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Post Info TOPIC: Plaque on teeth & Gingivitis
greyluvver


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Plaque on teeth & Gingivitis
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Tyler (almost 8 years old ) had a check-up and the vet a couple of days ago & the vet advised us that she has Gingivitis (gum immflamation), as well as a terrible build up of plaque on her teeth, so under anaesthetic she will need to have her teeth cleaned & maybe some removed.  She will need antibiotics first to kill off any bacteria that has got into the gums.   Blood tests may need to be done also to see if bacteria has got into her system.  


As the vet says, and most of you already know, Greyhounds do not have the best teeth, and this is not helped by the fact that racing Greyhounds are fed on a soft diet. 


Before we got Tyler at the age of 6 years, GAL had done a vets clean up on her teeth (1 1/2 years ago), but even then her teeth didn't look that great.  We have fed her on a hard food diet, and given raw hide chews & dental rasks (which give her loose stools!), but still her teeth are horrible.  We have attempted to brush her teeth but she hates it.  I do regret not having tried a homeopathic product called 'Fragaria Vesca' as recommended by Esther on the main GAL website under - HEALTH & BEHAVIOUR - Tartar & Fragaria, which claims to soften the plaque and make easier to remove with brushing.   


We will start a new regime after this round of dental treatment:  vet will provide a finger toothbrush (more acceptable than the normal handled type), and try the homeopathic Fragaria Vesca. 


What experiences have others had with ther hounds teeth??  And what do you recommend to keep your hounds teeth nice??



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Lita
Dave


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RE: Plaque on teeth & Gingivitis
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Hi Lita, to be honest we're in the same boat as you, about 18 months ago Ivor was diagnosed with all of the above despite hard food, bones etc..he got a dental and had to have a number of them removed, now we're pretty much back in the same boat, his teeth are real grubby looking again, basically we do all the right stuff (in theory) with the exception of actually brushing his teeth....good topic, I await advice with baited breath..

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greyluvver


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Aye Dave, baited breath is better than the stinky breath caused by the horrible teeth!!!   

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Lita
Lucretia


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Billy's teeth were awful when I got him - about what you would expect from an ex-racer. My vet was horrified when he saw them, and Billy is due for a full dental on the 30th. His teeth had improved remarkably in the 3 weeks I have had him though. He likes Biscrok biscuits, which he gets 2 of a day, they are nice and crunchy. I give him Denta STIX as opposed to the Rasks, as these are a bit kinder on the stomach. I use the green Denta Stix, which are said to remove 80% more plaque. I was reluctant to buy them at first, thinking they would be eucalyptus flavour and Billy would turn his nose up at them; but they are bacon-flavoured, and he loves them.

I don't currently brush Billy's teeth, I am waiting until after his op, but my mum does brush her dog's teeth. She uses beeth-flavoured dog toothpaste on a facecloth once a week. Henry (her dog) is more accepting of a cloth on his teeth, and as the toothpaste is quite abrasive, it cleans his teeth well. He is nearly 6, and has never had a problem with his teeth, despite being fed on a relatively soft food diet, and his teeth are still quite white.

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Siouxsie


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Lita,

We just had the same thing with Zada's teeth. We have brushed her teeth twice weekly (she was never very keen on it) since we homed her, but suddenly we notice she had a foul smell coming from her mouth, she had started rubbing the side of her mouth off everything and strange but she also wanted to chew most plastic things, on investigation we saw her gums on the tooth line was inflamed, Along to the vet for major scale and polish and 4 extractions at the back - all the symptoms are gone (including the chewing off plastic!!!!) And her breathe is nice doggy smell, so happy to at least know the smell was obviously coming from her teeth (which have now been fixed) and nothing more sinister further down.

She is now doing great and back to her chew, still not keen on getting her teeth brush but she does tolerate it - she's a star.



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Siouxsie
CAROLE ROBINSON


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Give a dog a bone?????????? I know this topic has been discussed in the past, but I can't help thinking that carnivores eat bones to keep their teeth clean and gums healthy, so why not our dogs? Like most dogs, mine are fed on a dry, complete food mix, are given one (pencil thin) rawhide chew after every meal and lots of water to drink. However, once every 2/3 months I give them a large knuckle bone which I sterilise in the microwave, and their teeth clean up a treat. Their gums bleed a bit too, but soon recover. I am always a bit anxious when feeding them bones, and remove them regularly to make sure there are no large pieces likely to come adrift and cause harm plus lots of supervision (where there's more than one dog) to prevent any possessive aggression. Maybe the devotees of the BARF diet can comment?

