Teeth cleaning

[Kananga]

I have used a toothbrush with the gel a few times, but most time I open up his mouth and just let his tongue coat the teeth. Seems to still be effective.

[tanza]

It is always good to get your dog used to a toothbrush… and you can start with just putting the gel (or nothing at all) on your finger and rubbing over the teeth and gums...

Getting a baby puppy is a lot more fun.. (for the puppy...ggg) they will accept pretty easy.. but "chew, chew, chew"... which is OK by me.... they get used to someone putting hands/fingers in their mouth.

And for those of you that are considering showing... two tips... mouth exam is important.. so the more you get them used to people looking at their bite the better... and for those of your with males... used to people touching/grabbing (and some judges are NOT with soft hands) their private parts... as making sure they have two testicles is part of the judges responsibility. Those of you with pups... start now.. every day... practice showing the bite and having others look at the bite... and check for testicles..

[renaultf1]

@tanza:

It is always good to get your dog used to a toothbrush… and you can start with just putting the gel (or nothing at all) on your finger and rubbing over the teeth and gums...

Getting a baby puppy is a lot more fun.. (for the puppy...ggg) they will accept pretty easy.. but "chew, chew, chew"... which is OK by me.... they get used to someone putting hands/fingers in their mouth.

And for those of you that are considering showing... two tips... mouth exam is important.. so the more you get them used to people looking at their bite the better... and for those of your with males... used to people touching/grabbing (and some judges are NOT with soft hands) their private parts... as making sure they have two testicles is part of the judges responsibility. Those of you with pups... start now.. every day... practice showing the bite and having others look at the bite... and check for testicles..

Thanks Pat for this advice…another thing I didn't think about! Don't need to worry about the testicle bit for this one though :D...but I'll remember that for the future!

[Buana]

Our dogs… love the toothbrush... hahaha
Even our cat doesn't mind it....

[mariko]

Hello all. I'm glad to see my initial post got so many people talking! I am definitely going to get some of these PetzLife products. Anyway, I just wanted to post a follow-up. We took Deedle to the new vet and really like the place. Today she went in for her teeth cleaning, and, ahem, remember how I was saying I wanted to go to the new vet because I thought it might be a little cheaper than the other place? Well, forget that!

Deedle is 13 now and starting to show it. We had them do some X-rays on her abdomen because she has been throwing up every morning for the past month, and then they moved on to the teeth. They had to extract SEVEN teeth! I felt like a terrible basenji mom, but really, she has had teeth problems for a long time. I just didn't realize how bad they were. The vet called me numerous times to check in and explain everything to me. When we went to pick her up, they showed us all the X-rays and gave us additional information. It ended up costing almost $1,500. She was under anesthesia for nearly 3 hours! So, what can you do. I just want Deedle to be healthy and comfortable.

[tanza]

You did the right thing… and some dogs just have bad teeth... just like people... and you will see a great difference in her in a few days... been there, done that.... and don't feel bad... Basenji bitches are known for "hiding" pain... mine do.....

[khanis]

What I'd really like to know… is WHERE did you take Deedle to begin with??
There is NO reason anesthesia, cleaning and any extractions should come to half of hat you quoted.

Where is the new vet you are considering?
What part of town are you in?

I could give you numerous recommedations that have a multitude of basenji experience without raping your wallet.

[nomrbddgs]

Unfortunately, on some dogs, I wouldn't even want to think about no anesthetic with teeth cleaning. My old girl Calli has severly bad gingivitis, two cracked molars, crud caked on, and a heart murmur. Which is why I opted for this product first. I will do my best to clean it up without taking her in. Even though she is not a basenji, I don't want to chance it. However, with her if I had to it would be anethetic all the way. While I can take anything out of her mouth, other people may not be able to. It really depends on the temperment of the dog as well. Especially if they are in pain. Just MO.

[mariko]

@khanis:

What I'd really like to know… is WHERE did you take Deedle to begin with??
There is NO reason anesthesia, cleaning and any extractions should come to half of hat you quoted.

Where is the new vet you are considering?
What part of town are you in?

I could give you numerous recommedations that have a multitude of basenji experience without raping your wallet.

In response to Kathy's comments, the first vet we went to was Hollywood Pet Hospital. Their prices seemed a little higher than others, I figured because they are an AAHA accredited hospital. The new vet is Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care on Belmont St in SE Portland. It's close to our house, and they were very attentive and very nice. It still cost us a pretty penny, but it included full X-rays of her mouth, X-rays of her abdomen, anesthesia for 3 hours, and 7 extractions!

