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We have a Sheltie (one of four) that has terrible tartar no matter what we do. We have used gels, water additives, different foods, brushing, etc. Nothing matters. In six months, he looks like he's never had a dental cleaning in his life.
No vet has been able to figure out why, except that it is specific to him. The other three don't have this problem. We're going nuts trying to keep his teeth clean and bright. He does not have coprophilia, by the way (stool eating).
Does anyone have a solution to this problem? I'd really rather not have to run him through a dental every six months, as he's already 8 and I want to keep the anesthesia to a minimum.
I have a 7 year old papillon who has horrible dentition and despite my best efforts has already lost 4 teeth. She gets a dental at least annually.
Recently I went to a different vet for her dental. We have been re-trained in the proper brushing technique, and even using one of the human type battery operated brushes with canine toothpaste. We chose the Colgate Motion Brush because it has a really small brush head. They only cost around $6 at Walmart. And we are using the canine Petrodex poultry toothpaste. I brush every night for at least 3 minutes before she is crated for the night. The important thing is to brush, not scrub!, along the gumline at a 45 degree angle. It's much easier with the battery brush since I don't have to hold her mouth open and move the brush at the same time. Now I just hold her mouth open and let the brush do its thing moving it around from one side to the other.
The vet also gave us some new stuff on the market, thru vets only, called Oravet. During the dental the vet has a special formulation that they apply and it lasts a few weeks. Then she gave us a home care kit, a little pricey at $25 but for a small dog it would last much longer than the 8 weeks stated on the package (it contains 8 smaller packets inside, but one small packet seems to last us for three treatments, a sheltie could probably get 2 treatments so it would last you for 16 weeks). The home care part is applying the gel 1x/week along the gumline to prevent the bacterial gingivitis. We have had to experiment a little with it because the instructions aren't quite clear (new on the market, give them some time!). We find that it helps to warm the gel pack slightly so it isn't such a waxy consistency which makes it hard to apply. I prefer it a little more sticky and goopy so I sit the pack on the stove over one of the pilot burners to warm gently. Then I go and brush the dog's teeth and the gel pack is ready to use. I keep a small terry washcloth and gently "dry" (as best you can) the area of the teeth that I am going to apply with the provided swab. The stuff seems to stick better when the teeth are dry. Saliva makes it slide right off. We move from the molars on one side around to the front and then to the molars on the other back side. Takes 5-10 minutes at the most. And then I seal the package up for re-use the next time. The package states that Oravet works even when you brush the teeth daily. It is a chemical barrier layer thing apparently. So far it's been 3 mos and she looks as clean as the day she had her dental. Normally by now she would be showing signs of gingivitis (the red line at the top of the tooth) and staining.
The vet also sent us home with some CET rawhide chews. I find the hexaphosphate chews cheaper at Walmart. They have the bones, chips, and rolls for around $3/pack. The used to be Dr. Dently. I think they are called Hartly now. Made by Hartz, light blue strip on the top of the package. But my pap isn't really into the rawhide chews. She prefer the beef pizzle sticks. I also just ordered some pork ones only because I'm weird about beef products, US made or not.
The last thing I do, because it has been helpful for our cat, also a dental waiting to happen! is the Science Diet dental care food. For dogs a small bag is $10 now at Petco. I don't feed it as food. But I let her out after she eats 2x/day. When she comes in I give her a nugget as a treat. The cat used to have an annual dental and she hasn't needed one in three years and still going. So a $10 bag lasts me for months with the dog.
I'm figuring that this is costing me about $5/month altogether. That's $60/year in round numbers. And since a dental in my area now costs upwards of $250, it would be quite a savings if I can make this work.
i got teddy he was on rubbish bakers complete and after changing to a raw diet of bones and what have u his brown stained fulled with tarter build up teeth are now white as white and look so clean and healthy with no bad breath.
i would try giving ur dog a bone a few times a week my lhasa donsnt like the big knucle bones bu loves chicken wings and when i first started him on just ckicken wings there was a diffrence, its defo worth a try and so much cheaper than the vets and no need to be put to sleep
they love a little bone as a treat i used to give him his kibble at night and bone in the day freeze it for 24 hours the defrost and i would sit and hold it while he ate it so he didnt choke as i was really worried about it . it really helped so much
my last dog never had his teeth brushed and never had a problem bones realy do help so much
Have you tried raw bones? I've found that "nature's toothbrush" works MUCH better than any brushing or rinse a human can do. I'd recommend starting with turkey necks or chicken backs every day or every other day. You can also try wings...they are too small for our greyhounds but may be a good size for a sheltie. The crunching up off the bones will help keep the tarter scraped of the back teeth.
Knuckle bones, or other big, weight bearing bones are OK as recreational bones. If they are still fairly meaty and sinewy their front teeth get a good scraping as they pull that stuff off the bone. Otherwise, you want to be careful with large bones as to avoid cracking a tooth. But the larger bones don't do nearly as much to clean the back teeth (in particular the inner part of the tooth) as smaller bones that are intended to be crunched up completely and swallowed (like wings, necks, etc...)
Hi. We have Golden Retrievers that used to battle plaque something terribly. We found C.E.T. AquaDent rinse at www.lambriarvetsupply.com and it works great. We simply add it to their drinking water and the plaque seems to slide right off their teeth. We only order it from that web site as we live in a small town and no where here carries it. Hope this helps!
We tried the Oravet and it was useless, unfortunately. That was out vet's "best shot" at it. We have tried the water additives, but they make our Shelties sick. (I have NO idea why!)
We're very leery of trying raw bones because the first time we did it, one of our Shelties ended up with pancreatitis and nearly died. He was on IV's for two days. How can I be sure the bones are safe? How do you feed them to the dogs safely?
Since your Sheltie ended up with pancreatitis then I would stay clear of pork. You want to get bones that are big and really thick like cow knuckle or femur bones. These are recreational bones.
u want chicken wings or necks i prefer wings as u can keep a hold of them
right freeze for at least 24hours to kill the bacterai defroast in the fridge.
i sit on the floor with a pair os scissors and the bone and hold it one end to make sure they chew it well and once they get the hange of it then i just let them get on with it, its scary how easly they munch trough them. as its just for teeth cleaning the chicken wings r good as it will clean the back teeth better than what a knuckle bone would do.
i usally keep bones for the day and then tow away i no ppl whos dogs berry them and dig them up a week later lol
also if u get some apple cider viniger and put a splosh in the water it can aid in braking the bones up in the tummys and also if u feed a bit of live yog with a meal it can help the gut flora adjust faster so it can help lesen the chancesof diarea
and they have always gotta be raw as when u cook them they change the way they r broken down and splinter more
as long as ur dog crunches them up then they should be fine
Terrible tartar, no matter what! 
and no need to be put to sleep 