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greyluvver


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Yes, Carole I remember being advised to give a raw butcher's bone.  On the occasions I've tried this, Tyler has hardly touched it but Max just loved it, he loved it so much he buried it under gravel so no one else could touch it!!    

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Lita
glendy


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Just as a follow-up to Dave's comment about Ivor...Ivor has actually had 3 dentals done in the course of his 6 years but the problems return each time. The last time he needed teeth removed. His sister Ruby has only had one dental but her teeth are also poor for her age. I think some dogs just have a particular weakness in that area (like some humans I suppose).

Good luck with the toothbrushes BTW


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anna


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i use asdas own dental stix with pumice in them. every week /2 weeks she gets a big bone to knaw on, she loves her bones so far since her dental treatment her teeth r lovely no bleeding,just dont try go for her bone or she tends to growl at u .

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anna t
Lucretia


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Lita, the vet gave me a sample of Logic Oral Hygiene Gel today to try for keeping Billy's teeth clean. I obviously haven't used it yet, but one of the staff at the surgery told me it works wonders for her Siamese cat (and they are prone to having bad teeth). She said it helps reduce plaque and really, really freshens their breath.

I will let you know how I get on with it - added bonus is it says you don't brush it in, just wipe it over teeth or put onto a toy/paw for the dog or cat to chew at or lick off.

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greyluvver


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Anna, thanks I will check out Asda next time I'm in.


Lucretia, interesting to hear about the gel from the vet.  I will ask about that too.




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Lita
Valerie


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Just read this string with interest.  With Biscuit being a pup, we brush his teeth on a regular basis using a finger brush and enzyme toothpaste from the vet (fish flavour for cats, but ok for dogs)He is very good at letting us do this, and likes to lick what is left.


Diet is half dry and half wet, and we use the denta rasks as well.  If they will eat it, parsley will freshen the breath.  The Jackie Drakeford book on house lurchers recommends looking at a varied diet just as you would with a toddler, and Biscuit is really up for that, so gets little amount of pasta, veg, fish etc., to supplement his dog diet food. 


He has beautiful teeth, being his new adult set, so we are trying to do everything right to keep them that way. 


 



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Sunny girl


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Well done Valerie, Biscuit has landed on his feet with you. Keep up the good work and save a fortune in vets bills.


We also brush Sunnys teeth  but her tooth paste is beef and game flavour and really smells but anything so she dosn't have to go in and get her teeth scraped again.


Does anyone know if the Pedigree Denta sticks work or are they just a money making scam by pedigree? Is there any cheaper options? Sunny eats a large one in seconds, I'm sure they don't get the chance to help her teeth.


Landess


 



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Valerie


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Landess


I alternate with denta rask and a new thing I've just got from hyperdrug.com called Orozyme chews.  These seem really good, as I've never seen anything last Biscuit for 1 hour!  He has already demolished a red Kong in 4 weeks.


The chews have a lot of enzymes and things to enhance the mouth's defence system etc. and help breath, plaque etc.  Early days, but the fact it lasted so long is a bonus.


Have followed Lady (Mia)'s story and thing you are fantastic to have brought her on, and I'm sure she will settle in her new home.



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Karen G


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Sunny girl wrote:

  Does anyone know if the Pedigree Denta sticks work or are they just a money making scam by pedigree?  Sunny eats a large one in seconds, I'm sure they don't get the chance to help her teeth.
I am so glad you said that because my two devour theirs in seconds also & I could not help but wonder how good they really are for their teeth

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Nicki


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Dont give them to Janie, they just give her the skitz if you get my drift!


nicki and wee janie.x



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anna


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to add on to wot ive said before i also use those dental hide bones(white hide bones with knots on enmds to look like bones) as she wolfs the stix down and u feel there not doing there teeth properly, so once a month i get the dental hide there usually gobbled up in bout half an hour .

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anna t
JENNY


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Siousxie wrote:



she had started rubbing the side of her mouth off everything


Strange you say that as Ziggy rubs the side of his face against his bed.  Must be to ease the discomfort a bit like teething pain maybe when the guns are sore.


Jenny


 



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greyluvver


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Tyler went to the vets for her dental today.    Vet just phoned to say dental went well, NO extractions!!  All blood tests clear.   


BUT as they were about to administer the anaesthetic she took a leap into the air and jumped off the table, catching her leg in the process,    and has got herself one large bruise on her thigh spreading into the tummy area, its also superficially grazed.   


The vet staff have been doing hot & cold compresses & massage, which we have to carry on doing for a few days and she will be prescribed pain killers then return to vet on Friday to check it.   


I have been busy reading up on the postings about Arnica gel & pillettes (thanks Suzanne)!! Its good to remember these things in time of need.   Popping out to see if I can get Arnica pillettes  today. 



