"sighthounds & siberians" wrote in message
...
I've heard that scaling your dog's teeth isn't a good idea, too, but
mostly from veterinarian-type sources. My vet said yesterday that
there are groomers around who will scale teeth, but he didn't know who
they were. I think my best bet is to have the dentals done and then
continue with the gel or paste, and also feed chicken backs about once
a week. I just can't go all raw right now, but I have a source for
chicken backs that's not far away and very reasonably priced, and I've
heard that backs are better than necks for teeth cleaning. And I am
going to try the vaccine. My Siberians had great teeth with little
effort, but greyhounds' are known for periodontal disease, and my
rescue Borzoi has lost 12 teeth and is about to lose more, so they all
need very bit of help they can get.

I am of the opinion that if it doesn't hurt, and may help, then do it. I
have seen too many dogs with horrible mouths, and would hate to think that a
simple vaccine could have saved them from that. My daughter's boss has an
older Shih Tzu that has had all but two teeth removed due to decay. The
pain and suffering he must have gone through... *shudder* And apparently
the smell was something to be smelled to be believed! Ick.

Phyrie

On 6/11/2010 9:16 AM, Dogman wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:36:18 -0400, sighthounds& siberians
wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:26:01 -0400, wrote:
[...]
But brushing a dog's teeth is EASY.

Yes, it is. Unfortunately, and alas, it does not preclude the need
for dentals, at least not in my sighthound breeds. Did you watch a
vet scale teeth, or just pick it up on your own?

Yes, a vet taught me how, but I confine it mostly to my older dogs
(the only ones that ever need it), rather than subject them to
anesthesia. No, I can't do it nearly as well as the vet can, but well
enough. I'm pretty good at getting just the plaque, without harming
the tooth.

Anyway, its worked well for me. Plus, I've already paid enough to vets
to put several of their kids through college. I'm not paying to put
them through graduate school too. I got a lot of dogs!

--
Dogman


My 12.5 year-old dog has had his teeth brushed
almost daily since he was a puppy. At one time I
would scale his teeth but my vet declared scaling
unnecessary. So, I stopped scaling about five
years ago and although there is plaque it is not
extensive. The best news is that our dog (Max)
does not have "doggy breath."

I use Drs Foster & Smith toothpaste and I apply
it with an electric (Oral B) toothbrush. When Max
was a puppy, however, I used one of those rubber-like
thimbles with bristles as Dogman noted.

--Marshall