[sabrina]

Just over a week ago I took Jake our 11 year old Jack Russell to the vet as he had a very sweet smell coming from his breath. He had a blood test and his teeth checked. Vet said he needed his teeth cleaned. Bill £122. Yesterday he went to get this done and I was horrified when we picked him up to find he had 10 teeth removed. cost £200. He has never been off his food, I feed him away from the other two so I know he has been eating, never given any sign of pain. I feel so bad, poor wee man. there is nothing worse than having a tooth problem. On a soft food diet for 7 days. 

[Rosemary]

They don't tell you, unfortunately. Hope that Jake is back to normal soon 

[Bionic]

Poor little dog and ouch to the vet bill

[devonlady]

My vet. would have 'phoned to tell me and check that I agreed!!

[kelly58]

Yup, should have asked you first, my vet did when our Jack went in for work done

[sabrina]

I would have said yes anyway, if the teeth needed to come out I could not have left him with a sore mouth. Who needs money anyway, always ends up going on the animals 

[sabrina]

Well Jake has recovered very well, back to his old self. Just wondering if anyone has had this teeth problem with their Jack Russell as my vet seems to think it is quite common with the breed but I can't find anything on Google about it being a know problem. I know sugar is in cat food so I expect its in dog food too.

[Kitchen Cottage]

So glad Jake is fine.  I have a similar issue.  I have an old blind traumatised bulgarian former chain dog, Denzel.  He lives in my kitchen and utility room.  I can touch him but he bites anyone else and you can't lift him etc.  He has a quality of life after 8 months but it's about him being relaxed, warm, fed, spoken to and chilled.

About 6 times he has yowled after feeding for about an hour.  I am hoping it's indigestion (he gets a little constipated) but the idea of getting Denzel to a vet is horrific and would traumatise him. 

The journey was bulgaria left him in the corner of my kitchen pooing and weeing where he sat shaking for over a week.

He trusts me on his own terms. 

I live in fear that the yowling is because his teeth are sore and he needs a vet......

[Buttermilk]

I have ex racing greyhounds.  They are notorious for having bad teeth.  My 10yr old bitch had 4 out last August.  I know several that are almost toothless.  It does not seem to affect them though.

[Angry grapefruit]

Sorry to hear about the cost, they should have rung you

Dog teeth are bad as a rule, especially in your more toy squished (brachycephalic) breeds. However terriers etc get bad teeth as they get older, sugar related or otherwise). Dogs may well never go off their food with bad teeth as they seem to be remarkably stoic when it comes to their teeth, I've seen a dog with a completely rotted out tooth canal who had no eating problems for instance- it's safe to say that dog had mouth pain!

(I know this is an oldish thread, but my input might be worth something )

[sabrina]

Thanks, going to keep a close eye on his mouth from now on. We had a Burmese cat who lost most of her teeth. Vet said her breed were prone to teeth problems. she lived to a good old age.

[devonlady]

It's my belief that tooth problems in dogs and cats is caused by feeding. Soft mush in tins, small dog kibble that doesn't have to be chewed, can't feed bones/ raw chicken wings because the dog will die
I have an eleven year old greyhound with perfect teeth and health, six whippets ditto, pugs aged 8 and four with lovely white teeth and a 12 year old yorkie who wolfs down raw meat chunks and gnaws on bones bigger than him and has no dental problems at all.
Maybe I'm just lucky but I think it's proper feeding that's helped. Just my view and may well be wrong
 

[Me]

Good on you for taking the extra costs on the chin, when you get in the mouths the costs can rise unexpectedly and it is better to take out an extra tooth or two at the time than leave it to go bad later (false economy).

I think your Vet should have called it an estimate rather than a quote. That being said go to a private human dentist and add in a GA and antibiotics for cost comparison! You could probably add a nought!   

Don't feel too bad about not noticing they do hide their pain well. Fingers crossed he will feel like a new hound

[sabrina]

I don't feed tin food, think its rubbish.  They get a complete dog food, raw mince, fish, chicken and whatever veg I am cooking for ourselves.

[devonlady]

If a dog is prone to plaque you could try Fragaria, either as a tablet or in drinking water. This makes the saliva slightly more acid and is easily removed. I had a greyhound who wouldn't touch raw meat or bones or even a chicken wing. All she would eat was kibble and tinned pilchards and used this for her with a toothbrush every day.