Dog Teeth Cleaning?

[Houstonmommy]

Does anyone have general reccommendation for finding a less expensive dog teeth cleaning provider?

My dog is 9 years old and the vet gave me a $267 bid the other day for cleaning my dog's teeth. Is that high? It seems like a lot, but admittedly we've never done it so I don't know what a reasonable price would be.

TIA!

[crazybmb]

My dogs teeth were cleaned several months ago and it cost me about $70
I did get bath for him to boot! no cost!

[couponsmakecents]

Here is what my vet told me to do and it does work.

Make a thin paste of the following:

baking soda
garlic powder
beef broth

mix to the consistenacy of a thin paste. use a piece of a rag or old sock, dip in the goop and scrub away.

my dog does not really like me to do it but I can't afford the bill to have them cleaned.

Originally Posted by Houstonmommy Does anyone have general reccommendation for finding a less expensive dog teeth cleaning provider? My dog is 9 years old and the vet gave me a $267 bid the other day for cleaning my dog's teeth. Is that high? It seems like a lot, but admittedly we've never done it so I don't know what a reasonable price would be. TIA!

[ocean_brez]

"couponsmakecents" is right on the nose because I bought the doggy toothpaste from my vet and although it doesn't state those ingredients, it is beef flavored and my dog just loves it. Another thought is to spread the concoction on either a soft bristled toothbrush (another wonderful use for my stockpile) or a soft rubber finger brush (around $1-2) that you can purchase from the pet store and try brushing your dogs teeth this way.

The method that I found that worked the best for me was buying a couple large meat bones from the pet store and letting him have at them one by one, in addition to brushing his teeth as often as he would let me (which wasn't often at all because his teeth would bleed and I would stop ).

At last check, my dentist mentioned NOTHING about my dogs bad breath or the need to have his back teeth (they were green and scaly with plaque when I first started) cleaned by their dentist. So far soo good. OOP cost $10. Money saved from scaling and possible anesthesia $300+. Oh and... my dogs breath no longer smells rotten and his teeth look great.

[Janie63]

Teeth cleanings are expensive! Have you thought about checking with another vet in your area to see what they would charge? I don't know if you would want to do that though since I'm sure you're very comfortable with your vet.

A few tricks I've learned to help keep our dog's teeth clean are to feed a quality dry food, something like taste of the wild (great ingredients and grain-free) instead of wet foods. Bones have worked really well and you could also try a dental treat. Bright bites are a good one since they help with plaque and tartar and are also good for the breath. And like the others mentioned, brushing does wonders! Your pup might not like it (like mine) but it's worth it!

[abond0017]

brushing will reduce the need to have them preofessionally cleaned as often. however if they have a hard coating of plaque (sometimes looks alot like it is part of the tooth without close examination) then they definitely need the cleaning because that can only be scraped off with the proper tools.
If your dogs gums bleed badly (not just a bit) when you are brushing them that means the same thing it does for humans....gum disease.
I clean my dogs teeth every couple of months very carefully on my own with some purchased tools(my dog is very calm and lets me). However, I still have them cleaned every couple of years too. It is just necessary imo, even with the brushing and cleaning I do on my own.
I paid about $150 last time I had them cleaned so I would get a second opinion if I were you. Then again my dog is pretty small so the size may make a difference.

[Houstonmommy]

Thanks so much everyone!!!

[oceanbreeze]

I just got quoted that same ($267 & 297!!) for my 9 1/2 yr old Pug today. A year ago she had her teeth cleaned under sedation and had 7 teeth removed for a little less than this quote. It is costly but sometimes the only way to truly get the teeth done is to put them out and have the pros go for it.

[qtlittle1]

I've been using the Oral B Cross Action, and now since that's MIA, it's onto the sonicare (my dog gets his own). It makes brushing go a bit more quickly and easier for me.

[livingalmostlarge]

Unfortunately my older Bichon needs to get teeth cleaning every year. Sigh. He won't let me brush his teeth and his breat is terrible and it's an inherited thing so we've pulled 2 teeth. We did rescue him so part of it was before we even got him.

So what we do is pay $31/month for each dog on Banfield and that covers their annual teeth cleaning. That is $372/annually. Ouch that hurts to see, but it's includes all shots and 2x comprehensive exam and bloodwork. So it's a fantastic deal.

Also if you travel and your dog gets sick you can go to any banfield free office visit. Can't promise you won't pay for services but no $50 office fee. Sadly we've used that as well when we were camping away from home.