# Teeth Cleaning



## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

My breeder told us to take Riley in every 2 years to have her teeth professionally cleaned. I'm trying to figure out if this is really necessary based on the very low level of plaque she currently has on her teeth @ 17 months. She does looooove to chew on everything from raw bones to bully sticks, so I guess she naturally cleans her teeth herself.

Have you ever taken your pup in to get their teeth cleaned professionally? Which method did the vet use (anesthesia or non-anesthesia)? How old was your pup for their first teeth cleaning?

I recently came across a breeder with an older female that had horrible breath and nasty-looking teeth. They remarked that teeth cleaning was "too expensive" and yet they continue to breed her... poor girl.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Most people will do it if the dog has to be sedated for another reason or if there is considerable plaque build up.
Anytime a dog is sedated there is a risk. So I feel the it needs to be justified.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Have you had experience with teeth cleaning that didn't use anesthesia? I've read about it, but never heard any firsthand experiences from Vizsla owners.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

I use a product called Plaque off on Darcy I bought it on Amazon and it contains a special form of seaweed, just a small spoon of it sprinkled on her food helps keep her teeth fairly clean and fresh..


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Some vets give the dog some thing to relax them but they are not asleep. My sister owned a Dogo and they are notorious for having bad teeth. Her teeth were cleaned the way a few times during her life. Cash had his cleaned at 3 yrs old when he was neutered. Junes teeth look good so far so I haven't had them done yet.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

I would have thought that most vets in the UK would not anaesthetise a dog just to clean it's teeth. :-X


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

I think the process is the same as with anesthesia it's a matter if the dog can tolerate it and remain calm, which I think is why they recommend having the dog go through it when they are young to acclimate them to the process. Based on Miles' high amount of drama associated when we brush his teeth, I would imagine that if we do it we will need to put him under anesthesia though.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

That's fine and I respect that, but I personally think a general anesthetic is a bit extreme just to get a dogs teeth clean,,( that sounds poetic)..I would prefer to feed dry food and some raw marrow bones to keep plaque at bay..


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm glad you brought this up *threefsh*. Elza's got a bit of a bad breath. Not sure why... She's eating dry food, she chews her antler every day and she has a couple of nylabones too. 
Maybe it's just a normal dog breath though. How do you decide when is a dog breath bad? 
I don't clean her teeth, am I a bad owner? :-[


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

I use a dog toothbrush on Cole! He actually likes it! Haha 

My moms rat terrier has horrible teeth and breath...it is enough of a scare to keep me consistent with Cole's teeth!!

I don't know I would feel comfortable putting my dog under to get his teeth cleaned...unless it was absolutely necessary!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Bones. My pups have teeth whiter than white. No toothbrushes, just natural raw bones.


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

Yes bones too!! But, I have been so confused with information on bones. Quickly, do your dogs just chew the bones or do they actually eat them? What is the bone etiquette? Do you throw the bone away after a certain amount of time? I have nice bones for Cole, but he has started breaking pieces off and trying to eat them. I took it away. Not sure what is okay on this...any info would be greatly appreciated??


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Darcy gets a marrow bone now and again, she chews it for a while until she gets all the marrow from it, then I bin it...I also but stag antlers, they are expensive but last for months and there is very little mess from them and I feel they are also a bit safer than bones as they don't splinter....


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

Thanks!!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

*Re: Re: Teeth Cleaning*



NeverGiveUpRAC said:


> Yes bones too!! But, I have been so confused with information on bones. Quickly, do your dogs just chew the bones or do they actually eat them? What is the bone etiquette? Do you throw the bone away after a certain amount of time? I have nice bones for Cole, but he has started breaking pieces off and trying to eat them. I took it away. Not sure what is okay on this...any info would be greatly appreciated??


NGU, mine leave nothing....not a scrap or fragment remains. They knaw off any flesh, then any tendons or grissle then they smash the bones until they are gone. A good sized bone, like a shin or smaller thigh from a cow last them less than 30 minutes. 

I am not saying there is no risk, but with over 40 dogs in my lifetime, none have ever had an issue. I look at it this way, what would they naturally eat? The answer is the lot.

Same with letting them eat a rabbit. They eat the whole thing, fur included.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

How often do you give your pups the raw bones? Our pups get them maybe once a month. Bully sticks they get every few days.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

threefsh said:


> How often do you give your pups the raw bones? Our pups get them maybe once a month. Bully sticks they get every few days.


One every other day on average threefsh. But sometimes, like when it's hot, they get one a day. I give them to them frozen. By the time they have the meat and tendons off, the bones is thawed and they can crunch it up.


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

Hmm interesting...thanks for the explanation! I kept thinking the same thing...that they would eat a whole animal in the wild...good to hear!! Thanks again!


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

Interesting. Jasper's never had his teeth cleaned, though I'm sure that's coming up some day in the future. He's not fond of having his teeth brushed, but he's not bad about it. Mostly just tries to hide his face. Not sure if he'd need general anesthesia or not! My guess is two people might be able to handle it. 

On a side note, my roommate's dog doesn't let her brush her teeth at all, plus she doesn't get any good chewy things (only rawhides...blech...I had to give her and her boyfriend a talk about how Jasper was not allowed to have them because he chews them too fast and they're dangerous). She's got two infected teeth right now! She's going in for a cleaning soon, and they're going to have to pull those two, and up to four or five other ones depending. Dental care is important!

RAC, Jasper gets both marrow and knuckle bones (beef). The marrow bones are so hard, they never really get soft enough for him to ingest much. He can scrape some soft, mushy stuff off the edges, but he loses most interest once the marrow's out, and then never chews on them long or hard enough afterwards. If they're totally clean, I do keep them around.

The knuckle bones are much softer. He can really grind those down. I think I give him 1-2 hours with it, then I take away whatever is left, or I take it away once it's small enough to swallow whole. I do keep an eye on him so he's not getting big chunks, but he's mostly just getting the bone wet enough that it gets mushy, and then he scrapes that off with his teeth. Keeps his teeth so clean! Two years of bone chewing and he only has a little bit of plaque, right up along the gum line, and only on his canines. Oddly, I think it makes his breath smell better too. I do brush about twice a week, as well, just because I don't think his back teeth benefit as much from the bones.

His poos are always interesting the day after a knuckle bone! They're very hard, very small, and yellow-ish. That lasts for about half the day. He has normal ones after a marrow bone, but some dogs get diarrhea from all the fat.


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## Vida (Dec 26, 2011)

Every other day (ish).
I take the bones away after an hour or so and bin them. And wash the area/ bedding/ towel that they've chewed therm on.


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