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Lita
Amber


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Glad Tyler's dental went OK and she didn't lose any teeth.


My eldest GH is only 8, had fairly manky teeth when I got him and he had a dental; they have been OK ever since with the hard chews and (irregular I must admit!) brushing. I wonder maybe if the gingivitis setting in had caused so many problems...mine never had gum disease.


Petra came with sparkling white teeth (aged 4), you've never seen such good teeth on a greyhound before! I have my own theories about that...think from her prey driven behaviour she was dragged up on an (Irish) free-rearing farm - this is where the greyhound litters are let loose to fend for themselves and catch their own food. I suspect this sort of diet gave her the excellent teeth. I'm not sure that greyhounds have bad teeth genetically (though could be wrong) I thought it was entirely down to poor, soft diet and general neglect. As hunting dogs, you would actually expect them to have very good strong teeth naturally.



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Chas


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We stopped using the denta rasks when Freddy started swallowing them whole (almost literally - one chew and swallow!!).  Even the really big ones are finished in about 10 seconds!!


He has also had 2 visits to the vet to have his teeth cleaned and it doesn't last very long.  Brushing is out of the question - we have tried different brushes and paste and the dogs just try to lick the past off the brush!!


We were advised to get smoked bones from the pet shop, but after a couple of days they just go off them!  We have also tried fragaria, but think we picked more up off the floor than we got down the dogs' necks!!!


We have started giving them knotted raw-hide bones and these seem to last longer (can take Freddy more than a couple of hours to get through a medium sized one) and make a difference for a few days!!  We only usually give these as a treat about once a month!!


Chas



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Amber


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Oh, just remembered about the special toothpaste from the vet, called Dental Logic - it breaks down plaque without brushing, just need to smear it on teeth or even put it on their food, it says.



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Calatria


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Belle's teeth don't look pretty at all.  I don't understand it - our older dog eats a soft diet and his teeth are sparkling white.  Belle eats only dried food, and hers are minging.  We've been using the Logic gel for nearly a month now and haven't seen any improvement.  Maybe you're supposed to use it with clean teeth, so they'll stay that way?


Going to get Belle a dental examination when it's time for her booster.



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Amanda


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Hi, I sympathise with you. Blue has just had his 3rd dental since we got him less than 2 yrs ago. When in the kennels they thought he was 10 not 5 due to the state of his mouth.

This time he has had a few of his smaller teeth out and the vet said his gums are in a terrible state. She has diagnosed severe periodontal disease. He also had an infection so was given antibiotics. He also needed some cement put inbetween the gum and teeth as the gap was so big

We use Virbac enzyme tooth past (poulty flavour - yum) and he has arden grange dried food and the occassional hide chew but it doesn't seem to stop him having problems. I guess his poor start in life hasn't helped and it seems some dogs are more prone to dental problems than others

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greyluvver


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Hi Amanda, poor Blue.  I know how worrying it is in case they are sore & we don't know.  Yes, I think some of them are more prone to teeth problems than others.  We can only do our best to prevent problems, like hard food, toothbrushing, etc. etc, and get regular check ups & dentals if needed.   


Tyler has 2 small teeth which are black on top & I was convinced they would be removed, but the vet says they are OK, it is just they were broken at some point!   



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Lita
Jennifer


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I know this sounds minging, but when Millie is lying sleeping, i scrape any dirt off her teeth with my fingernail


Does the trick though i do it every so often and they are gleaming!  I know obviously some dogs teeth will be really bad so this wouldnt be possible but im trying to keep on top of it now so i can keep her teeth clean.



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greyluvver


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Good idea Jennifer   At least Millie lets you do that when she's sleeping.  


Tyler isn't even fond of getting her face touched, let alone trying to get at her teeth whilst sleeping!!!



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Lita
Jennifer


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Millie is so good at just letting me do it. I kiss her face all the time so she is well used to having her face touched wether she likes it or not ha ha but i know what you mean, my old greyhound "Stella" used to hate having her ears touched. Maybe somthing to do with the way some folk rough handle them to check their tattoos while racing

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greyluvver


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We've just received from a website a Swedish product called 'Plaque Off' made of seaweed!!!  It's granules to be added into dog food daily - it claims that an improvement in tartar & plaque build up should be seen in 3 - 8 weeks. According to their website its a 'best seller'.   Will give some feed back on this at a later date.....  


They also sent us a sample of doggy salmon treats - they went down well!!


www.holisticpetsupplies.co.uk


 


 



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Lita
Calatria


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We've been adding "Plaque Off" to Belle's food for ages with no improvement.  We're still doing it to finish the tub, but I doubt if any miracle is going to happen now.

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