Poor thing. She will not only smell better but I'm sure she feels a lot better, too. Owning a dog can be pretty expensive and you have to triple that expense. They're lucky to have you.

Poor baby......but furbabies need our care. Glad she has you and you have them all.....:0)

Ouchie! That was a hard hit, but such a help to the dogs. They are lucky to have you caring for them. My vet told me anaesthetic cleaning would be over $300 for one dog with extra charges for extractions or other procedures. So maybe the price wasn't so bad for 3 dogs.

Would the non-anaesthetic cleanings be possible? They are cheaper. Also dental chews, and if you can possibly brush their teeth, or even one of the pups, that helps a lot. I do it for my dog, using CET poultry toothpaste (he loves it) with a cheese treat afterwards for good behavior. Start slowly, maybe with tasting a pea sized glob of the paste at first. Sorry if this is TMI, but I'm so pleased with my dog's teeth and avoiding those horrible dental bills.

I'm not surprised she loves you totally. When we rescue an animal, they know it. So devoted. You're a good mama, Sleeperblues!

While it may seem like a big bite was taken out of your bank account (sorry for the pun), similar services where I live could have been that much for each dog. Before any dental work is done, anesthesia alone can be many hundred dollars per dog.

Dental and mouth infections are painful and malodorous, I'm sure you're both happy the problem is on the road to being remedied.

I'm not complaining about the cost--Iknow that was really reasonable. They are worth it to me! I have tried brushing their teeth, but with the older adopted dogs it's not possible. I've tried but they had too many years of neglect. I'll just make sure they get their cleanings regularly.

My DD lives in Krygystan (teaches at an American school) and she adopted a puppy. She got the dog spayed a couple of weeks ago-what a horror story. She said it took 3 hours and the dog kept waking up and whining. She could actually hear it in the waiting room! Also, they didn't have any kind of a cone and she had to make one out of cereal boxes. And now the stitches are breaking loose. I told my Vet about her experience and thanked him for the excellent care he provides to my babies. I feel like I'm the lucky one.

Wow, I think I could air ship my dog to you, have you get her dental cleaning done and send her back to me for less than what you paid, lol! I live just outside of Toronto and was quoted $750 to have our dog anesthetized and teeth cleaned, with a higher price if any extractions are needed! My friends with different vets are paying between $700 and $800, so mine is right in the range for this area. I was wondering, will Penny need to be on antibiotics to prevent decay forever, or just until the extraction sites heal?

John buys Milkbone Brushing chews for Mollie to chew between cleanings and he says he can really tell a difference since he started using them..

Here is a link that might be useful: brushing chews

Oh, and don't forget, many times the vets want to do blood work before the anaesthesia to make sure everything is ok with the dog. More expense.

One thing to remember is if you ever have any type of anaesthetic procedure done, ask the vet if dental work would be appropriate at the same time.

So glad all the kiddos are doing well, and will be feeling better with clean mouths!

We take ours to a veterinary dentist, so we pay more for dental procedures. However, she is wonderful, takes before and after photos (and gives us copies), and treats them extra special. Just before Christmas, we took 3 in and the total bills were about $2000 for 3 exams, 2 cleanings (with blood work), 1 gum trim, and 1 extraction.

After reading the reviews on those Milk Bone Brushing Chews, I don't think I'll order them for my dogs! I think out of the first six reviews I read, five of them said it made their dog sick. I was interested up until that point. Guess I will continue to brush....

Oh my, I knew my charges were extremely reasonable but I didn't know how reasonable! I live in a small town in northern Wisconsin and it is a rather modest clientele, at least the year round people. Big resort area so our population probably quadruples in the summer months.

Picky, the vet wants to try Penny on a course of antibiotics for 1 week of each month to keep her decay in check so I think we'll do that. I also bought some stuff to put in their water bowl that is supposed to help with mouth bacteria too. It is just so nice to be able to kiss her little face and not gag from stinky breath, plus she sleeps curled up by my head at night.

sleeper, I'm glad the antibiotics will keep the bacteria in check and I'm sure it's nicer to be able to snuggle your dog close, without holding your breath, lol!

oops, double posted.

This post was edited by pickyshopper on Thu, Jan 29, 15 at 17:14

Don't forget that bad teeth can also lead to kidney disease. It's not worth it! Keep up with the teeth-work. Kidney failure is bad.