My moms first set of Yorkies all lost their teeth by age ten. With her next set of Yorkies she started having the vet clean their teeth every other year (if needed).
I got my chihuahua in 2004 at six weeks old. He’s been put to sleep and teeth cleaned three times. That averages just over every two years.
Just picked him up from his third cleaning. Vet found two abscesses and pulled both teeth. The poor thing is on antibiotics for ten days and pain pills for three.
Its frustrating to spend the money for this and he still loses teeth. Bigger dogs rarely get enough tarter to need cleaning. My vet checks my Boston’s teeth every year. So far she doesn’t need any cleaning.
I guess its good that I’m getting dental work done. Or my chihuahua would be toothless. So far he’s only lost these two.
The way my vet has explained it to me: the little dogs’ jawbones are very shallow, and the roots of the teeth don’t fit in as deeply as on a bigger dog. So, the teeth come out much easier, and any problems tend to be magnified.
The pugs are 7 and 8; so far, no teeth problems, though I can’t say I’ve specifically asked my vet to look. They both eat just fine, and I don’t see any signs of tooth decay.
Now you’ve got me worried. I’ll have to ask the vet at the next routine maintenance.
I’ve also heard the same as PapSett. The recent trend towards breeding extremely small dogs has lead to quite a few health issues, just the same as dogs on the very large end of the scale.
Have you tried any of the enzyme cleaners or chews? (One prescription brand is C.E.T.) My dogs have always tended towards large and I don’t have any particular dental issues, but a cat had congentital gum disease; I got the C.E.T chews for him and modified his diet and after a while his teeth pretty much stayed put.
I have a little pomerarian. He is six pounds of just plain adorableness. However, even though the vet checked his teeth every visit we went to and said they looked fine, last spring his mouth started to smell like something had climbed inside of it and died. I talked to the vet and she suggested we put him out for a deep cleaning. To be fair she did warn me that because of the smell it was likely he might need a tooth or two pulled. They ended up pulling SEVEN count them SEVEN teeth. I have done everything the vet suggested since then to keep his teeth clean (unfortunately he can’t chew normal dental treats because of dietary restrictions) even so his breath is starting to smell rank again and it is looking like I need to take him in again. He is six years old. I would be shocked if still had any teeth left at the age of ten.
Thanks. He’s unusually good-natured for a Chi. Got him at six weeks and he was raised with my moms pack of five yorkies. He got very well socialized. I’m not sure he knows that he’s a Chi. I bet he thinks he’s a Yorkie.
I had some trouble getting him to accept the Boston I got 18 months ago. He would jump off the sofa if she came up there. But they get along pretty good now. Although they don’t play like my Chi does with moms three remaining Yorkies (she had two die in the last couple years). He’s older now and more set in his ways.
My mother has a 17 yr old cockapoo (12 lbs). The dog has always had bad teeth. They got her as a puppy and she was happy to chew on all the toys and dental sticks she could get. We brushed her teeth and tried to keep them clean, but to no avail. She still has a couple of teeth left, but the vet has said that since she is so old and has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, they won’t anesthetize her for a cleaning or extraction for fear that her heart won’t be able to take it.
Their beagle died with great teeth. He had bladder cancer, Kushings, was half blind and had a bad back, but he still had great teeth.
