bone degeneration with gingivitis

S

Sheltie family

Forums Novice
Hi,

We have a 2 year 9 month old small Sheltie that had xrays yesterday during a dental cleaning that revealed some bone degeneration on her front bottom teeth where I think gingivitis had been. The vet and technician said it is genetic problem and to step up the vet cleanings to every 6 months to a year now. She is not to play tug of war because the bone is thin in the front jaw and the additional stress could fracture it. No teeth were removed but technician said front bottom teeth arre slightly loose.
I am going to call vet soon with follow up questions such as would that many anesthetias be dangerous as I have heard before, as well as other things I can do in addition to brushing that might prevent the need for cleanings so close together. Sadie HATES being away like that and I get the feeling she wonders if we are coming back for her. She was howling in the back as soon as she heard our voices talking to the technician.
Anyone else dealing with this issue and have any advice? Thanks, Sadie's Family
 
You can buy a dental pick (if thats what its called) and do it yourself, I think several people here do that, and most of the breeders I know do their own dogs teeth. When I took Tully in for her annual shots the vet cleaned her teeth without anaesthetic, given she is pretty gentle and is little (and has little teeth). Deska had his done under anesthetic (when he had some xrays done) but next time I am going to ask the vet if he will clean them without putting him out. You could ask the vet if this could be done.

Also, someone here recently mentioned using gauze pads to clean teeth with.
 
Yes, you can buy tooth scrapers. I ordered mine from Jeffers Pet and it's pretty nice. You do have be careful to not accidently scratch the enamel though, as you could possibly make things worse. Best of luck on your puppy. That's very young to have teeth problems like that. Does he have a good bite?
 
My elderly Sheltie had her teeth done under anesthesia by the vet, I guess I never felt to confident doing it myself.

Donna
 
Periodontal disease is irreversible. Saying this good oral care at home can keep things at bay for looong time even with bad genetics. If you dog is very small, placement of teeth could be very crowded which contributes to the problem. Depending on what you feed your dog and how much surgical intervention was done I would decide on increasing various chewies and giving raw chicken bones, soft cartilage will do your pup a world of good. The more dog eats raw the better their jaws develop, the stronger the bone and muscle. You might have to wait for couple of weeks to heal from surgery and want to start very slowly holding chicken neck in you hand to make sure your pup eats more on the back teeth and gently...
Good oral care product is Petzlife, my dogs love salmon taste. Very good results.
I also use Plague off which is seaweed that helps with teeth plague and improves thyroid function as well.
 
We brush and also use Oxyfresh for dogs at the recommendation of our vet. You can either add it to their water or spray it in the mouth. It's a natural product, and won't hurt them. We've had good luck with it and I do think it helps. It might be worth a try with your girl...she's so young for cleanings under anesthesia that frequently. Here's the link:

http://www.oxyfresh.com/pet/petoralhygiene.asp?me=HOME_petoral
 
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