Deedle seems back to her old self now, but we're feeding her soft food for 5 days, and it seems to be giving her horrible gas! I am choosing to be amused by it, but she is stinking up the whole house!

[Barklessdog]

Well I tried the Petlife gel and The dogs will not let me get near them with it.

Or Tri when I came close to him with it he made the most awful face, showing his teeth, but not threatening but more like Ewwww. Then he drop to the ground and started rubbing his paws with his nose trying to get the smell out.

He has a similar reaction to bananas.

They let me brush their teeth, which they enjoy, so back to brushing.

[snorky998]

Hey barkless, I wanted to try this product. If you're stuck with an almost full bottle that you have no need for, and you feel it's safe to share, get my email from admin and give me a yell. I'll take it off your hands and compensate you for the product and shipping.

[Barklessdog]

Sure.

Someone Hook us up!

This stuff has a strong almost rubbing alcohol like odor.

[tanza]

Funny, my 14+ yr old didn't mind it in the least….but we all know that B's are different... gggg. I have not found that about the product... now the spray on that other hand.. it does have the alcohol odor... Kristii is not thrilled with that.. but I can still use it

[renaultf1]

I wanted to bump this thread…

I've been using the regular flavour Petzlife gel on Ruby (4yo) now for 2 weeks (3x a week, per the bottle) and I cannot believe the difference in her teeth and her breath. Her breath changed within the first 2 times of using it. I fully expect that if it keeps working the way it has, that in another 2 weeks there will be no sign of plaque at all. Her teeth were starting to look not so good, but this stuff has changed that! I cannot believe it works this great!

Count me in as someone that now swears by this product.

BTW, I was in a store in a pet store in New Jersey and found it for $20! What a deal!

[thunderbird8588]

Definately worth getting a second vet to look and give you a price. I looked around when Benji needed his teeth doing and managed to find a vet quite a bit cheaper and most importantly a good vet.
I know what you mean about the bad breath, Benjis could strip paint, lol.
Seriously though it is most unpleasant. Can anyone tell me why it is that smaller Dogs tend to get tooth problems? Our big Dog has wonderfull teeth at the age of 11.

[Benkura]

@moetmum:

We have started using it today!! Mainly Fiji who is having gel and spray (much to her disgust) and my three youngsters are just having the spray as maintenance.

Hi Moetmum. Not seen you on here for a while. I was wondering where you purchase the Petzlife from in the UK as Nakura's breath smells like something has died inside her and I'd love to give something new a try.

[Kananga]

@renaultf1:

I wanted to bump this thread…

I've been using the regular flavour Petzlife gel on Ruby (4yo) now for 2 weeks (3x a week, per the bottle) and I cannot believe the difference in her teeth and her breath. Her breath changed within the first 2 times of using it. I fully expect that if it keeps working the way it has, that in another 2 weeks there will be no sign of plaque at all. Her teeth were starting to look not so good, but this stuff has changed that! I cannot believe it works this great!

Count me in as someone that now swears by this product.

BTW, I was in a store in a pet store in New Jersey and found it for $20! What a deal!

I've been using it a few times per week for the last few months. Recent visit to the vet brought high remarks for his dental hygiene.

The grain alcohol in the gel should be a big part of why their breath improves. It should kill all/most of the bacteria that is causing it.

[moetmum]

@Benkura:

Hi Moetmum. Not seen you on here for a while. I was wondering where you purchase the Petzlife from in the UK as Nakura's breath smells like something has died inside her and I'd love to give something new a try.

Maybe its an age thing Nakura is a similar age to Fiji isn't she?

I can't remember where I bought it, I googled it and found a distributor in this country, I bought both spray and gel, mainly for Fiji, I found it effective. I used the spray on all of them in the evening, then the spray and the gel first thing in the morning, they aren't supposed to have anything for a while before or after for it to work properly. I do occasionally give them raw chicken wings as well, apart from Chico who hates raw poultry!

[nobarkus]

I've brushed all my others for years. I now have started brushing the new tri I got and he does not mind it too much. I just use water only and get it wet then first let him just chew it a little and they will get used to the feel of the brush in their mouth. Just don't force it as even with a soft brush the gums are sensitive. Make it an enjoyable then they will let you hold them gently by the top of the muzzle and lift the lip and brush using down strokes. Always very gently. Any uncomfortableness just back off.

[Benkura]

@moetmum:

Maybe its an age thing Nakura is a similar age to Fiji isn't she?

Nakura will be 6 this year. How time flys!!!
Her breath has always been smelly. Skipper, her half brother, has always had bad Basenji breath too!
I'll be trying out this new wonder stuff very soon.