How to clean senior dog's teeth with severe tartar and seizures?

Question

My dog Allie is 12 years old and has never been interested in chewing toys. Her teeth have always been in bad shape but never like this. She has tartar stuck in the roof of her mouth to the point it looks like another set of teeth. She's prone to seizures so I'm afraid to take her to the vet to get cleaned as well as her old age being a factor. I'll do anything I can but what are my options exactly? She refuses to be cleaned at home and I'm at a loss. Many thanks. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 13 years and 8 months old | 32 lbs

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, thank you for your question about Allie. The best way to remove excessive tartar build up would be to have a dental cleaning performed under veterinary guidance. Depending on the severity of her seizures some veterinarians may be comfortable placing her under anesthesia as long as appropriate precautionary measures and monitoring techniques are utilized. If this is not in her best interest you could try using dental chews or a specially formulated food (such as Hill's T/D) to help break up some of the tartar. These techniques will cause some improvement but are unlikely to remove all of the tartar. Significant tartar build up for a prolonged period of time can lead to bad infection and sometimes tooth loss, so even if you do not pursue a dental cleaning I would recommend consulting with a veterinarian to determine if she needs antibiotics. Hope this helps, good luck!

How to clean senior dog's teeth with severe tartar and seizures?

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