Bad doggie breath cure

[grinningghost]

If your dog has atrocious breath like ours did (I'm talking you can't even be in the same room with the dog), have his/her teeth checked at the vet. Our dog had her routine vet appointment this week and the vet noticed a fractured tooth. Prior to this, we had been buying every dental diet food on the market, doggie breath mints, doggie toothpaste, you name it. Nothing worked. The vet removed the tooth a couple days ago, and like magic, no more bad doggie breath! It's like a miracle. I wish I had known sooner.

 

[DocRafiki]

Tartar and periodontal disease is usually the culprit, oh 95% of the time. Regardless, a professional dental cleaning is the only way to go (professional means by the vet, not having the groomer brush them or try to scale them).

 

[Toodles524]

DocRafiki
How about the service that is offered at Petsmart or PetCo? Is this like the grooming service or the vet's office? Otherwise, would you recommend it?

 

[Kallison]

Another q about teeth cleaning -- doesn't the vet have to put them under? Isn't this potentially dangerous? I've tried brushing his teeth, it just doesn't work too well.

 

[browneyes]

My brother's doggy had that problem, so they cleaned her teeth real well. She didn't have any bad teeth. They've been giving her some doggy biscuits to help the bad breath, but all that does is make her breath stink and smell like doggy biscuits. She thinks she has marvelous breath though.

I'm glad your doggy's breath got cured.

 

[DocRafiki]

A real dental scaling like you get at the dentist requires anesthesia. Most groomers just brush the teeth. If they scale them, they are doing a disservice. Scaling without antibiotics and an endotracheal tube showers bacteria into the lungs and bloodstream. Also, they aren't trained and probably don't know how to measure for periodontal disease or how to scale under the gumline. They also aren't polishing, which means the tartar will come back even more quickly. They also aren't doing dental x-rays, obviously, which you need if the halitosis is that bad.

Anesthesia carries risks, which is why it's best to keep those teeth clean so you don't have to put them under anesthesia so often. That's also why a thorough vet will want pre-anesthetic bloodwork and an IV catheter during the procedure.

Periodontal disease often leads to kidney failure in cats and heart failure in small dogs, so it is not something to be messed with (not to mention it is painful).

 

[DocRafiki]

Another thing to check, if the teeth are healthy and clean, are the anal sacs. The dog might be licking them, and they smell FOUL, especially if infected.

 

[Toodles524]

Thanks Doc, now I feel like I know what questions to ask.

 

[catsrule]

Thanks for the info, DocR. Simba got his teeth professionally cleaned this year. My family thought I was nuts, but hey, so does everyone else.

 

[Nutsy]

Hey this turned out to be a real education. Thanks for all the info Doc