I adopted a small spaniel on 29th January who currently weighs around 24 lbs.
She turned 12 yesterday.
Ever since her first visit to the vet, they've been constantly encouraging me to get her teeth cleaned (a scale and polish).
I’m really worried about the general anaesthetic, so I keep saying no.
But at the last visit, he almost convinced me, saying there were more risks with tooth loss and dental infections than with the anaesthesia itself.
I’ve booked the appointment for Thursday, but my fears have come back and I’m ready to cancel again.
I’d like to know if there’s any other way to clean my little dog’s teeth without a general anaesthetic that’s still effective enough to prevent dental problems.
I also know the risks involved if the tartar stays because I had another little dog who suffered from lots of dental infections and lost her teeth... so I know that doing nothing can also be dangerous.
I feel so lost and I'm scared for my little girl.
Does anyone have any advice or know of any less risky but effective methods?
Translated from French
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Christelle, you’re doing the right thing. I give salmon oil to my dogs too, but I also do it in courses—stopping for a bit and then starting again.
Since you’ve already started the PlaqueOff, keep going with the homeopathy for a week or two, then stop and switch to Fortan. You can alternate that with a tiny bit of coconut oil rubbed onto her gums, and do the same with the colloidal silver.
With the homeopathy, don't touch the pellets with your fingers; I used to tip them straight into *****'s mouth and that was that!
You’ll get there, and it’ll definitely be cheaper than a trip to the vet. Not to mention zero stress for Roxy and no anaesthetic either!!
Too right!! 😀
@Christelle, yes, you can put colloidal silver on the gums. For *****, I used a syringe and applied the silver directly to her gums. You can find the dosage here: https://www.vismedicatrixnaturae.fr/remedes-recettes/l-argent-colloidal-un-element-indispensable/ As for walnut or coconut oil, you can do the same thing and apply it straight onto the gums. Dogs absolutely love it, but just be careful with the amount—if you give too much at once, Roxy might end up with a bit of diarrhoea. Here’s the dosage info: https://monchienbio.com/huile-de-coco-pour-le-chien/ And yes, it should be done as a course of treatment. Personally, I alternate things. I avoid giving too many supplements at the same time; given how sensitive my dogs are, I prefer to take it step by step to see whether they tolerate them or not. Do the same with Roxy 😉 And yeah, it’d be great if you could manage to get a photo of Roxy’s teeth. I’m not surprised about the Fortan—like I said, it’s a German product, so vets don't know it. The whole thing about surfactants makes me laugh; *****’s mouth never started foaming like she was full of washing powder! 😁 Don’t stress yourself out over it, they’re not worth the bother!
Yes, that’s what I’m planning to do for Roxy, taking it step by step.
She started the PlaqueOff this evening, so I’ve stopped the fish oil I was putting in her food for her skin.
She’d been on that for three weeks.
Once the course of PlaqueOff and the homeopathy is finished, I’ll try either the silver or the oil.
After that, I’ll start her on a course for her joints and arthritis.
It’s all about the maintenance and getting into a routine, but once you’re in the swing of things, it’ll be plain sailing.
It’s the same for both of them, actually, as my youngest dog, who’s 7 or 8, suffers from dysplasia.
So I’m giving him the PlaqueOff as a maintenance dose too.
Yes, you can use colloidal silver on the gums. For *****, I used to use a syringe and put the silver directly onto her gums. You can find the dosage info here:
As for walnut or coconut oil, you can do the same thing directly on the gums. Dogs absolutely love it, but just be careful with the dosage—if you give too much in one go, Roxy might end up with diarrhoea.
And yes, it should be done as a course of treatment. Personally, I alternate things; I avoid giving too many different things at the same time. Since my dogs are quite sensitive, I prefer to take it step-by-step so I can tell whether or not they’re tolerating it. Do the same with Roxy 😉.
It would be great if you could manage to get a photo of Roxy’s teeth as well.
I’m not surprised about the Fortan. Like I said, it’s a German product and vets aren't familiar with it. The whole thing about surfactants makes me laugh—*****’s mouth never started foaming like a load of washing powder! 😁
Don't let it get to you; they aren't worth the stress!
As for the nails, let’s not get carried away. If she was going to be under anaesthetic the next day for a dental anyway, it made perfect sense to do her nails at the same time. It’s so much easier when the dog isn’t wriggling around... 😁
Thankfully, you don't usually need an anaesthetic just to trim some nails.
I know a groomer—I’m not even a regular customer because I have Brittanys and they don’t need professional grooming, I just bath them myself—and she clips their nails for free; it doesn’t even take five minutes.
Aggie, I swear if a vet had pulled a stunt like that with me, they wouldn’t have seen me for dust. Seriously, it’s a joke – I’ve given up trying to understand. Can you believe the vet I go to actually pulled out one of *****’s teeth without any anaesthetic? It was barely hanging on by a thread! 😂 He just grabbed the forceps and—pop! These money-grabbing vets really wind me up, and Christelle’s is definitely in the top ten! Catch you later!
I asked her if she couldn’t just scrape a bit of it off like that.
She said no.
Then, with a massive ego, she told me that given the state of the tartar, she’d like to see if PlaqueOff actually does anything, because it won't make a bit of difference.
And as for the Fortan, she had a look because she didn’t know it, and when she saw there were surfactants in the ingredients, she told me they must have made a mistake and that it was meant for washing powder.
