Question:
We have a 9 year old Boston that I took in for his annual last week. The
Vet said he has two molars on the left side that don't look good. I checked
them out myself and sure enough they look like they need to be cleaned. The
gums are slightly red but nothing severe. He also does not show any
sensitivity when chewing or to touch on that side.
I scheduled a tooth cleaning at the Vets this week. They will clean the
teeth using an ultrasonic cleaner like my dentist uses and will pull the
teeth if they are in real bad shape. Of course the dog will be under during
the process. I am supposed to take him in at 7:30 and pick him up after 4.
Answer:
As with any procedure there are risks more so when any sort of
sedation is used. Age of pet, breed, current health are also are
factors. Teeth cleaning is said to help prolong a pets life.
I inherited a 14 year old dog that had a bad tooth which
was not removed and then became infected. Cost me a fortune, cost the
dog 12 teeth and caused the disease COPD. From what I understand, poor
dental hygiene is a major cause of COPD. If you don't brush your dogs
teeth already, start doing it now. It will save you alot of money in
the end and both the dog and yourself alot of pain.
As the others have said, brushing your dog's teeth will reduce the need
for repeated anesthesia for dental scaling and polishing. A child-soft
brush (or one of the Colgate battery operated brushes, as the brush head
is small; my guys like this type of brush) will work very well for a
Boston. Use a pet toothpaste (My Border Terriers go nuts over the
peanut butter flavor... with poultry flavor a distant second). Twice a
week for brushing is fine, but daily is better. You don't rinse the
dog's mouth out ; he'll swallow the toothpaste like a very young child
will do.... no harm. Frequent brushing will go a lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ong
way toward controlling "Dog Breath".
My dog has had to have this done, with removal of an infected tooth also.
He was fine afterwards. The only thing that hurt was my wallet. My own
dentist told me she'd have done it for 1/4 of the price. She was Joking of
course, but not about the cost. :-(
My dogs always have plenty of bones, so I don't know why the infected tooth
happened.
My dog has never wanted his mouth touched. You can do just about anything
else to him - just not his mouth. Brushing is out of the question.
That's not good. Something like that should have been worked on when the
dog was still young. Comes in handy for things not only like brushing
teeth, but other problems (like checking the mouth on a regular basis).
Most don't like their mouth "messed with" until it is worked on. Then, like
anything else, they get used to it and tolerate it. (Like ear cleaning or
gland squeezing.)
Given that I pay for my dogs' food, housing, education, vet care, and
recreation, they da__ well are going to permit me to brush teeth (and
even do some minor scaling), and trim nails. Period. End. Of.
Sentence. I am the leader, and I set and enforce in a fair and
consistent manner, all household rules.
So I make certain that all dogs that come to live with me permit this
type of care. I do it through training, and conditioning, not
punishment. Regardless of the age of the dog. They don't have to
"like" it. They simply must permit me to do it. The individual dog may
select a preferred flavor of toothpaste, and whether he prefers nail
clipping, filing, or use of the Dremel for nail care... based on
reaction to each of these.
I recently had my 4 yr old ACD's teeth cleaned and all went very well!
We rescued him from a shelter, and his teeth were just in bad
shape....LOTS of tartar, and some pretty advanced gingivitis. Odd for
such a young dog (although I've heard the same from many ACD owners) No
teeth had to be pulled, although several are cracked and broken (Spike
herded cattle in his pre-shelter life!).....so the vet will keep an eye
on these in the years to come. I can tell you, though, Spike has such
an improved smile now - a mouthful of clean pearly whites! Our vet
recommended a twice daily mouth rinse for Spike - it's an enzymatic
cleaner you just squirt onto the teeth and gums after meals. Less
stressful than brushing, not sure if it's quite as effective (?) I am
beginning a brushing schedule with my boys, as healthy teeth are
extremely important to competitive disc dogs : )
