Question:
Do all DVM's provide routine dental care, (cleaning)? Trying to brush our
Maltese's teeth everyday is akin to pushing a wet noodle across a shag
carpet.
Answer:
All the vet hospitals I know of do.
Some pets need annual dental scaling and anything you might do to try and
prevent them needing it done just wont work on some pets.
My experience too - all the vets I've had do cleaning and
extractions. The dogs are anaesthetized for the procedure
and come home the same day.
I haven't had to brush teeth around here since I started adding raw bones to
the gang's diet. Their breath is great and the teeth and gums are very
healthy looking.
The great pleasure of a dog is that you make a fool of yourself with him
and not only will he not scold you, he will make a fool of himself too.
This is new to me. I just did a Google Groups search and read lots of older
posts about raw bones, but I can't find exactly what size to give to a small
(papillon) dog. A chicken wing was suggested, but wouldn't those bones be
too small to help keep teeth clean? I am interest in giving bones only for
dental reasons. What about salmonella in uncooked chicken?
I'm reluctant to give my dog bones. So, he does have rawhide and
I brush his teeth about every three days. When I see tartar build
up on his molars, I just scrape it away with a dental scraper.
The trick, of course, is to have a dog that will allow you to
do this. I don't know if I can take any credit but from puppy
hood I have been examining our dog's teeth, paws, etc. and
providing treats provided he does not resist.
I would not give any pet a chicken bone. My vet told me that chicken bones
can splinter and cause problems in the dogs stomach and intestines. I would
buy a bone that is meant for dental cleaning. You can find them at most
department stores that sell pet supplies.
The great pleasure of a dog is that you make a fool of yourself with him
and not only will he not scold you, he will make a fool of himself too.
Any change to a diet that your dog i used to may cause an upset stomach but
usually its only a matter of lopser stools for a couple of days then they go
back to normal. Obviouusly if they didnt you would have to reassess the
change again
Raw chicken wings are great for little dogs teeth. Never ever give cooked
ones as these can splinter and not digest properly and cause all sorts of
intestinal and constipation dramas. Also if your dog is used to all kibble
dont give too many at first or you may cause constipation as your dog not
used to them.
One a week is good then progress to 2 a week and then if you like one every
second day. The only things we tell people to take care with are if your dog
is a real guts and just chomps on it a couple of times and then swallows it
then I would avoid raw chicken wings and let your dog chew on raw lamb
shanks.
With a small dog though you may find he just may refuse to eat it
altogether, we find small dogs and many cats just arnt interested in raw
bones and if they arnt interested Im afraid theres not a lot you can do
about that and will just have to resort to the old brushing his teeth every
day with doggie toothpaste.
If your dog already has dirty teeth then chewing on raw bones wont make them
clean you wil have to gt the vet to clean his teeth first and then use the
bones to try and keep them clean. Some animals thogh are predisposed to
dental disease and no amount of care at keeping them clean will prevent them
needing annual dental work.
