Your Pet's Dental Care and How You Treat It

[fluffernutter]

it's times like this I wish there was a RF.net Zoo or something like that for stories about our pets and other wacky zany animal stories in the news.

Anyway....

Ok, so my one cat Dallas (the white one in my sig's) has some seriously bad breath. I have always heard about trying to brush the cat's teeth and what not but it really hit me tonight that I may have seriously screwed up wiuth this one.

I checked his teeth tonight and he has got some seriously bad tartar build up and a little bit of redness on his gums. I read a few Dental Health for Pet's websites and besides definitely taking him tot he vet, I am fearing that my neglect could be seriously affecting his health or possibly giving me a big hole in my wallet if I am to get him all fixed up. He doesn't seem to be in discomfort, just the bad breath.

Which I am greeted with every morning.

So what can I do for now to help the situation until I get him to the vet? What do any of you do to take care of dental situations with your pets? Has anyone tried the Pet Toothpaste I was reading about that is sold in Petco and PetsMart and the like? Has anyone been faced with a bad breath issue with their pets and how has it been dealt with?

I trust a whole lot more the stories from real people here as opposed to people I don't even know on some pet sites. Who knows if they are trying to sell something?

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EAT! Ron and Fez Cereal! (http://pleaseforgetme.com/PTV/RFCereal.swf)

[reeshy]

Go to Petco..or whatever it's called where you live...Talk to the people there,,,I have a Beagle who had a similar problem and they recommended a few things,,,they actually have tooothpaste for dogs and cats that work...and dental floss....no joke...it worked wonders for my dog, Annie!!!

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[TooCute]

you might find it easier to brush a cat's teeth with one of those little nubby finger toothbrushes they have than a real toothbrush. You should be able to find the finger toothbrush and the pet toothpaste at a pet store.

Also, if you aren't already doing so, make sure your cat is eating dry kibble. It will help significantly with their teeth.

<img src="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com/bans/toocute3.gif">

[angrymissy]

the same thing happened with my 3 cats. I have to take them to the vet to get their teeth cleaned apparently. If you find another way, let me know becuase I would rather not risk putting them under anesthesia when they seem fine (just stinky breath)

<BR><img src="http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/missy2.gif" width="300" height="100" border="1">

[fluffernutter]

Yeah, having to put them under scares me just a tad. I started reading about abcesses and then I just plain freaked out. This other site I checked had something about training your cat/dog as a kitten/puppy and getting them used to brushing then. I mean who would have known that?


Also, if you aren't already doing so, make sure your cat is eating dry kibble. It will help significantly with their teeth.


All I have ever fed my kids is dry food. I had always heard about wet food not really being the best for them and I really trust what Purina One has to offer.


you might find it easier to brush a cat's teeth with one of those little nubby finger toothbrushes they have than a real toothbrush.


You mean one of those ones that Oral-b just started selling or do they have pet one's available. I have to get my lilly ass to Petco and check it out.

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EAT! Ron and Fez Cereal! (http://pleaseforgetme.com/PTV/RFCereal.swf)

[reeshy]

You're welcome!!

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[JesterOfSadness]

For dry food, you could always go with tartar control cat food. I think alot of different brands carry it(dont remember off hand) but I've used either science diet or pro plan.

Can food from what I have been told by my old job is more like sweets.

[FUNKMAN]

For all of our cats over the years the vet checks the teeth out each visit. There was only one time where one of the cats needed a good cleaning, and she ate mostly soft food. They knocked her out for the cleaning and when i went to pick her up she looked like she got beat up. It was sad and kind of funny at the same time.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/SatCam/sig_funkmanstill.jpg">

[fluffernutter]

So about 3 weeks ago I got Dallas to th vet and got the prognosis of the problem because it got to the point where he ran away from food and his treats. Anyone who knows this cat knows he NEVER ran away from food. Then I noticed he was really skinny and by weighing him here at home, I noticed he had lost about 7 pounds. So me being the bad father took him to the vet.

He had a gum diosease and needed a possible pull of two teeth and a Urinary Tract Infection. I was pretty scared and upset with myself because of my neglegence but was thankful that he was going to be ok. Almost instantly upon giving him the oral antibiotics his bad breath went away and I noticed him eating a little bit here and there. A week after the vet visit I took him in for his MAJOR dental cleaning and as a result he had his two bad teeth pulled and now he is on his way back to good health and he is eating like a horse again. I am so happy cause he was a rescue to begin with and I really couldn't have lived with myself if something fatal would have happened. Since I am pretty much unable to have kids, these guys are all I got so I gotta treat them like they are my kids.

My youngest starts Kindergarden next week. :p

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Just when you think it can't get any worse, U2 puts out another album. Terrible.

[kevcala]

My girlfriend's dog's breath smells so bad, I threatened to tape a lifesaver to his crotch.

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<MARQUEE>"I'll sit back bundled up, I'll sit back here and wait. I remember the past as wonderful though the pictures aren't that great." -atom and his package</MARQUEE>


Big Ass #22981




EDIT for ADF: cause he's lickin' there anyway.

This message was edited by kevcala on 12-1-04 @ 1:30 AM

[ADF]

I'm confused.. are you sucking dog dick? Wait... huh?

<center><a href="http://somesuch.org" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.somesuch.org/sigpics/adfmas.gif"></a><br><br>And that's the end of my show.. donk.</center>

[angrymissy]

fluff if you don't mind me asking, how much did the cleaning cost, how long did it take and what was the cat's reaction afterwards?

I have 3 cats who supposedly need teeth cleaning but they are still eating fine (MORE than fine) and showing no signs of distress.

<BR><img src="http://thereisnogod.faithweb.com/images/missy2.gif" width="300" height="100" border="1">

[fluffernutter]

The tooth extraction cost $40 a tooth and the rest of the cleaning was about $60. My initial visit to the vet with Dallas cost around $200 for his check-up, bloodwork and all the medications. Figure around $300 - $350 per cat. Then again depending all on what your vet charges.

When I got Dallas home that night he was really sluggish. I tried to keep him on my bed where he normally sleeps and he would just follow me around. The first flight of steps he went down with my help. He is such my shadow that he WAS sleeping on my rug in the livingroom and then heard me go down the steps. At the bottom of the steps I saw he wasn't going to come down. Then all of a sudden I heard a thud-ud-ud-ud and he managed to slide down about 7 steps. Thank God he was ok after that. The next morning after a good nights sleep, he was fine and began to eat again. I had to keep him away from food for the night he came home so he wouldn't get sick from the anesthesia.

Hope that helped!

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Just when you think it can't get any worse, U2 puts out another album. Terrible.