Another med not for Shelties

This is totally false and an old wives tale. The source of infection is the bacteria in the plaque. It enters the blood stream though the gums when gingivitis(note the bleeding of gums) occurs. It happens in all dogs regardless of breed or if you brush their teeth or not. That's why dental care is so important, the bacteria buildups up and can infect the heart valves, liver and kidneys too name a few. If you don't do any dental care ie brushing ,scaling or cleaning then more bacteria and infection occur. The same would happen in people and you would never tell a person to not brush their teeth.

There are breeds of dog with poor enamel such as the chinese chested and it has to do with the hairless gene. Not true of Collies or shelties. They are prone to gingivitis though.

 

You are fantabulous Dr. Shelli!!! We are SOOOOO blessed to have you here, I just love you, hehe..

 

UHOH
dental care.. eh
Sigh ok, lead me in the right direction.. how do I start.. cuz I just haven't brushed Toffee's teeth once

 

I had my Angel for 14 years and never brushed her teeth. So I wanna start brushing Snickers teeth. My question is : he is 7 months and wont sit still for a second. He wants to play...play...play ...umm and did i mention play?? After playing he needs a power nap for about 10- 15 minutes and is ready for another play session. Should I get someone else to hold him while i brush? He is very good about touching or opening his mouth because I have been opening his mouth all the time just so he knows that I am allowed to do it and as a pup he always had something in his mouth he wasnt supposed to have.

Brushing a dogs teeth everyday?? Is that the norm? Is once a week ok?
Is any doggy toothpaste ok or is there good and bad ones?

 

Sheltie Teeth Brushing

I found the comment about thin enamel on collie teeth interesting. Katie just had a teeth cleaning. Her teeth were good - no pockets or gum problems, just a cleaning done. Laddie's teeth were cleaned in January. His teeth were not in such great shape and he had one upper molar that had to be extracted. He's only 4, so it shows he was definitely neglected by his previous owners (he's rescue)! My vet asked me to try to brush their teeth. I didn't think Laddie would go for it, so my vet gave me a gel to put on his gums around his teeth to help keep his gums in good condition. If shelties have the same enamel situation as collies, I wouldn't try brushing. I give them hard treats and rawhide strips to chew. I'd be interested to know if anyone has heard of sheltie enamel problems.

 

I haven't heard of a problem with Sheltie teeth but Noah always had problems with his teeth. I just couldn't brush them - he would not tolerate it. Also, his gums were also bred - the vet could not figure it out. Emma on the other hand loves to have her teeth brush - 7:00 p.m. she goes looking for the toothpaste (which I found in Walmart). One suggestion I am going to try is to use gauze squares with the toothpaste on it. I'm not sure how this would work though as dogs love to chew when you are cleaning their teeth. I have a finger toothbrush but find it too big for Emma. Even the puppy brush is awkward to use because of the long handle.

Dr. Shelli - any thoughts on the gauze? Emma would love to eat it (if she eats pantyhose and knee hi's she would probably gulp this down).

 

There is no enemal problem in collies or shelties. They have normal enamel. There are breeds with enamel issues like the Chinese Created but Collies are not one of them. They are prone to gingivitis and that is were bacteria enters the blood stream . Gingivitis occurs when you don't take care of the teeth just like in people. My Justice has the worse teeth and stomatitis. The day after his adult came in he had tartar on them. No lie. I do everything possible to keep his teeth in order. I guarntee that had he not had a dental before 4yr. he would have loss several teeth. No abuse here.

 

Gauze works great just hold on to it tight. I did have a pug client that swollowed a big dental cloth. Luckily I got him to vomit it up.

 

Thanx. Emma did a trial run on swallowing a knee hi one day - she did bring it back up. Won't want to try the gauze.