My two eat hard kibble which also has an ingredient to break down the tartar. I have heard a few sad stories lately about dogs who have lost all of their teeth, and also dogs that have lost their lives because of gum disease.
My vet does check Dolly & Desi's teeth and gums every single time that they are there.whether it be the $10 visit for a vaccine, or a $40 visit for a respiratory infection. That all being said, my dogs are young - one that will be 3 on the 20th, and the other will be 2 in August. I am priming them for when and if I need to brush their teeth because they do start to get tartar or they get gum disease. The Petzlife gel actually softens any tartar buildup, and they don't have any. They love the flavor and the next step is to use the fingertip toothbrush and massage their gums and teeth that way, and then slowly do a little toothpaste with it and then pure toothpaste. If I wait until they are 5 or 6 when nature starts taking its course, they will still not like a toothbrush all of a sudden. But, I don't know where you live, but I have never heard of a vet charging only $8 to clean teeth. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of g morris Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 6:13 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Chihuahuas] (unknown) Those so called treats that clean the dog's teeth do not work. I feed my 8yo chi (Coffee) soft food and milk bones, so his tartar buildup isn't hard. I remove it every other week with my finger and have not had any problems. I use to take him to the vet but I didn't like the fact that he had to be "put under". I also save the $8.00 that the vet charges. Little prayer little power...much prayer much power.
