! (09/15/2008)
By Yvette
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