Tartar
I know this isn't an approved method, but it has probably saved myself some Vet fees, and saved the pup the buildup of further nasties in his mouth. Afterwards I brushed his teeth as normal (dog toothpaste) well I say normal he just tries to eat the toothbrush 
With all his chewing - bones, nylabones, dentestix etc they obviously keep his other teeh clean but not the fangs, he is on dry food, is this a normal spot for tartar build up? |
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| Yes, there, and also on the big molars. Especially the top ones.
An idea for dental scrapers: I have a friend who gets the old ones from her human dentist when they get new ones. I plan on calling my dentist to make the same request! |
| I use a similar thing on Ru, butter knife. The same happens with him, same place but it seems to be OK after. |
| All,
Please be very careful when descaling your Bobtail's teeth and only use the proper de-scaling tools you can get at better dog supply houses. I very earnestly advise against using "old ones" from your dentist. The only reason a dentist's office will "give them away" is because they are no longer serviceable and if they aren't servicable for people why would they be any good for dogs? Finally I don't think that regular "human" dentistry tools will be strong enough for descaling your dog's teeth, even when they are brand new. In general tartar builds up on a dog's teeth for a long time (6 months or more) and it tends to be much harder and is much more strongly adhered to the teeth than tartar in our mouths which get much more frequent and thorough brushing than do our dogs' mouths. Once you compare dog tooth descaling tools with a dentist's tools I think you'll agree with this. In addition to the right tools you need to learn the right technique. It is not easy to do this as you have to balance a lot of force with fine control. Even a small mistake can result in a lot of harm to your dogs mouth. It is so very easy to slip and slash a gum wide open causing severe bleeding which could be life threathening if there are no emergency vet clinics nearby. Cuts to the tongue are less bloody but are difficult and slow to heal and risk infection and all the associated problems that brings along. Even if there is no immediate harm it is very easy to scratch the tooth enamal that could lead to cavities and/or cracking of a tooth. And you have to be very careful to get all the plaque out of the mouth ensuring your pup doesn't swallow any of it - not even the tiniest fragment. Plaque is full of bacteria that can cause severe stomach upsets and in a worst case scenario it could perforate an intestine! And finally this is a very invasive procedure and is very stressing on a conscious dog. Yes I do descale my boys' and girls' teeth but this is one of the few grooming tasks I don't recommend to people because of the potential danger and quite frankly it is really repugnant. Some people get "grossed out" by ear cleaning which is no problem to me but teeth scraping is pretty much even my limit! Plaque stinks big time, little chips of it can fly all over and it is a pain making sure you get it all out of the mouth and captured on a paper towel or kleenex to throw it away. Even my dogs who will stand for virtually anything I do to them dislike their teeth being descaled and you can see their gums whiten due to the stress of it. Then there's my stress level doing this..... Half an hour descaling teeth wipes me out for the rest of the night! I have in fact had a few PMs asking me about this and even doing a photo essay on the topic, but this one I'm declining to share. I'm not meaning to be selfish here, I'm just totally concerned about the harm that can be done all too easily. And in all honestly I also have to be concerned about legal liabilities on this one were someone to injure their dog while following my directions. Like everyone I'm all for saving money but in this case, for most people, it is better to "cough up the cash" to a vet to clean our dogs' teeth. Be careful and please please don't use knifes of any description in your Bobtail's (or any furkid's) mouth for any reason. Carl |
| One problem with doing it yourself you are not polishing them. I received a huge NO NO from my vet. The teeth will be rough now and then accumulate more tartar. Now there will be areas to accumulate bacteria. I learned this the hard way. I just took Laika into the vet and had it done professionally they have the right tools. With out the polish at the end.
So now she has a clean mouth and I am brushing all the time they also gave me something cannot remember the name will check tonight right from the vet office for teeth cleaning. |
| just took my yorkie to vets for booster, and they mentioned her teeth. I try to clean them with dog toothpaste but she has such a small mouth. they gave me a sample of hills t/d but I know it will just get worse..... |
oops  |
Archies Slave wrote: oops
you live and learn. I'm glad you posted; I have not been very good about my girl's teeth, and this is inspiring me to set some time aside and try again with them! |
Believe me I am brushing now! They were gross. The vet thinks she might have a dryer mouth so that could be the reason she had such a build up. Plus the scraping without the polishing doesn't help acerbates the issue. Have a clean slate  to work with now just have to remember to brush every night!  |
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