Dog teeth cleaning?

birddude said:
Chicken bones? I was always told dogs would choke or that they would splinter and stick in them somewhere? No??
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That's only a possibility with cooked chicken. The raw bone won't splinter. I've been giving duck wings and necks(one per day for about a month and it's pretty impressive what is happening with one of my older dogs teeth.
The necks are the best.
 
Up here in the mountains of Colorado vets are charging north of $600 for dog teeth cleaning (one vet gave us a price of $400 then had her tech corner me when I brought the dog in and told me that was only an "estimate" and the cost could go up to and over $1,000 - that was the last time for that vet!). It apparently is the plaque that causes the health problems. Chewing on bones, antlers, etc. help get rid of the plaque but a true dental cleaning is required periodically to get all of it, just like humans. My nephew is a vet in eastern Colorado. He says the reason for the high price of tooth cleaning is because of the anesthesia which causes insurance to cover the procedure to go sky high. No idea how all that works, but at $600+ per dog, we try to limit cleanings to every couple of years unless we see a significant plaque build-up.
 
Powderhorn Jim said:
Up here in the mountains of Colorado vets are charging north of $600 for dog teeth cleaning (one vet gave us a price of $400 then had her tech corner me when I brought the dog in and told me that was only an "estimate" and the cost could go up to and over $1,000 - that was the last time for that vet!). It apparently is the plaque that causes the health problems. Chewing on bones, antlers, etc. help get rid of the plaque but a true dental cleaning is required periodically to get all of it, just like humans. My nephew is a vet in eastern Colorado. He says the reason for the high price of tooth cleaning is because of the anesthesia which causes insurance to cover the procedure to go sky high. No idea how all that works, but at $600+ per dog, we try to limit cleanings to every couple of years unless we see a significant plaque build-up.
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I give my pups Pedigree DentaStix every morning. 12 1/2 yr old BLM has never needed a teeth cleaning. Give a raw beef knuckle or femur once in a while
 
I have read that chicken feet are great for dogs to chew on and high in glucosamine. I see them in Walmart now and then but haven't tried them.
 
Mosby said:
I have read that chicken feet are great for dogs to chew on and high in glucosamine. I see them in Walmart now and then but haven't tried them.
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I like the spicy Chinese ones. Had a Chinese exchange student and she brought me a pack of pre-made ones covered in some green sauce. Served them at a party I had and then went over like a lead zeppelin.
 
AtTheMurph said:
I like the spicy Chinese ones. Had a Chinese exchange student and she brought me a pack of pre-made ones covered in some green sauce. Served them at a party I had and then went over like a lead zeppelin.
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I can understand it. I can't get past the toe nails myself.:sick:
 
Along with bird dogs we've always had Boxers around and every one of them, no matter how obedient, has been a food snatcher and/or a trash dog. My wife freaked out and we drove our first chicken bone eater to the vet on a holiday weekend after he ate a whole tray of wing bones, they gave him Metamucil and sent us home. The senior vet at the university said a dogs stomach has so much acid in it that it will break that stuff down no problem. Now we don't make a practice of feeding bones to them but the amount ive seen eaten over the years with no issues leads me to believe it may not be as big of a deal as some make it. I always think about the bones a coyote or wolf ingest and are fine, which may add credit to the raw bone theory.
 
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Black Labs madder said:
only bones safe for dogs are raw, NEVER GIVE COOKED BONES OF ANY KIND TO YOUR DOGS. ( i was pretty nervous at first watching dog crunch up a chicken bone) my dogs have eaten probably a hundred pounds of RAW chicken bones ,with nary a problem, my vet has 4 dogs she feeds raw diet as well, she feeds all kinds of bones beside chicken , like pork, lamb, deer etc. shes been feeding raw for many many years no probs, along with thousands of others out there. amazing short intestinal tract, their poop comes out white from the bones, i can post some pics of their amazing white teeth if youd like
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I hunted with a Setter man a couple of times and his dogs ate chicken bones. They all had the prettiest teeth you can imagine.
 
I think there is some sort of connection between anesthesia involved with teeth cleaning and dogs going deaf and/or losing their sense of smell. Can’t remember the details but it’s probably worth researching so you can discuss the concerns and techniques with your vets.
 
GetTothePoint said:
Along with bird dogs we've always had Boxers around and every one of them, no matter how obedient, has been a food snatcher and/or a trash dog. My wife freaked out and we drove our first chicken bone eater to the vet on a holiday weekend after he ate a whole tray of wing bones, they gave him Metamucil and sent us home. The senior vet at the university said a dogs stomach has so much acid in it that it will break that stuff down no problem. Now we don't make a practice of feeding bones to them but the amount ive seen eaten over the years with no issues leads me to believe it may not be as big of a deal as some make it. I always think about the bones a coyote or wolf ingest and are fine, which may add credit to the raw bone theory.
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why take a chance with your dog?
 
What prices are you guys getting from your vet for teeth cleaning? I called my vet today and was told it would depend on how long it took but would start at about $500. Think it's time to start brushing?
 
$500 is about right, even in the DFW metro area. got a cleaning kit, paste and brush, he loves the flavor, kinda fights the brushing, but he is getting better, just started his dental brushing a couple days ago. yes, it needs to be done daily, bacteria gets under gums, gets into the blood stream, not good.
 
My wife is a dental assistant. She bought a "tooth scaling kit for dogs" from amazon for 6 bucks. She does it once or twice a year as needed.

Takes about 2 minutes. Assuming your dog is your subordinate, lay them on there side and get after it. It's not rocket science. Scrape the plaque and tartar off. Have someone help hold your dog and keep them calm. Do one side, give them a break, do the other.

 
Golddog said:
My wife is a dental assistant. She bought a "tooth scaling kit for dogs" from amazon for 6 bucks. She does it once or twice a year as needed.

Takes about 2 minutes. Assuming your dog is your subordinate, lay them on there side and get after it. It's not rocket science. Scrape the plaque and tartar off. Have someone help hold your dog and keep them calm. Do one side, give them a break, do the other.

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very hard to do effectively as it is a rare dog that will let you scrape under the gum line. if you miss this area the plaque will be back very soon.
your wife should understand this issue, dogs not like humans. Much resistance.
 
I can agree not every dog will cooperate. Training and temperament make a difference
But something that you can keep up with on a monthly/bi-annual/yearly (whatever is needed) schedule yourself seems like an easy way to save thousands over the life of your dog. No offense to veterinarians, but its not like they spend years learning canine dental care either. Maybe things have changed but I don't think they fill cavities do they?

Regardless its important that we take care of our dogs teeth.

BTW My wife works in a pediatric office so squirming and not holding still is the norm.
 
if you can start with a clean slate, you might keep up pretty well with cleaning monthly at home?
depends on the dog and the food they eat. lots of variables, we agree though, teeth cleaning is necessary.
TY
 
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This teeth cleaning deal at the vet is a new one to me. Maybe I've been lucky, knock on wood, but what teeth issues are you guys having? Ive had dogs my whole life and never had a tooth issue.
 
Dakotazeb said:
What prices are you guys getting from your vet for teeth cleaning? I called my vet today and was told it would depend on how long it took but would start at about $500. Think it's time to start brushing?
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I know this thread is almost a year old but wanted to update you on the cost of teeth cleaning. Since my normal vet was going to cost $400-500 I looked around locally. Found a very reputable vet here in Watertown that was much more reasonable. I took Bree in today because her teeth were really needing a good cleaning. They did a super job and I was out the door at $230 + tax.
 
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