What can i do to help my adopted dog with his bad teeth and foul breath?

i just adopted a chihuahua mix from maricopa county animal care and control in arizona. i noticed the dog had severely bad breath but was ignorant to what could be causing it. i took the dog straight to a vet at petsmart and was told he had periodontitis. i was quoted between $800-$1000 to treat and if extractions are necessary, it'll be even more $!!! i can't afford that but i want to do what i can for the dog. is there anything else i can do that will help him, or does anyone know of a vet that will help for less??? what about mcacc - are they responsible for some of the cost, since they should have noticed the condition of the dog and at the very least warned me about it?

What can i do to help my adopted dog with his bad teeth and foul breath?
I would shop around for prices,my usual vet charges $500-1000 for dental work,the vet nearby charges $250-300.Both use isoflurane,both moniter during the dental.
Reply:there is Nothing you can do at home...





find a way to pay!! how awfully uncomfortable for your dog..
Reply:dental work is very expensive, so you're not likely to find anything cheaper anywhere else.





you can try to brush his teeth everyday to keep them from getting much worse, but it won't undo whats already been done.





The only thing to really treat it is to go through with the procedures.





Also, Animal control usually has barely enough money to stay up and running. They can't pay for dental work for him.
Reply:Keep your dog away from canned foods One of the best foods on the market today is Beneful .Get a tooth brush and brush it's teeth to help get them clean. A hard bone from a pet store can help them work off some of the plaque. Stay away from raw hide bones, they mess up the intestines. See if you can find another vet with more compassion to help you with this problem.
Reply:the only thing i can think of is to do a lot of dental cleaning yourself and hope it helps. if you have a vet school near you they might do it cheaper, the students would do the work, but a vet would oversee it. it depends on long you've had the dog but it never hurts to try mcacc. all they can do is tell you no. they may have a cheaper vet on call or they might help with the cost. good luck.
Reply:There isn't anything you can do other than go to the vet for the damage that is already done. However you can prevent further damage by brushing his teeth on a regular basis and givign him bones to chew on. Some people swear that putting the dog on a raw diet will improve their teeth but I've never tried it myself. If you are going to use a commericial diet make sure that it is a quality one not junk like some of the ones being recommended here at Yahoo. The best way to do this would be to educate yourself. The links below will get you started.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_by-pro...


http://www.belfield.com/article3.html


http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...


http://dogandcatworld.blogspot.com/2007/...
Reply:There is no home remedy you can do, if the dog had peridontal disease then he'll be in a lot of pain, also it'll be affecting his heart, his liver and kidneys. It'll shorten his life if you don't get them fixed.





See if the vet will make a payment plan for you, or if you are able you can apply for care credit which is a credit card that you can use for doctors visits and vet visits, we used it when we needed to get our labs teeth cleaned, depending on the vet they can offer payment plans on the card like no interest financing for 3-6 months.





If interested in the card go to carecredit.com.
Reply:Hey Phoenix, I think they sold you a doged dog, try n find a way to help this lil guy!


Ours has cataracts, and they want $1600._ to try'n fix it_, I guess we'll keep her because we love her!


maybe a white stick or something!
Reply:Call around to different vets, or try the SPCA, they do lower cost vetting. You got the dog from a shelter/pound. They may not have even known the dog needed dental work. You adopted the dog because you like him, not because you paid big bucks at a breeder. Even if you had had the dog from puppy hood, most dogs need dental care at some point and it ain't cheap, vetting goes with the territory. HTH
Reply:This is a very unpleasant thing for your dog to live with, and his gums will get infected if it goes too long without treatment. Yes, dental care for dogs is expensive, especially when it was neglected early on. Your dog REALLY needs to have this dental work done for his health. If it is not done infection will eventually set in and you will have a much more costly vet bill and your dog may not survive (not to mention all the suffering he will be doing in the meantime). Call your vet's office (for you adopted a dog, you really need a regular vet that will oversee all your dogs heathcare needs and will always have his medical record on hand). Your vet office should have an applications for creditcare. If they don't have one, you can probably fill one out online. If you fill it out at the vet office, they can call in for instant approval and you can use the card for that day's visit. Creditcare is a credit card designed for medical and dental cost of people and pets. I needed it when my older dog needed $3,000 of care in a months time. You are responsible for the health and well being of the dog you adopted, and that means you are also financially responsible too. It is unfortunate that you just adopted him and he is going to cost this much, but it is very common. I have an 8 month old dachshund mix that seemed very healthy when I got him, and got a clean bill of health at each vet appointment. BUT, when he was 6 months old, I took him in to be neutered and the pre-op blood work showed liver problems. It is 2 months later and about $1800 later, and we are still searching for what is causing his liver dysfunction. The next step is a liver biopsy, I wonder how much that will cost?!?! After we have a diagnosis, we are looking at either liver surgery or a lifetime of medication and monitoring. It is the chance we take (and the responsibility we take on) when we purchase or adopt any animal. I am sorry for your troubles, like I said, I know what it is like to get 'whacked' with high vet bills. I think you can consider yourself fortunate that your dog has a treatable condition and that as long as it is treated it will not be life threatening.
Reply:Call around to different vets and find one who offers a payment plan.And,yes,the shelter should pay for some of the bill.This is terribly expensive for a dental on a Chihuahua.I only paid a little over 200.00 for my dachshund mix to have all of his teeth cleaned and four pulled.You'll have to have something done,as badly infected teeth can cause infection throughout the body,and cause damage to the kidneys and heart,not to mention that they must taste terrible to the poor dog,and cause him a lot of pain.Some things you can try are to have him put on Clindamycin and prednisone for 10 days,and try brushing the teeth with a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution to kill bacteria.Also,give the dog raw,meaty beef bones to chew,as they will help clean his teeth.
Reply:This is somethign that needs to be treated by a specialist who know what to do. Nothing can be done at home. I would first get in touch with where you got the dog from and then contact other local vets about this..



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