Is it necessary to have your animal's teeth professionally cleaned?

My vet said that both my one dog and my cat needed to have their teeth cleaned by her. In order for her to have this done, my animals first need to have blood work done to see if they can handle the anethesia to be put under. I am a little worried about putting my animals under (I had a pet die previously while under anehesia). Some of my friends think that vets often suggest animals have their teeth cleaned because it is a big money maker for them, and also suggest that it isn't really necessary. Is it necessary?

Is it necessary to have your animal's teeth professionally cleaned?
If there is a heavy plaque build up, then yes, the teeth should be cleaned. My trainer gives her dogs one raw beef bone per month and her dogs never need their teeth done at all. They have perfect teeth right into their senior years. But this is something that is best done early on and maintained.
Reply:i have a 9 year old toy poodle has never had a teeth cleaning yes he has bad breath but we give him stuff for that daily
Reply:It isn't necessary at all. My dogs have never had a professional teeth cleaning and they have gorgeous teeth. The vet is just trying to make money. Not to mention that dogs don't have to be put under anesthesia to have their teeth cleaned. Most people can clean their dogs teeth with a toothbrush and doggie toothpaste. So, I would look into getting a new vet if I were you...
Reply:Canine denistry is a MAJOR money maker for vets and they push it hard. But in reality all you have to do to keep your dogs mouth healthy is feed him a nice big raw meaty soup bone once a week or every 2 weeks. The bone provides many hours of chewing pleasure and scrapes the teeth clean as nature intended. DOGS EAT BONES.


I had a vet tell me once I needed to make an appointment for my dogs teeth to be cleaned and I pulled back her lips and showed her not one spec of crap on my dogs teeth and we do not buy into the whole brushing a dogs teeth crap.


We feed our dogs raw meaty bones and organs from a variety of animals. They never get kibble/commercial food or treats of any kind ever and they have the most beautiful teeth and clean breath! That is the way it is meant to be.


Buy your dog a raw meaty bone!
Reply:It depends on the dog. If you have a breed with a small mouth and teeth have tarter on them they need cleaning. Dogs can get kidney disease and become septic from rotten teeth. Actually people can too. Do you brush her teeth? Some dogs can do fine with chewing big raw bones every week or so. They enjoy them and helps clean their teeth. Only you can judge your own situation. I personally think some vets oversell the annual teeth clean. Maybe you need to check into a vet that you trust? Sounds like you want to do the best thing for your dog.
Reply:Well, when I was a little girl the family cat never got her teeth cleaned because nobody knew that it was necessary. She ended up with a bacterial infection in her system that caused her body to start "shutting down" at a young age and also resulted in necessary teeth extractions which made it extremely difficult for her to eat. Animals are living beings just like humans and when a human does not follow up for routine cleanings and check ups we get infections, tartar build-up, gingivitis etc. Animals too!
Reply:my dog chews on rawhide bones to clean his teeth, they were nasty before we gave him a stick of rawhide, now his teeth are alsmost pretty and white.....just another rawhide stick and they will be liek new.





sounds like your vet just wants to make money.
Reply:well... if you want to save about $400, but get your hands a little dirty... you can do it yourself. Just buy a pet tooth scaler and get a friend or someone to help you. Then lay the dog on their back between your legs (you're sitting down) and close their mouth and just pull the lips up and start at the gum line and just use the scaler and pull down on the plaque and it'll just pop right off!





The scalers are like $10 from any mail order pet supply (www.petedge.com)





I've also done my cat that way, but she's extremely coorporative. If you think they might scratch, I wouldn't risk it because cats' bites are nasty. But give it a try with the dog!
Reply:Well it all depends on how bad the plaque on their teeth is. If they have too much build up it could get into the bloodstream and cause major problems.





As for the blood work, it checks to make sure that the heart and kidneys and liver, etc. can handle the effects of the anesthesia. If your vet sees any type of problem that could potentially put your pet at risk he/she would make sure you were aware (I would hope.) You also want to factor in your pet's age, health status, weight etc.





If everything seems ok, I would get the dentals done, and than keep up with brushing from now on. It'll save you a lotttt of money in the future.
Reply:Do your animals have bad breath, when you look in their mouth are their back teeth shiny white. Any tan or yellow color is tartar and is as bad for your dog as it is for you. Have you been doing dental care on your animals, bones to chew, brushing as part of their grooming????The last time I was at the Vet he noticed her gums were red and I told him Sassy, my dog just didn't want me in her mouth any more, he said since it wasn't tooooo bad I should get her some really hard bones and that she would clean her own better than I could... he was right , so now along with her getting some brushing of teeth which she has always hated she gets almost zero soft food and extra hard treat bones and rawhide bones along with a big soup bone every once in a while. I check her mouth regularly and if I see any red gums or brownish teeth I get in her mouth with my thumb and thumbnail and massage her gums and scrape her teeth, she handles this like a game and tolerates it and it has kept her from having to be put under for a professional cleaning. My sister did have her dog done by the vet and the dog did ok, but her mouth was sore for a while and she was very apprehensive about going back to the vet.... so some one you or the vet does need to care for your dogs teeth....or your dog will have dental problems just like we humans do....I just wish I could chew a bone instead of going to the dentist......
Reply:dentals dont make that much money. considering when it is done and done properly it takes 1/2 hour. the money has to pay for the wages of a nurse to maintain the anesthetic, a vet to do the procedure, the anesthetic, the endo tube, the sterilisation of the instruments, the cleaning of the instruments (which is more time of the nurse).. bad teeth lead to heart disese, animals not being able to eat. rotten teeth, bad breath, and so on... it is worth it.
Reply:Think about it this way. Do you need to go to the dentist? Just because this is a dog, doesn't mean that they need less health care. People who say that dogs don't need to get their teeth cleaned are either cheap or don't care about their animals, so please don't take bad advice about your dog's health.


I just recently had to have an emergency dental done on a foster dog I have. He had two abscessed molars that leaked bloody pus out his eyeball, and has permanent periodontal disease. It cost $710 to get this fixed, and he will need extra dental care the rest of his life. He is only 8 and is a long-lived breed. So much for his adoption chances.


If his former owner had taken care of his teeth on a regular basis, he wouldn't be in this condition today.


Do you really want to risk your dog's health? Your vet is absolutely right, and your friends are absolutely wrong.
Reply:yes




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