• Animal Rescue Live
• News
• 30 July 2007

Ask the Experts: Pet Dentistry

More questions answered about your pets' teeth.

Battersea vet Louisa and dentist Kevin answers your pets' dentistry queries.

Vanda asks:
We have two lovely dogs aged 14 years and their health is excellent, however their breath is atomic! They fill the house with such an awful stench and our vet has said that they are too old to have their teeth cleaned or removed under anaesthetic so there is nothing we can do.

Dental fresh sticks do not help; doggie toothpaste also has made no difference. They are too old to gnaw on bones and we are at our wits end as we find it difficult to show them the affection they need as they smell so bad. It's very sad as we love them dearly. Can you please advise us?

As a general rule, a Veterinary Surgeon should be prepared to consider an animal for a general anaesthetic if it is in good health, whatever the animal's age. The vet may need to do some blood tests as part as a complete health check before an anaesthetic.

It is true that geriatric animals are more at risk from anaesthetic complications, but I am still surprised that your vet is reluctant to consider your dogs for a dental for two reasons. Firstly, animals with severe dental and periodontal disease harbour a great deal of infection in their mouths, which has the potential to spread into the blood stream and cause damage to vital organs such as the kidneys and secondly, the dental disease and halitosis (bad breath) is clearly affecting your relationship with your dogs and if they are healthy, then the relatively small risk posed by a general anaesthetic is worth taking.

I would suggest that you seek a second veterinary opinion. There may be some valid reason why your vet is unhappy to do the anaesthetic that I am unaware of, but it is worth getting another colleague to check them over nonetheless.

Hope from Kings Lynn (aged 10) asks:
Dear Animal Rescue Live, When do you actually need to start caring for your dog's teeth?

You should start caring for your dog's teeth from when it's a puppy. When they are at a young age, they are much easier to train to accept having their teeth brushed. If you wait until your pet is adult, they may never accept having their teeth brushed and this will mean more dental problems and veterinary treatment through their life. It is safe to start at around 6-8 weeks of age. Start with a few side teeth initially, making sure to be gentle. You should gradually increase it until you can brush all the teeth. You could reward your puppy with a game or walk for example.

Anthony from Shrewsbury asks:
My question for the vet is about my dog's very bad breath. How, if possible, can it be made to smell that little bit sweeter?

The first thing to do is to start introducing tooth brushing if you haven't already done so. It's more difficult to do this with an adult dog but you can start by brushing a few side teeth first. Reward your dogs with a walk or a game. You can gradually increase the number of teeth until you can brush all of them. Secondly, they may have a build up of plaque and tartar, which causes gum disease. You could book them in with a vet to have their teeth looked or if they are due for their annual visit with the vet, the dental examination should be part of this visit. The vet may suggest that you book them in for teeth cleaning to remove the plaque and tartar build up under a general anaesthetic.

Beth from Dundee asks:
Is it ok to start brushing my Labrador's teeth even if she is nine?

Yes, it's okay to start brushing your nine year old Labrador's teeth. Try brushing only a few side teeth initially. You can gradually increase the number of teeth until you can brush all of them. Reward your dog with a game or walk instead of a food treat as it defeats the purpose of tooth brushing.

Zoe asks:
Hi, I wondered of you could explain what happens when the dogs go in for teeth cleaning. I understand that they need an anaesthetic but is it more dangerous than an operation? Also how quickly can it be done? Can you pick them up within a day?

Teeth cleaning is always carried out under a general anaesthetic so the dog is asleep during the procedure. During the procedure we remove the tartar and plaque deposits with specialised dental instruments. We normally use an ultrasonic scaler and hand scalers to remove the deposits and stains. Finally, the teeth are polished. The procedure itself is not risky but there is always a risk with the anaesthetic like all other operations carried out under general anaesthetic. However, the majority of dental patients recover quickly from the anaesthetic and are ready to go home at the end of the day.

Mrs Milburn asks
My 4 month old pup has already started loosing her teeth (bottom two front) and I am concerned that this is too early - she is a Scottish Terrier and loves to chew.

I suspect that your puppy is loosing its baby teeth. They will soon be replaced with the adult teeth. Other baby teeth will also be lost and replaced in the next few months. Puppies start losing their incisors (which are the ones you describe) at 3-4 months, so your puppy is perfectly normal. She should have lost all her baby teeth by six months of age. What you should look out for is that she does not retain her baby canines. These deciduous canines fail to fall out and can crowd the adjacent adult canine and are quite common in the smaller breed dogs. They will need to be removed by your vet.

Charlotte from Great Dunmow, Essex asks:
I have two Labradors at home, one golden and one chocolate. The problem is whenever I give them dental sticks they swallow them without chewing and it doesn't do them any good, also when trying to keep them still to brush there teeth it is basically impossible. Please help!

You could try to modify the brushing a smaller section initially, for example several side teeth. Try to hold the jaws together while doing this so that they can't chew the toothbrush! Starting with a few teeth conditions them to accept the brush more easily. Gradually increase the number of teeth until you can brush all teeth. You can reward your dogs with a game or walk instead of food treats as it defeats the purpose of brushing.

You may have to accept that some dogs will just not permit you to brush their teeth, however much you try to persuade them, especially if they have not been trained since puppyhood and the ensuing battle is not fair on you or the dog. In which case dental chews are an acceptable alternative. If your dogs are able to swallow these whole, then they are probably too small for the Labrador mouth. These chews are usually available in a range of sizes, so look out for the large Labrador-sized ones!

A dental examination should also be part of your dog's annual visit to the vet. The vet should advise you if your dogs need to have teeth cleaning or any other dental procedure that is carried out under a general anaesthetic. They will also advise you on any complete dental diets, if this is appropriate.