Dog Teeth Cleaning by Vet? (terrier, legal, protein, medium)

[World Citizen]

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

Guys, if you give your dogs raw bones to work on a few times a week, they have no need of teeth cleaning... Beef marrow bones seem to work the best as they will use all of their teeth breaking it apart.

By the way, raw bones do not cause obstructions- Cooked bones do.

That sounds like a superior method to me!

[Wicked Felina]

Originally Posted by stan4

Our vet wanted $900 per dog b/c they were older than 7. Yeah, right.

Ridiculous. I've had my pup's teeth cleaned twice; he's now twelve. Cost around $200 each time. I have a good vet - this past May (shot up-date time) he said my dog didn't really need the cleaning..thank goodness, a vet with ehtics.

[ICvegan]

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

Guys, if you give your dogs raw bones to work on a few times a week, they have no need of teeth cleaning... Beef marrow bones seem to work the best as they will use all of their teeth breaking it apart.

I believe this depends on the dogs. Before we went vegan, both dogs were on the BARF diet. Both dogs had bad teeth and needed cleanings while on this daily diet of raw meat and raw bones. My dogs are Maltese...small dogs in general are a bit notorious for having bad teeth.

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

By the way, raw bones do not cause obstructions- Cooked bones do.

Completely agree with this part. Cooked bones are VERY dangerous, but raw? Naaa...mine ate raw chicken bones and never had any problems related to the bones. And I have heard many times about raw bones eliminating the need for any kind of dental work....but every time, big dogs were involved. I guess this is because it takes a big dog to be able to chew through the size of bone necessary to do the cleaning?

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by ICvegan

I believe this depends on the dogs. Before we went vegan, both dogs were on the BARF diet. Both dogs had bad teeth and needed cleanings while on this daily diet of raw meat and raw bones. My dogs are Maltese...small dogs in general are a bit notorious for having bad teeth.

I don't have much experience with little dogs, but this certainly seems to have surface validity. I've had two goldens and husky mix on a raw diet and they seem to get the most benefit (not to mention pleasure) from beef hip bones about the size of a Maltese. My mother has a chihuahua that would be completely incapable of consuming raw food unles it was pre-ground, so there are definitely limits, but none of my big dogs have so much as bad breath and I can only attribute this to the consumption of raw bones.

So wait, when you went vegan your dogs did too?? I certainly respect you dietary discretion and I realize that they are your dogs, but I don't know that I would feel very good about making animal proteins unavailable to a wolf derivative.

[ICvegan]

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

So wait, when you went vegan your dogs did too?? I certainly respect you dietary discretion and I realize that they are your dogs, but I don't know that I would feel very good about making animal proteins unavailable to a wolf derivative.

Yeah, originally I really felt conflicted. They had been eating the BARF diet and suddenly I wanted nothing more to do with dead animal parts. For a while, I continued feeding them that way while I started to do research. I also worried that they would miss it and not like vegan food.

The day they both begged for tofu when I took it out of the fridge and then ate it, cold, straight from the fridge and begged for more was the day that I realized that perhaps I'd been depriving them of veggies instead! I ordered the book Obligate Carnivore: Cats, Dogs, and What it Really Means to be Vegan by Jed Gillen, but by the time it arrived (was living in South Korea at the time), my dogs were both already eating vegan. I'm sure that they would both eat meat if given the chance and enjoy it, but the same applies to chocolate, antifreeze, crusty things found on the street after market day.

I do make sure that they get bloodwork done on a regular basis. Since going vegan, neither has had any abnormalities in the bloodwork and vets (we move around a lot, so we see lots of vets) have always commented on how very healthy they are. This was also the case pre-vegan for my older dog, but my younger one used to have a lot of health issues that seemed to almost magically disappear after she went vegan. (though, again, I remain cautious and probably monitor their health a lot more often and more closely than most other people monitor their dogs.

When I first started feeding them vegan, I knew in my heart that I'd have to go back to feeding animals parts if they hated it or didn't do well. But, they love it and thrive on it. (thankfully) Curious about what they DO eat (we get that question a lot)? http://www.city-data.com/forum/4984240-post20.html

And yeah, I usually AM that longwinded!

[ICvegan]

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

....they seem to get the most benefit (not to mention pleasure) from beef hip bones about the size of a Maltese.

*shudder at the thought/image* I prefer thinking that big dogs view my dogs as potential squeaky toys, at worst.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by ICvegan

*shudder at the thought/image* I prefer thinking that big dogs view my dogs as potential squeaky toys, at worst.

Both of my goldens are/were, as is typical, blindly benevolent and would be completely incapable of violence.

That husky mix, though. She was a rescue and seems to have a checkered past. She has a serious prey drive and has killed a cat before. She is a good dog on leash unless a small white dog is in sight. I wouldn't trust her with a maltese.

[ICvegan]

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

Both of my goldens are/were, as is typical, blindly benevolent and would be completely incapable of violence.

That husky mix, though. She was a rescue and seems to have a checkered past. She has a serious prey drive and has killed a cat before. She is a good dog on leash unless a small white dog is in sight. I wouldn't trust her with a maltese.

Cookie would love your goldens. She has no idea that she's four pounds and most other dogs' heads alone are bigger and weigh more than she does. She has no fear and wants to play play play. She does better with females though. She can be a bit aggressive in her play with males...and has this unfortunate habit of trying to hump male dogs....much to the shock of a former neighbor of mine. We were standing there talking to each other and next thing you know, Cookie is humping his half Syberian husky half wolf's ANKLE with a grin on her face and his dog watching in disbelief.

To get back on topic...

Just got back from the vet visiting Noodle. Poor Cookie has no more grin. They had to take out nearly all her smile teeth. I'm amazed they lasted this long as they were loose when I got her.

Noodle had to have 20 teeth removed. He, too, had loose teeth since he was a puppy (he's nearly 11 now). 20 was a shocker though....I handle my dogs' teeth and mouths frequently and I certainly didn't feel TWENTY loose teeth...they looked and felt fine, but the vet said that there was too much bone loss.

I thought I was taking good enough care of their teeth, despite the (what might be congenital, according to the vet) looseness....but hard to keep track of what goes on beneath that gum line. Wish my previous vets had been doing x-rays when they did dentals....perhaps it wouldn't have gotten this bad.

[tatyca]

I understand that sometimes teeth cleaning is inevitable. However, I went to two different vets before who recommended my yorkie needed teeth cleaning by the vet with the anesthesia and all. Of course, it was as expensive or more as you all have mentioned. I did not have the money at that moment and I had to leave the dog at the vet the whole day and he is very nervous when he hears dogs barking around-- so gladly now, I considered waiting.

A few months ago, I took him to a new vet for another reason. I asked this vet for the cleaning and how much. He advised me to get some of those chewable bones (not the plastic ones) but those they can actually eat and are good for teeth cleaning. He said, in his opinion, it would be more than enough. No need to have the dog go through the anesthesia and the trauma!

It worked! He didn't really need the vet procedures! So, I recommend, you try all options before you have your dog go through the risk of anesthesia, etc. unless it is really necessary! You are going to save the money to when it is really needed too.

[ddvandy]

Watch out for salmonella with raw dog bones!