Any alternatives for a Chihuahua's bad teeth?

My chi is 11 years old. His teeth are pretty yellow, breath is horrible and his gums are red on the tooth line. I know he needs to get his teeth cleaned but I also know they would have to put him under in order to do it. I am absolutely terrified that he could die under the anesthisia. Are there any alternatives? Am I unnessesarily scared?

Any alternatives for a Chihuahua's bad teeth?
I think you are unnecessarily scared. The vet knows the right amount of anesthesia to give your chi. If he did not think it was going to help the dog, he wouldn't have suggested. it.


Breath could be horrible because at that age he may have some teeth that need to come out. Don't panic! I had an elderly cat years back that suddenly stopped eating and acted like he was at deaths door. We really thought we were going to lose him. We took him to the vet. The vet said he had sores on his gums and a few rotting teeth. He pulled the teeth, treated the gums, and sent the cat home. I couldn't believe this was the same cat. He bounced back to life again. He ate like crazy, was active, wanted to go outside again. It was like the vet gave him another life!! I was really surprised. Maybe this cleaning is just what the chi needs.


I hope everything goes well for you.. I would love to hear how he makes out.
Reply:I'm not being funny but just brush his teeth
Reply:At this point, "just brushing his teeth" isn't going to do a whole lot for you. It can't remove infection and toothbrushes can't get under his gums like dental tools can. The only time tooth brushing works is if you are VERY thorough with it and can do it EVERY day (think about your own teeth).





Talk to your vet about the dental cleaning procedure. It is an anesthetic procedure, but there are things they can do to alter the anesthesia to better work for him. One of the first things they will do for your little one is some pre-anesthetic bloodwork that tests liver and kidney functions. From there they can alter their anesthesia protocol to suit your dog. While he's under anesthesia, they'll inspect his entire mouth, clean his teeth, and depending on what they find on exam, they may need to extract a few teeth. Don't be scared of extractions, either. We have a patient at my hospital (who is also a chihuahua) that has NO teeth and still manages to eat hard food.





Hope that helps.
Reply:You could get the vet to buy in a little metal scraper for you which is gently manually used by yourself if you think he will allow you to touch his teeth. If he lets you run your finger over his teeth I would think he'd be ok with the scraper (I use one on my little dog) .


There are also dog toothpastes avail from vets which soften the tartar thus aiding the removal of plaque much easier.


Or you could buy the herbal mixture (again from vets) which is mixed into the feed %26amp; also should aid plaque removal / prevent more build up





I also know of people giving their dogs raw chicken wings which they gnaw on %26amp; are good at keeping the teeth cleaner.





Like you, i would not expose my dog to anaesthesia without having tried all other options first.





maybe you could just take him to the vets to get his opinion %26amp; rule out any gingivitis or current problematic conditions due to the red gum area


For 11 years of such a breed i think you have done fabulously well to keep his teeth still there!


good luck
Reply:the alternative was prevention- now that that's not an option you need to do this once- don't worry too much about the anesthesia- if dogs died all the time from it it wouldn't be used.





After the surgery- brush his teeth, use a dentabone, feed dry food and you'll never have to do it again.
Reply:The homeopathic remedy for plaque and tarter is Fragaria.


There is also a product , I think it's called Plaque Off. Amazon sells it. You put this in the drinking water and then with brushing, the plaque and tarter come off.





Don't know if either of these work, but I'm trying the Fragaria now. It hasn't been long enough yet for me to comment on it.



Toys