Dogs teeth

[Penny Less]

My rescue spaniel has o nly about 6 teeth left, she had very bad gum disease and teeth were almost completely encased in tartar. She has had this scaled off twice by the vet. I use a plaque removing paste but probably not as much as I should and she has what dental sticks she can cope with. Now she needs to go again. Is this a common problem with spaniels, Ive never had this with another breed ? My old 15 year old has only once had his teeth scaled in his life and they werent actually that bad!

 

[Pinkvboots]

You can buy a plaque remover that you sprinkle on there food everyday, I think it's great really has made a difference to my dogs teeth and her breath is much better as well.

I have no idea if spaniels are more prone to plaque sorry!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Don't know about spaniels but certain breeds are more prone to dental issues than others. Never had to brush a dog's teeth or have them scaled, ever ?

 

[Maryann]

Pets at Home do a liquid oral care for dogs and cats that you put in the water. They tell me they sell a lot of it. It costs around a fiver for a bottle and has an unlikely cartoon on the label. It is brilliant. My old dog had bad tartar and sore gums when he was 16 and ended up on antibiotics. I started using this stuff and he never had any more trouble although they were never beautiful and white again. He was pts at 21 due to old age issues.

 

[Quoth]

Cockers are particularly prone, springers less so. My parents bred working springers and other than having their teeth cleaned as a matter of course when they have had to be anesthetised for other reasons, I've not seen any problems. Their oldest will be 16 in a few days and has relatively good teeth for a dog her age.

 

[Penny Less]

Thanks. I will have a look for Pets and Home stuff. spoke to the Vet and shes not to worried unless shes having trouble eating, no problems there ! I just want dog to keep her few remaining fangs!

 

[littlefluffball]

My whippet has the worst teeth I have ever known in a dog (sighthounds are renowned for shocking teeth - but out of all 7 sighthounds I have owned I have never seen anything like this) She had 8 removed at the end of last year and the rest all scaled. i started brushing them again as soon as I could (once her mouth had healed) I give her plaque off in her food and regular plaque reducing chews, meaty bones etc and the plaque is already starting to build back up.... it really worries me but I think I just need to keep on top of it and accept she may need more regular scaling...

 

[Aru]

Two ways to deal with dental disease.
Mechanical removal or chemical prevention of the tartar build up.

Dental disease in dogs is essentially a bacterial build up issue for many dogs.
Some are also more prone to gingivitis( inflammation of the gum tissues)then others. It's the inflammation that can be causing damage to the periodontal ligaments under the gumline...and that damage leads the gums and teeth loss..

Chemical wise...

Hexarinse or equivalent mouth wash placed on a make up pad and rubbed onto surfaces of clean teeth-ie before the tartar builds up(it's to late to help if the disease process is at the tartar present level)as a preventative works reasonably well but is labour intensive. Less then brushing but still hassle. It works by killing tha bacterial load that causes the tartar build up...
Theres a few chews like oravet(which essentially has mouthwash released as they chew) but while these are similar.... they dont always hit the exact problem areas so its depends on the dogs chewing action and length spend working on the chew releasing the chemical. It does have a mechanical effect as well though.
There's also the mouthwashes you can add to water to reduce the risk that way.

Mechanical..

Nothing works as well as brushing and mechanical removal of the bacteria and prevention of build up of the tartar. Brushing is still the best way to keep teeth. Remove the build up especially focusing on the gum line and prevent the attachment of the bacteria that forms the clumps of plaque.

The foods(look at any dental food and the first thing you'll note is they are massive in size to force the dogs to chew to swallow) dentastix etc all are mechanical removal but not as directly targeted to the problem areas(esp the gumline) as needed in many dogs. They help for dogs who aren't good at chewing in general...But for severely affected dogs often are not enough alone to control the disease process.

Similarly to humans some dogs need regular cleans if you have severe disease and you want to keep the teeth. Depending on what 6 are left it may be worth considering if they will be manageable longterm. Canines and carnassials generally are manageable...The smaller teeth are shorter rooted and more likely to succumb to disease in many dogs.