Tooth Desease

[2500 HD]

I got a 4 yr old beagle. His teeth are stained darker. The vet said he has a tooth desease, doesn't call it anything else. Want to charge big money to knock out the dog and clean his teeth. Said if they don't he could have paulminary problems down the road. My question is this legit or an excuse to make $$$? Won't say anything other than it is tooth desease.

[bluemouse]

got a buddy with a hound that just got though have teeth pulled and having to treat her for infection, I say listen to your vet, or in other words pay now or pay later.

[bluemouse]

sorry about the typo's

[cris axtell/coal hill ken]

its plaqe. it can be scraped off with dental tools. you can buy them at dr's foster smith catalog. but the problem is geting your dog to be still.

[nb11]

I just went through it!!!!
Dog wasn't eating. dropping weight. I was trying to make her eat. I bought a different kind of feed and she started eating. I thought I solved the problem. Four days later, she stopped eating again. I tried another food. She started eating. I thought I had it whipped again. Four days later, she stopped eating again. Had enough. We have a country vet out the road who works out of her house. Took the dog to her one evening. She looked the dog over and couldn't find any obvious causes of the weight problem....until she looked in the dogs mouth. Teeth were all dark yellow.
She said the dogs teeth were hurting. that's why she wouldn't eat. Answer: put her to sleep, clean her teeth, and see if any of them are bad. That's what we did.
As it turns out, none were bad. Her teeth were just so cruddy and her gums were red and swollen and sore. She got her teeth cleaned and she got an antibiotic to help the gums heal quicker.
It actually took almost two weeks for her to get back to normal. It must have taken that long for her teeth and gums to quit hurting, because she continued to not eat for that long.

Good luck

[allniter]

they have a rubber tooth brush that slides on your figure ----you can you baking soda ---it shines the teeth up farily good ---it works the best for me ---still have 5 fingers

[Chuck Terry]

The thick plaque will pop off like hard candy - very brittle. A dental pick will work but I prefer a cheap screwdrive that I bent the tip into an L. Just hook the plaque near the gumline and pull parallel the the tooth and it flakes off in big chunks. Try not the pinch the gums and most gentle beagles will tolerate it fairly well.

[windy hollow]

We brush our hounds teeth once a month and I have scaling tools to chip the plaque away but when it gets into tight areas it builds hard as concrete and is impossible to chip loose then you will need a vet and pay the big bucks. when it is done monthly it is much easier to control, the more often the easier. There is also a solution used for removing plaque that helps break it up its like a mouthwash for dogs but you can use it on Beagles too Bad teeth makes bad gums, bad gums make sick hounds.

[jmdown]

the old time houndsmen, always advised me to give bones to my hounds.. they love to chew them. it is natural..pick up the scraps from any butcher shop ..or even some grocerie stories....also one can purchase the rawhide chew sticks from wal-mart....i have been told that this is a natural tooth cleaning, also tuffs up the gums...never had a problem .

[S.R.Patch]

I always have to watch the hounds teeth this time of year. Feeding high fat and putting water on their feed is a sure way to build up the plaque.
I've not had any that I couldn't put out on chain or kennel by themselves and feed a bone from a roast or a ham that wouldn't clean up their teeth.
A couple nice sized bones and a week later and they've got their pearly whites back.
If you'd rather not, go pay the vet $80. and he'll get'um clean for you...

[windy hollow]

the old time houndsmen, always advised me to give bones to my hounds.. they love to chew them. it is natural..pick up the scraps from any butcher shop ..or even some grocerie stories....also one can purchase the rawhide chew sticks from wal-mart....i have been told that this is a natural tooth cleaning, also tuffs up the gums...never had a problem .

Those rawhide chew bones are trouble, if you dont believe me, just take one outside and leave it in the rain and see how much it swells up, now imagine how this works in your dogs intestines, it WILL block em up eventually.

[nb11]

As I posted earlier.... I went through the plaque problems with one of my dogs.
I asked the vet what I should do to prevent it. She said to use rawhide chews. Not big bones, just chews. I don't know why and don't know the difference between the two. I told her I heard they could block a dog up. She said she's pull a lot of stuff out of dogs bellies before, but never rawhide.
I'm not arguing if it will or will not happen. I've heard enough guys step up and say that it happened to their dogs. I have no reason to doubt them. But to some degree we all have to take chances on different things at different times. I don't care to go through the mess with the plaque on the teeth again. I don't care to brush my dogs teeth if there is another option. I choose to go with the rawhides because I trust my vet. I got the kind that is a skinny tube about as wide as a cigarette and half again as long. These pieces of rawhide are smaller in width than what the bones are made of. If they do swallow a hunk, I'm hoping the piece of rawhide is narrow enough to not bind things up.

Understand me..... I'm not snubbing anything that anyone has said. Just telling what I choose to do and why.

Good luck to everybody.

[hurryup]

Try those greenie chews.