Don't worry Cangran, I think we know what you mean and it can't be easy for you having lost a dog and now your other one is poorly and pining too, poor thing
I have 2 rescue Beagles and when we got the first one we had a cat and although they were never best friends they had their silly little feeding time routine and tolerated each other, when Smudge (the cat) went, Ollie was terrible and wouldn't eat for nearly 2 weeks.....they were obviously closer than we gave them credit for I daren't even think about when anything happens to one of the dogs, they are inseperable so I feel for you.
I was given a 9 year old dog a year ago. She had never been spayed and her teeth were grey. It cost just over £200 (most of it for the anaesthetic) to have her spayed/ teeth cleaned/3 removed. Her previous owners had got the vet to remove 6 teeth! Why on earth they didn't then give her some teeth cleaning item I don't know. She now has 1/2 a 'Fish Stick' each morning, she loves them and her teeth have remained white.
My 11 yr old Border Collie has bad breath. The vet says he is fine for his age but his teeth are a bit dirty as he has an overbite and finds it hard to chew. But the vet said cleaning them would be expensive because of the blood tests and the general anaesthetic and the anaesthetic is not without risk. He said it wasn't worth it.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
As the forum's resident vet, I have to be involved here.
It is very normal for dogs to require regular dental care as they age. It is sensible for your vet to offer a pre anaesthetic blood profile and most likely intravenous fluids to maintain blood pressure levels whilst under anaesthetic.
It is not common to take the risk of performing dentistry at the same time as an invasive surgical proceedure. The risk of bacteria from the mouth getting into the bloodstream and then into the surgical site is too great.
Regular brushing, suitable dental treats and appropriate dental biscuits are a good idea and reduce the tartar as it forms but will NOT remove tartar that has already set.
All tartar removed from the parts of the teeth that you can see is generally cosmetic, the tartar in the grooves under the gum margins are the reason that gum disease develops and that gum disease can cause infections in other organs as well as meaning that teeth need to be extracted.
Vets generally hate dentistry and we view it as a neccessary evil. It can be a dirty, long and complex job. There is a vague satisfaction in sorting out problems though!
Thank you Steve for posting, I was hoping that you would see it when you popped in, I hope you don't mind me mentioning that you may give an opinion, I just wanted to put Cangran's mind at rest.
Now you've explained it, it seems more logical. I've never had to have dentistry work on a dog but then I've never had a dog of that age of my own as I left home when my last dog was that age.
Thanks again and I like the new name by the way Is that your pup in the picture? Very cute
I am always happy to give general vague opinions as far as I safely dare. It is rare to see a dog or cat above the age of seven or so without marked dental disease and it is a preventative issue that sadly many people just ignore.
Puppy was a patient, photo is actually from several years ago, I should change it to a more recent one or lose a bit of weight so I look like that again...
Thank you Steve,I value your expertise on this subject.I'm afraid I have not heard of dogs having there teeth cleaned .we will try getting him to have some of the dental sticks for cleaning his teeth.
We are giving him Wagg at the moment but dry .
We don't want to stress him out by taking him while he is pining , but when we feel he has got back to how he was we Will look into this.
I should have asked what it would cost , do you have any idea please.gran
Posts
Don't worry Cangran, I think we know what you mean and it can't be easy for you having lost a dog and now your other one is poorly and pining too, poor thing
I have 2 rescue Beagles and when we got the first one we had a cat and although they were never best friends they had their silly little feeding time routine and tolerated each other, when Smudge (the cat) went, Ollie was terrible and wouldn't eat for nearly 2 weeks.....they were obviously closer than we gave them credit for
I daren't even think about when anything happens to one of the dogs, they are inseperable so I feel for you.
Keep us posted x
I was given a 9 year old dog a year ago. She had never been spayed and her teeth were grey. It cost just over £200 (most of it for the anaesthetic) to have her spayed/ teeth cleaned/3 removed. Her previous owners had got the vet to remove 6 teeth! Why on earth they didn't then give her some teeth cleaning item I don't know. She now has 1/2 a 'Fish Stick' each morning, she loves them and her teeth have remained white.
My 11 yr old Border Collie has bad breath. The vet says he is fine for his age but his teeth are a bit dirty as he has an overbite and finds it hard to chew. But the vet said cleaning them would be expensive because of the blood tests and the general anaesthetic and the anaesthetic is not without risk. He said it wasn't worth it.
As the forum's resident vet, I have to be involved here.
It is very normal for dogs to require regular dental care as they age. It is sensible for your vet to offer a pre anaesthetic blood profile and most likely intravenous fluids to maintain blood pressure levels whilst under anaesthetic.
It is not common to take the risk of performing dentistry at the same time as an invasive surgical proceedure. The risk of bacteria from the mouth getting into the bloodstream and then into the surgical site is too great.
Regular brushing, suitable dental treats and appropriate dental biscuits are a good idea and reduce the tartar as it forms but will NOT remove tartar that has already set.
All tartar removed from the parts of the teeth that you can see is generally cosmetic, the tartar in the grooves under the gum margins are the reason that gum disease develops and that gum disease can cause infections in other organs as well as meaning that teeth need to be extracted.
Vets generally hate dentistry and we view it as a neccessary evil. It can be a dirty, long and complex job. There is a vague satisfaction in sorting out problems though!
Thank you Steve for posting, I was hoping that you would see it when you popped in, I hope you don't mind me mentioning that you may give an opinion, I just wanted to put Cangran's mind at rest.
Now you've explained it, it seems more logical. I've never had to have dentistry work on a dog but then I've never had a dog of that age of my own as I left home when my last dog was that age.
Thanks again and I like the new name by the way
Is that your pup in the picture? Very cute 
I am always happy to give general vague opinions as far as I safely dare. It is rare to see a dog or cat above the age of seven or so without marked dental disease and it is a preventative issue that sadly many people just ignore.
Puppy was a patient, photo is actually from several years ago, I should change it to a more recent one or lose a bit of weight so I look like that again...
Whatever you do don't read my posts about my naughty food thieving Beagle
LOL!!
Do you have a dog Steve (hope you don't mind me asking)
We do indeed!
Thank you Steve,I value your expertise on this subject.I'm afraid I have not heard of dogs having there teeth cleaned .we will try getting him to have some of the dental sticks for cleaning his teeth.
We are giving him Wagg at the moment but dry .
We don't want to stress him out by taking him while he is pining , but when we feel he has got back to how he was we Will look into this.
I should have asked what it would cost , do you have any idea please.gran