Skip to content

Clean teeth

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • OMW, if it cost 500 to do teeth here i"d be in horrible trouble. Fortunately even with blood work it is only $250, which I do once a year. The same vet with no blood work is about $150. I alternate with a local cheaper vet who is only 75 including antibiotics.. . so I only pay $550 a year for 4 full cleaning under anesthesia! I also have Arwen scheduled for Feb to take advantage of the dental month discount– sorry I didn't even think about mentioning that!

    On the Plaque, I actually POSTED their study the first time I read about it. Will see if I can find it again.

  • OMW, if it cost 500 to do teeth here i"d be in horrible trouble. Fortunately even with blood work it is only $250, which I do once a year. The same vet with no blood work is about $150. I alternate with a local cheaper vet who is only 75 including antibiotics.. . so I only pay $550 a year for 4 full cleaning under anesthesia! I also have Arwen scheduled for Feb to take advantage of the dental month discount– sorry I didn't even think about mentioning that!

    On the Plaque, I actually POSTED their study the first time I read about it. Will see if I can find it again.

  • OMW, if it cost 500 to do teeth here i"d be in horrible trouble. Fortunately even with blood work it is only $250, which I do once a year. The same vet with no blood work is about $150. I alternate with a local cheaper vet who is only 75 including antibiotics.. . so I only pay $550 a year for 4 full cleaning under anesthesia! I also have Arwen scheduled for Feb to take advantage of the dental month discount– sorry I didn't even think about mentioning that!

    On the Plaque, I actually POSTED their study the first time I read about it. Will see if I can find it again.

    Going to shoot myself, I hit post and lost about 30 mins of work.

    Okay not going to do it again...
    I found studies and in fact their own chart showing the plaque increased after 5 weeks.
    http://www.plaqueoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Marina-Nordlund_study_L_new.pdf

    But in HUMANS it continued to drop with, although (page 5,) it also said main improvement the first 5 wks. Bleeding decreased continually so obviously helping some even if not plaque after the 5 wks. Some significant differences in control group and PO with pH being much lower. They said higher could cause stones so that is good, but the TRUTH is you want NORMAL urine pH, not low or high. But the blood work was all normal for both groups so not really worried.

    The human study: http://www.plaqueoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/POHuman_Study_Broschyr12s_high.pdf

    So some mixed stuff, but if it helps some, why not? If it helps with bleeding, it must be doing SOMETHING good, so why not. And since even humans are using it, and it is basically seaweed, why the heck not? I may order some more.

  • What is the best way to help my Basenji lose about 8pds. She weighs 33 at present, I feed her 2 times a day, 1 cup at each setting, should I cut one feeding out or just feed her less. I probably need to walk her more also. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

  • @Chealsie508:

    Is there an age where a dog is too young for a maintenance teeth cleaning by the vet? In my case- almost two?

    It may not depend so much on age as the bloodwork done prior to the cleaning should tell if the liver/kidneys are healthy for the procedure. You would think a dog before the age of 2 or so should not need it…...Uzie just got it done last Thursday. I was a wreck! He had plaque on his upper molars (previous owner's choice of food or bad DNA???) and at 3 y/o I thought I should get it done and from now on do my weekly (at least) brushing with an enzyme dog paste I found. He was not a happy pup at all!!!! All is good now....

  • More excerise and less food…. my girls get less then 1/2 a cup twice a day... keep the 2x a day feeding but reduce the amount.. What are you feeding her? And yes, you need to get her out more

  • @MacPack:

    We are lucky, my vet does an awake tooth cleaning using ultrasonic. Takes about 15 minutes, his 2 techs do it and gets all the plaque off. No polish or stain removal, but gets the crud off the teeth and gums. Dogs come back waggy with wet faces. When they find a problem the vet goes for a look and then you have to schedule anesthesia, but this de-plaquing with the annual physicals is….$25. If done separately, not with yearly, it is about $45 or $50.

    No matter how old, if the teeth need cleaning , it will hopefully prevent gum problems. Some have to be done every couple of years, even with regular brushing. As Pat said, some just have bad teeth.

    Anne, that sounds good, could you tell who your Vet is? email or forum.. I could drive there no problem!

  • I truly hate seeing awake cleaning promoted when experts says it is NOT enough. :( Please, read up on vet sites, check the links I posted Buddy's Pal. :(

  • @DebraDownSouth:

    I truly hate seeing awake cleaning promoted when experts says it is NOT enough. :( Please, read up on vet sites, check the links I posted Buddy's Pal. :(

    I did indeed, and thanks for the great info! makes perfect sense.

  • @tanza:

    More excerise and less food…. my girls get less then 1/2 a cup twice a day... keep the 2x a day feeding but reduce the amount.. What are you feeding her? And yes, you need to get her out more

    Is that 1/2 a cup of dry food only?

  • The amt of food isn't the issue since the calorie count can vary widely from one brand to another. If your dog is fat, cut back 1/4 for a week, then up to 1/4 more (so at 1/2) the next week. Add in green beans if the dog seems to think it is being starved to death. Or, if very fat, switch to Hill Science DIET food. I don't know anyone whose dog doesn't lose on that stuff, much as I hate Hills, until the weight is off then slowly add back the regular as you cut the Hills, but then bring it up to only 1/2 of what it was getting. Still losing? Add a bit more.

    Arwen is 29 pounds and she gets 1/4 cp of Blue Buffalo 2x a day, plus treats 2x a day (predominately all meat based or salmon ears). Cara is 36 pounds and gets 1/2 cp 2x a day, same food, she just needs more to keep right weight. So it really varies by dog. Heck my male Rottie got only 3 cps total a day at 120 pounds and ACTIVE while is not so active mom got 4 and stayed a healthy 92 pounds.

