Would you do this?

Unfortunately, Emma needs a dental. She's a tiny dog with a tiny mouth, and although I brush her teeth on a regular basis, they're still a bit icky. I've tried a couple of different teeth/mouth sprays (Petzlife and Leba- which is $50/bottle) and neither of them did much good.

She weighs 3lbs and is a completely healthy two year old dog. Her blood work last year from her spay came back completely normal. She was put under for her spay obviously, but I'm worried about putting her under again

So... thoughts? I've tried scaling her teeth, but she wants nothing to do with it. A dental is probably the only way to actually solve the issue.

If you aren't getting anywhere with other methods, the dental is probably the easiest. I worry about putting them under too though, it sucks.

Could try wrapping your finger with gauze and doing it that way (is a little more abrasive than a tooth brush).

That sucks maybe some RMBs? Turkey/chicken necks?
Petzlife worked for us.. but it sounds like a dental may be your best bet.

The gauze is a good idea- I have some in my cabinet, too. I'll try that tonight!

I've tried RMBs, and they get chews on a regular basis (Himalayans and bullies).

They also eat raw and only get healthy treats.

I hate having to do dentals It's so hard with little dog teeth. Rory's teeth are so pearly and white, and it's SO easy to scale his. He'll just sit there and let me pry back his massive gums.

Could you get your hands on some cut lamb femurs? The little knuckle ends? That's what we use for tiny dogs. Not trying to push RMBs when you said you've already tried that. I just know a lot of people don't think to try these, and they work wonders.

I haven't tried those- I definitely will! Do you know where I could find them?

I have access to a good bit of places, since the Orlando area is pretty massive. Do you know if Primal or Nature's Variety has packages of them? Our local dog bakery has freezers full of RMDs. I've found every other RMD at our grocery store, but I doubt they have lamb femurs.

I feel you, I'm scared to death to put Chloe under but I've finally saved up enough money to have her teeth done (she's needed them done for a while, and is in bad shape. She needs some pulled and the rest need major cleaning- they were in bad shape when we got her and with brushing, and dental sprays it just isn't enough.) and she's probably around 10-12lbs.

Sending vibes that some of the suggestions will work for you or if she needs a dental that she does well!

Not sure about Nature's Variety, but I think Primal only has whole lamb femurs. And those would be way too large for her. You might try a local butcher?

This is what ours look like, just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:


ETA: Not nearly as large as they look.... lol

You can find the lamb bones at a butcher usually - and they often don't charge for them.

I would probably do the dental, if her teeth are bad enough. I'd rather do it at her young, healthy age, then need to do it when she's older (or deal with worse dental problems later on). I'd be worried too though I'm sorry you're having trouble with her teeth.

I've had dentals on Chulita 2 or 3 times during her life...maybe 4. (can't remember for sure) And it's always a little worrisome. She's 5 lbs, a little bigger than Emma. It's nerve wracking but there's nothing that can really get at the tarter up between the teeth and gums like a dental when they keep still...under a general anesthesia. And that tarter, when it builds up badly has the potential to kill them too. I've only just stopped dentals for Chulita because of her age and the fact that she has a stage 4 heart murmur. Jose` will likely have one or two more, even though he's 10. He's in good shape so far. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'd do what you can with RMBs, but if those don't help and her teeth look like they need some help... yeah I'd do it. I just think it'll be better for her in the long run, she's still so young that you don't really want to start having dental problems now.

I would do the bones, and start working on scaling with her to get her used to it. Start with just the scaler and tapping a tooth, then release and reward. Then work towards a scrape, then release, and so on. It's the best way to get the stuff off and easier on her in the long run to be able to do it with her awake and keep up on it, over having to debate on how bad to let them get before you put her under. I've worked with dogs that 'hate' it but learn that there's not an option and get over it, sometimes with the owners taking the dog and using a spoon to teach them what's expected and that it's no big deal.

Yup, I would. I'm far more scared of bad dental disease than I am of anesthesia.

That. It can cause all kinds of long-term problems!

I absolutely would do the dental. IMO, it's far more risky to let a dog live with bad teeth and develop periodontal disease among other things, than the risk of anesthesia.

I think dentals are important anyway. Only so much can be said by looking at their mouth and putting in sprays and gels etc. Even with a scaler, you can't get up under the gumline like a vet can while they're under. Sometimes things may look fine but not be. Jackson had to have a tooth that I thought looked perfectly fine pulled because it was dead. Had no clue until x-rays showed otherwise. That would have really gotten badly infected and been much worse had I not brought him in there for another issue.

I was nervous leaving Jax too, but I made sure to get pre-op bloodwork beforehand and they did x-rays first, and cleaned his teeth really well. He was very clingy and whiny after anesthesia but otherwise came thru just fine!

Newt has had two dentals so far, and will have another next year. No matter the raw bones, sealants, etc, I think she just has genetically crappy teeth.

I would do the dental. She can have much more troublesome things happen from dental disease than the chance of something happening under anesthesia.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I'm going to try the things that were suggested for a month, and then schedule a dental for January after we get home from vacation. Chloe needs one too, so they can just go together. I think Chloe and Emma have genetically bad teeth. Tucker's are amazing, and Rylie had a dental a couple of years ago (they still look good).

Well, I did find something interestingly different the other day, a local friend on Facebook posted before and after pics of a friends mini Schnauzer who had very bad plaque build up, they went in together on a new sonic plaque blasting device that a vendor was selling at a dog show, $400. I was still waiting to hear back about the brand/vendor, I'll have to go check out to see if she posted that info, but from other people commenting one thing that was brought up, when you have teeth traditionally scaled it actually causes the teeth to develop plaque again quicker as it's damaging to the surface, where is seems with this water powered device instead the plaque is gently "blasted" and brushed off the teeth instead, less damage=less rebuilding of plaque. IDK, now I'm more curious to look it up than ever! But $400 is deff out of my budget right now.

Absolutely. I agree. It's not so much the teeth, but up under the gum line...beyond the teeth where the plaque can build unseen for a long time. I let Chulita's go for too long once and she wound up having to have a lot of teeth pulled. And the heart complications and I think kidneys that can result from periodontal disease. Frightening stuff.

Not to mention bad teeth are extremely painful to live with.

Do RMBs help at all with plaque under the gumline or are they just visible surface cleaners too?