Ddog needs teeth extracted

[AcceptingTherapy]

I feel terrible! She’s a rescue staffie, we’ve had her since she was 1, we’ve never been able to clean her teeth because she’s just so damn wriggly and strong and can’t be persuaded to have any more than a passing swipe with some toothpaste. She eats a good diet of raw food but we can’t give her whole bones to chew as she has always been too enthusiastic with them and makes herself sick!

She gets treats which I assume is what has caused the problem, so with the treats and no tooth brushing I feel terrible that we have caused this. She’s 8 so I suppose it was inevitable. Just posting because I know there are a lot of staffie owners on here who may be able to sympathise/advise/hand-hold!

You probably haven't caused this. Loads of dental issues are genetic.

Great you are making her comfortable now and of course she needs loads of staffi cuddles to feel better

Please don't feel guilty - most dental issues are nothing to do with diet and everything to with genetics and just plain bad luck.

Eating, full stop, causes plaque build up, just like it does in humans. So the treats are just (a nice) part of life! This isn't your fault. And dog's teeth are hard anyway. My dog tolerates cleaning well and has a special "toothbrush" (electronic) and there is still some visible build up. The nooks and crannies in dogs teeth contribute to the complexity - my dog's back teeth are shaped more like a Himalayan mountain range than an "orderly smooth tooth" (hence the special brush)!

Thank you all for your kind words! Just what I needed to hear. We put her on a raw diet because we believed it was the best for her health and other than her teeth she is very well on it. I guess I just feel bad because our family dogs were always fed on dry food and had perfect teeth, but they were different breeds and I never thought of genetics playing a role. And yes it would be very hard to clean all those nooks and crannies!

Ascendant15

Can you tell me please which toothbrush it is you have?