When I was a kid, the idea of brushing a dog’s teeth or taking a cat to the dentist was something we’d never heard of. Even as recently as a few years ago, if someone mentioned they brushed their dog’s teeth the usual response was OH REALLY, CRAZY? I mean, it’s A DOG. Does it really need dental care?
YES. YES THEY DO.
Little dogs, like chihuahuas and pomeranians, are especially prone to having bad teeth, and unfortunately, Kichou was no exception. He’d had a few cleanings but his teeth were still a mess, and yesterday we (and Taylor’s credit card) found out exactly how much of a mess they were.
Adult dogs have 42 teeth. When Kichou went to the vet yesterday he had 37. Now he has 19. Those 19 teeth are in pretty good shape, whereas the ones he lost were in pretty bad shape, so the vet said they probably would have been lost even with preventative care. Luckily, he still has enough teeth (and the right teeth) that once his mouth heals he’ll be able to eat regular dog food.
I had to give him his meds this morning because Taylor was still at work. If you thinking getting a dog to take medicine is hard, try doing it when he’s just had oral surgery! I ended up wrapping him in a towel and squirting the meds into his mouth whenever he lunged at me, snarling. The opposite of fun for everyone concerned.
So please! Everyone! Take care of your pets teeth! They (and your wallet) will thank you.
aww 🙁 we had a small little dog at our shelter ( i forget what kind) that we had to put down because he needed 19 teeth removed. they said he was ‘aggressive’ but i bet the poor thing was in pain 🙁 but i agree with your post! definitely take care of your animal’s teeth. i think i’ve spent more money on my cat’s vet bills than my kid’s bills!
Aww that’s sad 🙁 I think part of the problem with little dogs like this is their teeth are SO SMALL that one they get a little decay that’s it- that’s the whole tooth! Dougal is only a little younger than Kichou and his teeth are in much better shape (although I did get on Clay’s case to start brushing them anyway- telling people how much pet dentistry costs is a great motivator!).
I had a similar experience with Iris. We’ve only had her for a few months when I realized her breath smelled like a dead fish factory. Turns out she has some severely rotted teeth! Thankfully, after her cleaning, the vet only need to remove 4 lower molars (2 on each side). This did put a HUGE dent into our credit card, but she’s eating a lot better now. We do give all three of the cats oral toothpaste once a week, just so it will help break down any tartar build up.
Hope Kichou has a speedy recovery!
Claire has bad teeth as well, I’m scared to try and brush them though- she’s already so bitey!
Oh my word. Your little doggy is so, so cute! We don’t have any dogs. Just one cat. I will google right now and find out if we should be brushing her teeth. We never have.
Hope you have a great weekend. This article was awesome! i am visiting via your comment at Enjoying The Small things. So glad I came over!
Thank you! Cats definitely need their teethies brushed too- their are lots of videos & info online about it, or you could ask you vet!
Have a great weekend 🙂
yeah Isac had to have one pulled a while back that was rotten straight through, and Buffy is missing most of her front teeth lol:P Hers just fall out though, she’s had one or two removed for decay but the front teeth just seem to go missing. I call her my toothless old lady<3
How old are they? Kichou is only 8 or 9, but my hairstylist has a chihuahua who is five and his teeth are a worse mess than Kichou’s.