18 teeth pulled out by my vet!

[GGRider]

Has anyone else ever known this to happen! Our 7 yo Labrador has recently suffered from pretty whiffy breath and a lot of plaque has built up on her molars. We give her big rawhide chews to help clean them and they are being devoured without any trouble in minutes as usual but teeth still remained manky.

So, she goes to vet for a dental clean and we discover they removed 18 teeth including all but two of her perfectly clean and healthy looking front /incisor teeth!

We were warned perhaps 1-2 might be removed if required.

We are furious!

I have lost faith in vets of late -more interested in making money than doing the right thing.

 

[Dumbo]

Aw your poor dog hope he isn't too sore!
My dog has just 6 teeth left now. She had bad breath and a lot of plaque build up too - not sure how many they took out but it was a lot! She is quite happy now though and still manages to scoff her food!

 

[Bestdogdash]

I find it hard to believe a vet would do this unless necessary.

Why didn't you clean the dogs teeth to prevent/cure plaque build up? Must have been bad to make the breath smell. Our dog has her teeth cleaned (kits available at all vets and online) by me two or three times a week.

 

[Dumbo]

*her, oops sorry!

 

[Umbongo]

Unfortunately it can happen. You cannot know exactly what will need to be taken out until the dog is under GA. I have seen vets take out the problem teeth, only for the ones next to them become loose once it has lost its surrounding support. Some teeth may also look like they will cause a problem a few months down the line and be taken out too. We had a dog in recently that the vet thought it would only be 5-6 teeth taken out, turned out it was 20!

 

[Laura2408]

Often when doing dental work you do find the teeth are worse than expected as its pretty difficult to examine teeth clearly conscious. It requires some probing and removal of plaque to determine if a tooth is salvageable. If a tooth has caries or decay it is pointless leaving it in to cause problems at a later date, which usually would lead complaints in a month or so when an owner has paid a fortune for dental work for it not to have solved the problem.

I would rather remove the offending teeth if it was my own dog and be done. Dental chews don't tend to work that well, you could try plaque off or brushing of the remaining teeth to keep them healthy, prevention is better than cure.

Dogs do perfectly well without any teeth at all, I'm sure he will be fine soon

 

[Jnhuk]

Our vet did something similar with our cat due to after scaling, FORL lesions being discovered.

Less risky to take them out when discovered than have a second GA in my mind to do so later

 

[WelshD]

Talk it through calmly with the vet

Unless you were paying by the tooth I can't see how they'd be cashing in and I doubt they'd have done this unless they had to

I'm sure there will be a reason for all the extractions

 

[Horseymumma]

Extracting healthy teeth is really hard work! vets wouldn't extract teeth unnecessarily, especially 18 of them. It's hard to judge what you'll find until you get under all the build up of plaque and have a proper look at the teeth. I wouldn't be furious with them, they've done the right thing.

Your dog will be much happier without having a mouth full of rotten teeth.

Be glad that its all done and dusted and the problem is sorted, better that then having to go back in a few months and risk another anaesthetic.

 

[GGRider]

Thanks for your balanced and largely non-judgemental and informative views - perhaps I would have been less annoyed if we had a little more warning, a heads up of what to expect, especially where the front teeth are concerned as they had no sign of plaque or trouble at all! We have had dogs for 30 years and never known anything like it even when they were ancient - it has shocked us to see our Labrador panting today with great gaps between her canines.

Anyway, whilst I am a bad person for not brushing my dogs' teeth daily, I do feel better for a rant.
Enjoy the weekend!

 

[trottingon]

My dog has a Dentastix every day and the vet recently commented she's got just about the best teeth of all their clients, whether that's luck or down to the chew I don't know😀

 

[Luci07]

My dog has a Dentastix every day and the vet recently commented she's got just about the best teeth of all their clients, whether that's luck or down to the chew I don't know😀

My 3 are the same, including the 12 year old so maybe there is something in the stix.

