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OT dog owners I have question

BajaTom
BajaTom Posts: 1,269
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Does that Plaque attack stuff they are advertizing on TV really work? If not what do you do if your dog has really bad breath? Thanks guys and gals. Good luck to all. Tom

Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    my dogs never get plaque, probably from chewing the rawhydes and bones. just a quick question, is the bad breath something new, theres other things that cause it, was a major sign of kidney failure with my brittany.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Austin Smoker
    Austin Smoker Posts: 1,467
    Haven't tried it. But I brush my dog's teeth once a week, and use some liquid dog mouthwash in her water. Helps a LOT!

    She was a kennel rat for much her first 10 months of life (retriever training) and had awful breath....now we don't puke when she tries to kiss us!
  • Don't bother with it.

    Fishless is right, there can be other causes, although they usually have some particular characteristics.

    The odor is from the bacteria in the mouth. We recommend annual cleanings, and daily brushing if you can do it. People laugh (even me sometimes), but their teeth are the same as ours from that standpoint. Those two things are probably 99% of the good you can do for your pet's mouth. Don't fall into the "anesthesia-free dentistry" trap either.
  • BajaTom
    BajaTom Posts: 1,269
    Lizzy has had bad breath her whole life. I tried brushing but got out of the habit. Thanks again. Tom
  • srq2625
    srq2625 Posts: 262
    My DW has a dog (Yes, it's her dog. I like him, but I'm just not that into pets :unsure: ) that used to have the tarter/plaque issues. We did the dentisty thing under anesthesia and now the dog has issues going to the vets; don't know what happened there.

    But, we found a solution that is easy, (relatively) cheap, and the dog likes it. There's a dog biscuit we have found that the dog likes that actually does work. The dog had a mild case of tarter/plaque when we started him on the biscuits. A couple of weeks later, no more issues and no more breath problems. And, the dog likes them - he's nuts about them.

    I don't remember the name of the biscuits (like I said, the dog is her's), but I can get the name if you're interested.
  • BajaTom
    BajaTom Posts: 1,269
    Yes I am interested. Thanks for the info. Tom
  • Ricklesss
    Ricklesss Posts: 391
    Srq2625, I would be interested as well!

    Vetereggnarian, Coinidently, very recently I remember saying to my wife "I wasn't crazy about the thought of annually anesthesizing our dog to have teeth cleaned".
    We do regularly brush her teeth. I was hoping no anesthesia cleanings or something would be ok...
    Can you very kindly elaborate just a teesny-bit, on your comment to rest my mind?
    (about falling into the trap)
  • MakoBBQ
    MakoBBQ Posts: 230
    I have a 11 year old Brittany Spaniel. His breath was horrible. It would smell up an entire room.

    The vet has been telling us the he needed his teeth cleaned. We kept putting it off because of the cost $500.00 plus.

    We finally broke down this spring and took him in for his cleaning. Vet calls us during the procedure and told us he had 11 teeth that needed to come out. We told him to go ahead.

    This cured his bad breath....my girls say his breath is like flowers lol.
  • Paco
    Paco Posts: 27
    If you do brush your Dog's teeth, it is important to use doggie toothpaste as the toothpaste you and I use can be harmful to your pet.
  • Angela
    Angela Posts: 543
    I have no idea, never tried it. My dogs have never needed such stuff since they eat a raw meat and bones diet. In fact our vet is shocked at how sparkling their teeth are, and they have never had a dental cleaning nor do I brush their teeth.
    Egging on two larges + 36" Blackstone griddle
  • ranger ray
    ranger ray Posts: 812
    i concur..... about the diet....if their get a little funky.... sprinkle about little garlic powder on their food once a day.... rr
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Do you mean Greenies?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • srq2625
    srq2625 Posts: 262
    The are manufactured by Nutro and are called Natural Choice Tarter Control. They come in a blue box and the words "Tarter Control" are in the same blue color.

    Hope that helps.
  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,286
    Rat's! My dog hates Nutro dog food. She does like the regular plain ole Milk Bones though, must be why her breath isn't real bad at 8 years old.
  • Rick-

    The anesthesia free cleanings are a gimmick that plays off of peoples' fear of anesthesia. While I have to say it isn't risk free, general anesthesia is safer than the levels of sedation that they need to "clean" teeth. They also don't do a very good job in that they just remove visible areas of calculus without doing a thorough examination of the mouth. Many of the before/after photos on sites that tout their sedated cleanings show existing pathology in the after shot. The sad truth is that most animals need treatment above and beyond just cleaning.

    Also consider that the endotracheal tube (used in general anesthesia) serves to deliver oxygen if you have compromised gas exchange, and it is also a barrier to keep all the crud that comes off the teeth from going into the lungs.

    I could go on, but you are probably already bored.

    Bill
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    THANK YOU Bill! My wife has her own phobias of dentists and she extends that to our Westie. She had heard of this "method" but after having her read it she says NO WAY will we use that with our baby! He is now 4 years old and even though he gets a Greenie once a week which our vet recommended I see his teeth really need cleaning - especially as his breath is bad! This little guy is our 4th Westie in nearly 30 years and the first to have bad breath. Again THANK YOU!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • mo egg
    mo egg Posts: 143
    my dog would smell up a room with her breath when i was at the vet for routine check up and they put her on a med called CINDAMYCIN HCI 75 mg. take one capsule by mouth twice daily for 1 week and repeat every 4-6 weeks and it works capsules are cheap i had them fill it for 28 capsules so it would last over 2 months and i think the cost around $20 thats less $10 a month.
  • RRP wrote:
    THANK YOU Bill!
    No problem, I hope everyone sees this thread and believes me when I tell you that you can dramatically improve your buddy's quality of life with some dental care. You know how you mouth feels nasty if you forget to brush? Multiply that by about a million and you start to get to where many pets are. Small breed dogs are even worse, and Westie's suffer disproportionally from immune-mediated disorders, so we think minimizing any inflammation will help prevent those diseases.

    Gettin off my soap box now.
  • Clindamycin is an antibiotic, and it is temporarily knocking back the bacteria that are proliferating in her mouth. Even though it seems to work, we would rather not use antibiotics to treat periodontal disease, in part because it is more of a "band-aid" and also contributes to resistance. I really doubt you are going to cause the end of civilization by giving them to your pup, but there might be better ways.

    I suppose whatever you do, their quality of life and our enjoyment of them are the most important things.