Do you brush their teeth?

[Csara]

How many of you cat and dog owners brush your furbaby's teeth? Do you take them to the vet to have it done? How often?

My cat is 12 years old and I don't think she's ever had her teeth cleaned. I give her "tartar control" treats every night (have been doing that for as long as I can remember) and for the past 6 months to a year, she has only eaten dry food. I've read that gum disease and/or tooth decay can cause liver damage or other potential hazards to their internal organs but haven't noticed any signs. Is it too late to start getting her teeth cleaned? Should I even bother?

[honeybunny]

At 12 yrs-old, I probably wouldn't bother. I do brush my dogs teeth, but only when I remember. :blush: I'm supposed to because the vet says she has a slight heart murmur, so any bacteria that got into her gums could cause serious problems for her. But my dog is only 2 yrs-old and she's very good... she actually likes getting her teeth brushed, so I can do it at home. If your cat wouldn't like it, I think you'd be doing more harm than good at this point. But that's just my humble opinion.

[angelrenee]

My kitties won't let me clean their teeth. I check them about once a year or so for yellow buildup. One of our kitties, Cleo, is particularly prone to that sort of buildup no matter what we do. Of course, she's the same kitty who was a stray much longer than the other two and she's missing teeth (just noticed the other day that she has fewer teeth than Shadow kitty)! :eek:

We had her teeth cleaned about two years ago. It's not fun for the kitty. They put them under anesthesia and do a really good job. She's been pretty plaque free since then, but it looks like next year she'll need to go again. I probably wouldn't worry about it so much if she was a lot older or if she had all of her teeth to begin with.

With your kitty being 12, I would weigh the benefits of having her teeth cleaned against the costs of having her go through the process. At that age, if she's doing good and not losing teeth then I'd leave her alone. It's not like you're going to ad 10 years to her life by doing it and depending on how she takes the anesthesia, it could even shorten it.

The most I would try would be to take a cloth and see if she'll let you wipe her teeth down. If so, she might let you use a kitty tooth brush every so often. Like I said, our kitties won't have anything to do with me messing with their mouths.

[Csara]

Originally posted by angelrenee
With your kitty being 12, I would weigh the benefits of having her teeth cleaned against the costs of having her go through the process. At that age, if she's doing good and not losing teeth then I'd leave her alone. It's not like you're going to ad 10 years to her life by doing it and depending on how she takes the anesthesia, it could even shorten it. Yea, that is pretty much my train of thought on this. Thanks for the insight ladies! :)

[rdy2rac with]

Well winston came to me with a toothbrush & toothpaste set that was unopened but I never got in the habit of cleaning them. I do give him Dentabones every so often (maybe once a month).

[Cheatara]

The vet does it every spring when we take them in for a check up and to get their heart work preventative treats.

[Neneuu]

I've brushed Romeo's teeth once, but since I give him milk bones and dry food his teeth stay so white and clean... I haven't done it since. I have been told I'm suppose to do it once a week...

[Cheatara]

Originally posted by angelrenee

We had her teeth cleaned about two years ago. It's not fun for the kitty. They put them under anesthesia and do a really good job. She's been pretty plaque free since then, but it looks like next year she'll need to go again. I probably wouldn't worry about it so much if she was a lot older or if she had all of her teeth to begin with.

Well, our vet does not put our kitties under anesthesia to scrape and brush their teeth. She does give them anti-anxiety meds (though we give Corban his before leaving home, cause the car ride is more stressful for him than the teeth brushing!), and then the tech holds them while she does the cleaning, it's quick 5-10 minutes at the most...I can't say the cats are impressed with it, but it's not a big deal either.

[angelrenee]

I wonder if my baby's teeth were just really gunky. They hadn't ever been cleaned and who knows what she ate before coming to us. I'll have to inquire next time I take the bunnies to the vet to see if maybe they can do a less stressful procedure. Poor Cleo kitty does not react well to anesthesia and I'm afraid too much might kill her. I'm saving her time under for important stuff that could come up later in her life.

[veda]

We tried (hard!) to be "good" parents & brush Janis' teeth when she was a puppy, but the toothpaste tasted like chicken so the silly would just be trying to eat the brush the whole time :dog:

She's six & a half now & just went in for another type of surgery so we asked if they would clean her teeth while she was under, but the vet said that some dogs are blessed with clean teeth & that Janis was just one of those dogs whose teeth stay plaque-free! Lucky girl. The vet didn't agree, but we can't help but think that her dry food diet, chewing on denta-bones, & eating crunchy treats has helped. The vet said diet makes no difference at all though :huh: who knew?