 

[Clodagh]

My lurcher buries anything chewy, including dentastix. She does eat raw bones but has had most of her teeth removed now (she is 13). It doesn't seem to affect her. I have never cleaned her teeth, life is just too short sometimes!

 

[Quantock-cob]

Dentastix are full of sugar - I was told it was the equivalent of giving a child a mars bar every day. For tartar control a hard crispy Bonio is just as good (and far healthier) or a raw hide chew.

To the op, whilst very distressing for you at the moment, once her mouth has healed your dog will probably feel much happier without a mouth full of sore, diseased teeth. I suggest, that if you have other dogs, that you ask for a consult with a nurse at your practice, to discuss preventative dental care, to avoid this happening again. My dogs have yearly dental cleans to keep their teeth healthy and I also use a dog toothbrush on them daily. The vets, like human dentists, are having to deal with unhealthy teeth, that have not been looked after, and often their only solution is to remove the bad teeth.

And to Clodagh - so life is too short to clean your dogs teeth - that is probably why she doesn't have any left at 13! Do you bother cleaning your own teeth? Or can you not find time for that either?

 

[Suelin]

Our Italian Greyhound had 18 teeth out earlier this year. We feed raw chicken wings regularly and raw chunks of carrot daily and our other dogs teeth are perfect. I was a bit horrified that she had to lose so many particularly when you consider that when we had her first, we had her spayed and her teeth cleaned and then 2 years later this happened. On discussion it would appear that in her case her jaw is misaligned hence her bite is not true so our usual regime didn't work for her. However even with losing so many teeth, she can still crunch up her chicken wings and raw carrot, it just takes her a bit longer now.

Your dog will cope just fine although I do admit that it is galling particularly when you try to take care.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I'd be furious too.

But I wouldn't give any dog I actually liked anything made of rawhide, or a Dentastix sorry to those who do.
Much better with a raw bone or one of those Cerea chews or a Stagbar for a serious set of jaws.
Never cleaned a dog's teeth in my life, they've all had raw bones and they've all had excellent teeth. While obviously they don't suit every dog, by and large their teeth are designed to eat meat and bones. There are also things like Nylabones to keep them going.

I always leave my mobile number with the vet and tell him to ring me first if anything drastic needs doing, unless it is a life or death situation.

 

[Spring Feather]

My vets always phone me if they come up against something unexpected. I can't ever imagine them doing something like this without phoning me to check it was okay to do so.

Another useless dog owner here Owned many dogs, had dogs for all of my life and never once cleaned any teeth. My dogs are all fed part raw and they often find dead deer and suchlike so we always have antlers, hides and legs lying outside our farmhouse as the dogs bring them home to munch on. Nice white teeth on all of mine and none have ever had any dental work.

 

[Tickles]

My small fluffies vet is terribly good at calling if they find anything unexpected whilst under GA (even harder to examine little ones than dogs whilst concious) to confirm course of action.

To start with I used to cross out the part about 'doing anything else considered necessary at the time' on the op consent form but now I trust them to contact me first I don't bother.

Sounds like you need to have a little chat with your vet about
- what they found
- calling you to talk things through as a general rule

FWIW dental care is about care but it is also about genetics. And luck. I have twin fluffies who have lived together their whole lives (as far as I know... they were rescues so could all be made up!). One has perfectly fine teeth. The other terrible.

Worth getting advice on your specific dogs though perhaps...

 

[twiglet84]

Try not to be too worried, dogs have over 40 teeth so although 18 sounds a lot there's plenty left to eat with.

Its very difficult to fully assess the teeth in a conscious patient so once under anaesthetic your vet would have been able to have a proper check. Healthy teeth are a nightmare to remove so I doubt your vet would be taking them out without needing to. We also charge a set fee so the same for taking 1 tooth out as it is for 16 teeth.

You'd have been more cross if they left loads of rotten teeth in or in 6months time when your dog was suffering dental problems again.

Now the teeth have been dealt with it is the perfect opportunity to continue with the dental care, so whether that be brushing, dental diets, bones etc.

