My dog has severe dental problems can anyone help?

Smaller dogs have a lot of dental problems because of the over crowding of their mouths. Having routine dental check ups and cleanings will help greatly as well as daily brushing.

If the vet is recommending to have teeth pulled and dental work done, you can get a second opinion from another vet, you can also check to see if there is a veterinary dental school that would be willing to check on and treat the dog.

My first JRT I had I was advised the dog needed spacers and dental extractions (that exceeded the price of my car) and I was not able to afford it by any means. The vet said if I kept the teeth brushed, had yearly cleanings the dog would be okay. When the dog was 18 he went in for his usual yearly cleaning and came home minus 11 teeth. The vet apologized to me for the surprise package he handed me. Where the teeth had been twisted and facing sideways before - the roots had died and literally the teeth fell out while beings cleaned. My vet did x-rays to check the other teeth and some of the molars came out too. The teeth were all bright white with no plaque or yellowing, the vet said they must have missed them last cleaning. The dog? He was a happy camper even though he had no front teeth left and was missing several others he was back to his normal wiggle but self by the end of the day. He didn't loose any more teeth after that, and after switching to mini dog food bites he was in absolute heaven.

Sometimes they need to sacrifice 2 or 4 teeth to save all the teeth, depending on the angle and how they grew in. One bad infected tooth can take out several teeth to either side, depending if a pus pocket forms, or the bone gets infected (worst case) If you have the dental work done sooner rather than later you may be preventing major dental problems later in life.

Food shouldn't be a problem, they have mini bites of food and semi soft food out now for dogs. If the mini bites are still a challenge they can be softened or add water turning it to mush, or you can crack them using a mallet or something pounding the food in a sack so its cracked very fine - it's still a dry food but has a grit like composure.

Keep in mind also that younger dogs are able to tolerate anesthesia better than older dogs or the elderly. Doing some prevention now may save a lot of pain and surgeries later on. Your dogs will adapt to the missing teeth. I currently have one dog that has no teeth on his left side, he eats regular dog food just fine and enjoys an occasional milk bone or dental snack.

Nobody can force you to do the dental work, they can just advise you. Your dog will be able to do fine as long as the teeth don't get infected below the gum line. Just by looking you cannot always see what is going on below the gum line, even the vets can miss things. That's why x-rays are so important. I know you don't want to do the operation, by doing nothing your not hurting the dog, but you have to very watchful that the overcrowding doesn't get or cause infections.

The teeth that are loose now should go sooner rather than later. It would be more frustrating to the dog if the tooth got caught up on something where she couldn't free herself, such as on a toy or on her bed or blanket. The damage is already there, you did not cause it. Its a hard choice to make, nobody likes their dog to have surgery, but nobody likes to have their dog suffer and be in pain. I hate having to make those choices myself. Now.... Or later? Maybe it will cure itself? Maybe the teeth might fall out on their own? Maybe the teeth will get infected, causing pain.

Good luck

Your dog has come through other surgeries just fine and there is no reason to believe he won't come through a dental just as well. PlaqueOff does work in preventing plaque and tartar getting stuck on teeth but it will do nothing for gum disease and it sounds like your dog has not only fairly serious gum disease but also some teeth may need to be extracted. PlaqueOff is a preventative, not a cure. I give it to my dogs and Cavaliers are notorious for having bad teeth. My dogs are 7 1/2yo and 6 1/2 yo and neither have ever had a dental. Their teeth are perfect.

Allowing any dogs teeth to get this bad is severely denying good medical care, which in and of itself is considered abuse.

If the teeth are loose, there is already infection underneath the gum line, and this type of infection can easily travel to the heart causing heart damage.

I see no need to straighten the teeth, but a definite need to get these loose teeth pulled and the infection under control with antibiotics only available on prescription from your vet.

Shih Tzus are notorious for having bad teeth...there's no room in their mouth for a full set. Poor breeding also contributes to this problem. My little girl has only a few teeth and has lost several. She only has three in the front. Get a second opinion if you're concerned. You have to do all you can so she's not in pain.

My dog has really bad teeth as well! But she is 8 years old. Her teeth are coated with this nasty stuff and her breath is awful. I got a vet to look at them and he had told me her teeth doesn't have a disease but then again in a way they do. She has to have a few teeth pulled and dental cleaning. My dog dealt with her teeth and it's now hard for her to eat hard dog food so now she has to eat soft. Her teeth hurt her. I think your dog should get her teeth looked at. I hate my dog being put to sleep and all, but think your helping her and trying to make her life a bit easier. Down the road it would be worth it. It could possibly lead to gum disease if her teeth aren't well taken care of properly. As to what I was told. I hope all goes well!