Dog dental care

[KristaK]

Our 3 year old shih tzu hates having his teeth brushed so I asked the vet about a scale and polish for him - they have quoted me £700 which includes a compulsory x ray, a general
anaesthetic (he will need some sedation - he really hates people going near his mouth) and other stuff but I just wanted to ask if that was normal? I was shocked at the cost and the vet made me feel like a crazy person but I just can’t imagine people have £700 sitting around for dog teeth cleaning. This would be maintenance - he has no known issues and no extractions etc required. Just wondering if I am indeed a crazy person?

Have you tried giving your dog a bone . Works wonders.

Just stick to biscuits only and brush his teeth yourself twice a week

Try plaqueoff, you just sprinkle it on their food and it's tasteless.

Persist with brushing - use an enzyme based toothpaste after they’ve eaten. I believe that you don’t really even need to brush it to see some benefit.

I was quoted a similar price sadly OP. Just how it is.
How bad are his teeth and what do you feed him?
If he's got a tartar build up, it's a vet job, but if it's plaque then some of the above suggestions should help.

That's a pretty standard cost for teeth cleaning tbh. I would say, if anything, it's on the low side of normal.

I brush my dog's teeth with Logic every evening and it does help, although it can be a bit hit and miss, and it took a long time before she was okay with it, but she really loves the taste so that makes it easier.

If there's a heavy build up though, brushing won't shift it and, as pp said it has to be done by the vet.

My old dog had a plaque problem but other issues that made the vet very reluctant to anaesthetist for treatment. We did find that daily brushing with the enzyme paste reduced it to an acceptable level. (My previous half hearted brushing once or twice a week wasn't enough.)

Does your dog have actual dental issues as knocking them out to clean them tis usually only done when they have an issue or are older and have a build up, some groomer offer sonic cleaning I think it's called Emmi pet.

I have been amazed how effective this stuff is. My rescue dog would never let us brush his teeth despite various meat flavoured toothpaste, gels etc. Stuff to put in his water had no effect but this powder that I sprinkle on his food has had a great effect within a few weeks. He won’t eat it just sprinkled on dry kibble but we put it in wet food in a licky mat and he doesn’t notice it.