  • If your dog does not lose weight after cutting back on the food, have a complete thyroid test done. Do not cut back the food drastically but slowly week by week. I have used plain canned pumpkin as a filler. My three dogs get no more than 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups but they are on different foods.

    Jennifer

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    12 Posts
    7k Views
    imbjI
    Alex, did you find a vet in the Bay Area (or somewhere in the South Bay) who specializes in dental work for B's? Pat (Tanza), do you know any vet near the South Bay who specializes in dental work for B's? My B has a cracked tooth/molar which I found and took a photo, showed it to my vet and he suggested tooth extraction. Since he missed it during the physical last week and he hasn't even suggested an x-ray or something to confirm if extraction is the only option (he seems to just base it on the photo and nothing else), I'm suspicious and would like a second opinion from another vet. (I did ask for blood work and the vet said the results are fine, no issues.) Your help is appreciated!
  • The importance of clean teeth

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    1k Views
    No one has replied
  • Basenji losing teeth

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    5k Views
    snorky998S
    Already talked to the vet about this. It was her intention all along. Thank you Pat. Any other suggestions?
  • Teeth… What age?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    7k Views
    renaultf1R
    @Benkura: Puppy teeth are lovely but it is a relief when all the little 'needles' go. :) Ain't that the truth! :D:D
  • Help - multiple broken teeth!

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    setidogS
    It seems like the lower 1/3 of his K9 (that's his fang I'm guessing!) is gone so we can see the pulp inside. It is not discolored and he's eating fine. I'm glad to hear that he can live without those teeth. I am curious to see what the dentist recommends for the future, since Seti obviously has weak teeth.
  • Teeth brushing

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    85
    0 Votes
    85 Posts
    27k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    PLEASE DO NOT!!! The AMVA and the dental veterinary society says RUN from ANY VET advertising no anesthesia cleaning. PLEASE, find a vet who knows what they are doing! The teeth may LOOK cleaner, but the MEDICAL issue is below the gums! http://www.avdc.org/dentalscaling.html However, performing NPDS on an unanesthetized pet is inappropriate for the following reasons: 1. Dental tartar is firmly adhered to the surface of the teeth. Scaling to remove tartar is accomplished using ultrasonic and sonic power scalers, plus hand instruments that must have a sharp working edge to be used effectively. Even slight head movement by the patient could result in injury to the oral tissues of the patient, and the operator may be bitten when the patient reacts. 2. Professional dental scaling includes scaling the surfaces of the teeth both above and below the gingival margin (gum line), followed by dental polishing. The most critical part of a dental scaling procedure is scaling the tooth surfaces that are within the gingival pocket (the subgingival space between the gum and the root), where periodontal disease is active. Because the patient cooperates, dental scaling of human teeth performed by a professional trained in the procedures can be completed successfully without anesthesia. However, access to the subgingival area of every tooth is impossible in an unanesthetized canine or feline patient. Removal of dental tartar on the visible surfaces of the teeth has little effect on a pet's health, and provides a false sense of accomplishment. The effect is purely cosmetic. 3. Inhalation anesthesia using a cuffed endotracheal tube provides three important advantages… the cooperation of the patient with a procedure it does not understand, elimination of pain resulting from examination and treatment of affected dental tissues during the procedure, and protection of the airway and lungs from accidental aspiration. 4. A complete oral examination, which is an important part of a professional dental scaling procedure, is not possible in an unanesthetized patient. The surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue cannot be examined, and areas of disease and discomfort are likely to be missed. Safe use of an anesthetic or sedative in a dog or cat requires evaluation of the general health and size of the patient to determine the appropriate drug and dose, and continual monitoring of the patient. ) Periodontal problems affect more than 80 percent of dogs over the age of four, according to Hometown Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic veterinarian Jan Bellows. University of Penn http://www.vet.upenn.edu/RyanVHUPforSmallAnimalPatients/SpecialtyCareServices/DentistryOralSurgery/ClientInformation/tabid/814/Default.aspx#AnesthesiaFrequencyDentalCleanings Need for Anesthesia and Frequency of Professional Dental Cleanings Need for Anesthesia In order to perform a thorough periodontal examination, dental radiography, scaling and polishing, gingival curettage and root planing, the pet must be under general anesthesia. Anesthetic gas and oxygen are delivered through an endotracheal tube, thus ensuring pain-free procedures and also protecting the airways from aspirating fluids or debris. Owners of pets naturally are concerned when anesthesia is required for their pet. However, anesthesia-free dentistry performed by untrained individuals is inappropriate for several reasons, including: Significant safety concerns for the patient and operator. Insufficient cleaning of inaccessible tooth surfaces. No debridement of periodontal pockets. Oral discomfort and serious pain. Accidental aspiration of debris that can result in pneumonia and death. Furthermore, it is illegal for anybody but licensed veterinarians or supervised and trained veterinary technicians to practice veterinary medicine. Although anesthesia will never be 100% risk-free, modern anesthetic and patient evaluation techniques used in veterinary hospitals minimize the risks, and millions of dentistry and oral surgery procedures are safely performed each year. The American Veterinary Dental College adopted a position statement on companion animal dental scaling without anesthesia. Anesthesia is essential for veterinary dental procedures, to ensure that the procedure can be completed successfully. Fear of general anesthesia is a natural concern voiced by many owners when a dental procedure is recommended. However, the risk of chronic oral infection, for example, is far greater than the risk of an anesthetic complication. \ btw… have dog with CUPS, an autoimmune issue. I have to have her teeth cleaned every 3 mos. I wish I didn't know so much about it. :(