Christelle, I can't believe it!! Honestly, what a rubbish clinic!! I mean, the vet nurse doesn't even know when a dog should be fasting or not? That’s shocking! Couldn't they even do a nail trim today? I would have given them a piece of my mind, let me tell you! 👹 You were right to walk out of there. Regarding the combination of Fortan, homeopathy and PlaqueOff, I wouldn't try all three at once. However, since you've already got the PlaqueOff, you might as well start giving that to Roxy. Then when you get the Fortan and the homeopathy, stop the PlaqueOff. I think you'll get the homeopathy tube quickly; I ordered mine at the chemist's and got it the next day. As for the bacteria, it's "nothing"—it can be treated with colloidal silver at a 15 ppm dosage; it's a natural antibiotic. You can also rub a bit of coconut oil on Roxy's gums (coconut oil has antibacterial properties, make sure it's organic and cold-pressed); you'll easily find it in the supermarkets. Don't panic and don't give her everything at once either. Once the tartar is gone, Roxy will hardly have any bacteria left, and I don't think her teeth are as scaled up as *****'s were. I don't know if you saw the two photos I posted further up showing the before and after with Fortan, and that was just at the start of the treatment! Hang in there, don't panic, kisses and cuddles for Roxy.
Thanks for all the info, I'll jot it all down tonight.
I'm getting the homeopathy tomorrow morning.
I'm starting her on the PlaqueOff tonight.
So the oil or the colloidal silver goes directly onto the gums?
I assume it’s done as a course of treatment.
Yes, I saw the photos, the results are really encouraging.
Her teeth actually look more scaled up than that.
I'll try to take a photo.
I’m telling you, if the vet had pulled a stunt like that with me, they wouldn't have seen me for dust. Seriously, it’s a joke—I’ve stopped trying to understand.
Can you believe my vet pulled out one of *****’s teeth without any anaesthetic? It was barely hanging on by a thread! 😂
He just grabbed the forceps and—pop!
Money-grabbing vets really wind me up, and Christelle’s is definitely in the top ten!
As for the claw-clipping, let's not get carried away. If she was going to be under anaesthetic the next day for a dental anyway, it made total sense to do her claws at the same time. It’s so much easier when the dog isn’t wriggling around... 😁
I can’t believe it!! Seriously, what an absolute joke of a clinic!!
Wait, the vet nurse doesn't know when a dog needs to be fasting or not? That is really bad!
And they couldn't even manage a nail clip today?
I’m telling you, I’d have given them a proper piece of my mind! 👹
You did the right thing getting out of there.
Regarding the combination of Fortan, the homeopathic remedy, and PlaqueOff, I wouldn’t try all three at the same time. However, since you already have the PlaqueOff, you can definitely start giving that to Roxy now.
Then stop once you have the Fortan and the homeo.
I reckon you’ll get the homeopathic tube pretty quickly; I ordered mine from the chemist and it arrived the next day.
As for the bacteria, it’s "nothing" – it can be treated with colloidal silver at a 15 ppm dosage, which is a natural antibiotic. You can also rub a bit of coconut oil onto Roxy’s gums (coconut oil has antibacterial properties; make sure it’s organic and cold-pressed). You’ll easily find it in the supermarket.
Don’t panic and don’t give her everything all at once either. Once the tartar is gone, Roxy will hardly have any bacteria left, and I don’t think her teeth are as scaled up as *****’s were.
I’m not sure if you saw the two photos I posted further up? You can see the before and after using Fortan, and that was only at the start of the treatment!
Anyway, hang in there and don’t panic. Kisses and cuddles to Roxy.
I’m in the same boat as you, especially as ***** builds up tartar 24/7 because of her health condition; I’d spend my whole life at the vet’s otherwise. Regarding the Fortan, you only need to use it 3 to 5 times during the first week—you don't need much, just a few drops on a gauze pad or a dog finger brush, and rub from the gums towards the teeth. I’ll admit, seeing how caked in tartar *****’s teeth were, sometimes I’d practically pour a whole pipette onto the pad! 😂 I saw the first results after a week, and to get her used to having her teeth brushed, I give her a treat to sweeten the deal; she gets it now, and even though she still isn't a fan of me poking around in her gob, she lets me get on with it! Combine the Fortan with the homeopathy, and if you’re feeling brave, you could start brushing her teeth too, but just the Fortan will do for a start. 👍
The so-called post-op check-up basically boiled down to just listening to her heart because the blood test couldn't be done—my little Roxy had just tucked into a turkey neck from Pets at Home. This was after the vet nurse had told me over the phone that she didn't need to be fasted for this blood test. I was thrilled to drive all that way and wait for a good half hour, only to leave with nothing sorted. They didn't even trim her claws; the vet said they’d do it tomorrow morning. She even told me that bacteria are starting to form under the tartar, yet didn't even offer a treatment...
I called back to cancel the appointment, telling them how disappointed I was with their approach, which really gives the impression they’re just trying to push for more procedures to make money... So, the homeopathic granules are ordered. I’ve got the PlaqueOff, just need the Fortan now. I hope all three can be used together. Now I’m going to look for a vet who can give me some honest advice, knowing that I won’t be agreeing to any surgery. I’m really disgusted by that way of doing business.