I know its probably a shock but im sure your vet did it in the best interest of you pet.

xxxxx

 

[{97702}]

I really can't understand why anyone would be furious about this Your vets have done what is necessary to give your dog a healthy mouth and healthy remaining teeth, as many have already said they cannot judge the severity of the situation until they begin to remove the tartar build up from on the teeth.

I have one greyhound with 4 teeth left and another with 7 teeth left (he had 21 teeth taken out in one dental a couple of months ago) and they do just fine - including a raw diet where they regularly demolish chicken carcasses

Your dog will thank your vets even if you dont want to

 

[Supertrooper]

When you signed the consent form did it say dental and extractions?

Your vets should of informed you that your dog needed more teeth than expected removing BUT there is no way of knowing how many will need extracting until the vet has a good look under GA. Incisors are often the first to loosen and can and will do even if they look healthy.

Believe me they wouldn't of removed healthy teeth just for the sake of it as even fairly rotten teeth arn't easy to remove!

Saying that your vets probably should of kept you better informed and if you arn't happy then perhaps write a letter or speak to practice manager.

Hope your dogs ok now, his gums will quickly heal over xx

 

[blackcob]

Zombie thread, with new additional spam.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Zombie thread, with new additional spam.

Spam? Where?

What sort of spam could anyone write on the subject about tooth extractions? Did they perhaps promote dental implants for dogs or what?

 

[blackcob]

Ah, it's been swiftly deleted - I didn't actually click on the link but it was some sort of toothpaste or supplement I think.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Ah, it's been swiftly deleted - I didn't actually click on the link but it was some sort of toothpaste or supplement I think.

:wink3: Oh no! Are you saying I missed a link to a magic toothpaste/supplement that maybe would have guaranteed to keep my bitches teeth healthy for as long as they live.

 

[Kaylum]

Kongs are brilliant for tooth brushing tried to brush my dogs teeth but no way she runs off whenever it gets near her. The kong does all the work now. She gets through dentasticks in two snaps so I break them in half and stuff them in the kong. It takes her 10 minutes to get through them.

 

[{97702}]

:wink3: Oh no! Are you saying I missed a link to a magic toothpaste/supplement that maybe would have guaranteed to keep my bitches teeth healthy for as long as they live.

LOL FinnishLapphund, love it Islay now has no teeth, and Hoover will have his remaining ones extracted some time this year (when I have saved the money!) - but they are happy, healthy dogs anyway, pah who needs teeth really

 

[blackcob]

Certainly not the gummy grunds! Bet they give a nasty suck

Mine have lovely gnashers, I brush them regularly as well as feeding bones and chews but ultimately so much of it seems to be genetic that it's just a token effort.

Unless someone is feeding Bakers, in which case they deserve for their dog's teeth to fall out.

 

[{97702}]

The weirdest sensation is when I have to give Islay her heart tablet (usually she has it in food) and she tries to close her mouth on my hand, but has no teeth I would say poor girl, but she isn't concerned at all

 

[FinnishLapphund]

LOL FinnishLapphund, love it Islay now has no teeth, and Hoover will have his remaining ones extracted some time this year (when I have saved the money!) - but they are happy, healthy dogs anyway, pah who needs teeth really

Is this a suitable time to confess that I have an electric toothbrush for myself with exchangeable brush heads, the brush head with the yellow ring on is mine and the brush head with pink ring on is my bitches. I know it is not the end of the world if they lose their teeth, but I want to do what I can to make sure that they keep them as long as possible.

Besides getting their teeth brushed with an electric toothbrush, they also get gnaw bones, anything from bull penises (I buy them in their natural length and chop them down to suitable sizes with my garden shears/loppers), rawhide, something sold as kneecaps from cows, dentastix or similar, dried fish, bones made on vegetables, to bones that i don't know the English name for.

In case anyone is curious *cough* Oral-B Professional *cough*, works for both man and dog.


ETA Does this mean I win the title as HHO's craziest dog lady?