Nedd vomited piece of dental bone …

In the middle of the night, I heard the sound.  I jumped out of bed and ran toward Nedd.  There he stood with the sad look in his eyes, his belly jerking as he vomited by the door.  There was the normal stuff you see in vomit and there was a piece of a dental chew that he had enjoyed while we watched the American Idol last night.  This piece of the dental chew was about the size of the palm of my hand.

I feel like a terrible pet parent right now.  I didn’t even know he had swallowed it!!!  I buy these particular dental chews at the vet hospital because they are of a good quality and are a food product.  They really do help his teeth.  I’ve purchased these for about 3 years and we’ve never had this problem previously!

I’m a little frightened right now.  This is a treat he really enjoys and he has one about every other day.

He acts perfectly fine now.  I gave him a late breakfast and he’s still doing fine.  I didn’t call the veterinarian … at least not yet.  If he vomits again, I’ll be calling very quickly.  I try not to call over every little thing while at the same time not overlooking a health concern.

~Trina Daniels

Brushing teeth …

We were visiting relatives and Nedd was with us, of course. He used excellent manners and everyone was so impressed.

Nedd has his own travel bag full of necessary items, such as his Cosequin as well as dental treats, healthy treats, his brush and his toothbrush and poultry flavored toothpaste. One evening, Nedd was knocking at his bag with his foot. The folks we were staying with were amazed at Nedd’s personality and wanted to watch. I went to Nedd and started going through our nightly ritual. I brushed his hair, gave him his Cosequin and a treat.

I then proceeded to get his toothbrush out and his toothpaste. The folks we were staying with couldn’t believe Nedd sat so proud while I brushed his teeth. They couldn’t believe how much Nedd enjoyed it.

I learned the hard way! I had a pom whose teeth I didn’t take care of because I started to try when she was five years old and after she had to have a dental. It was too late. She hated it and I never got to brush her teeth. She refused dental treats. She had numerous dentals in her lifetime. She passed away in November 2007 at the age of 18 with only seven teeth left.

Nedd is twelve years old, has some tartar, has some wear on his teeth from being a power chewer but has never had the need for a dental from a veterinarian.

What if you didn’t brush your teeth?

Can you imagine what your teeth would look like if you didn’t brush them? What if you brushed them once a week or once a month? The odor alone would be incredibly offensive not to mention the appearance.

What if our dogs were talking and you could see their teeth with every word? Would you take better care of them?

It’s up to you to help your dog. You’ve been entrusted their life and you want to do the best you can.

We need to brush their teeth daily. Never use human toothpaste. Dogs can’t spit it out so they swallow it and get sick. Buy toothpaste specifically for your dog from your veterinarian or local pet store. I buy CHICKEN flavored toothpaste and it makes brushing teeth fun, at least for one of my dogs.

My other dog won’t let me touch her mouth. I didn’t start it when I got her due to lack of knowledge. She’s had several dental. She now has heart disease and can’t have additional dentals. Her teeth are getting really bad. I purchased a dental aide to squirt in her mouth and a naturopathic product to rub on her teeth. Both are still hard to do and usually result in coughing episode. Needless to say, it doesn’t get done like it should.

If your veterinarian recommends a dental, it most likely needs done. If you don’t feel certain and can’t see the obvious things the veterinarian shows you, get a second opinion. Unfortunately, there’s the occasional BAD veterinarian in this world.

Dental problems can lead to pain, tooth loss, difficulty eating, bad breath and even the spread of infection throughout the body.

Dogs don’t get their teeth cleaned as simply as we do. To clean their teeth, the veterinarian must do pre-testing to be sure pet is healthy enough, monitoring equipment and use general anesthesia. Extractions may be necessary and they usually can’t tell you that until during the procedure when they have a full view of everything in the dogs mouth.

After your pets teeth are cleaned, try to stay on top of the brushing to lengthen the time before the next dental cleaning is necessary.

Trina Daniels

“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.” James Thurber