Poodle with teeth problems

[Beautiful Border Collie]

My 2 year old male poodle needs your advice. Last year i had to pull out a baby tooth that was rotting away and smelled bad. Lately i noticed his breath is bad again. I looked at his teeth and some have greenish spots on them. Do you think he may have a gum disease? He is always licking the air. I dont brush his teeth as often as i should. Anybody else with poodles have a problem like this? Not all his teeth have the spots and the spots arent all over one tooth either, they are on about 3 teeth. I tried to scrape one off with my finger nail and it wouldnt come off. I dont want a toothless poodle, i want him to keep all his teeth! :shiny:

[Rosebud]

:-?

Sandy my IG has had the same problem with her teeth. I get the RR's those knuckle bones, Sandy will just chew away and it cleans her teeth, I have noticed that her teeth are finally starting to be a nice clean white. Also whenever I give Sandy her yogurt her breath is alot better, I think it has something to do with the enzymes killing the bad bacteria. I think I might start giving them their yogurt every day.


:angel:

[RescuerAndVetTech]

You need to take your dog in to get a dental. It's already at a bad stage at such a young age. If not taken care of you dog will not only loose its teeth but bad dental problems do lead to overall health problems. Something perceived as so simple, will and does cause serious internal problems, such as organ failure etc.

[Horsefeathers!]

While I agree that a vet exam is in order, it may be for kind of different reasons than listed above. Of course, the teeth probably do need to be cleaned if they are as bad as you say. A vet exam will tell you exactly what you need to know and what to do about it.

The thing with the breath... bad breath can be indicative of many things other than just teeth problems. My Standard Poodle's teeth are stained brown and blotchy looking, though he recently had a dental. The breath was horrible. Long story short, it turned out he had some internal problems that required surgery. He has also had to have a total change of lifestyle in the way he eats and the way his food is handled. If I hadn't been alarmed at his foul (as in necrotic smelling) breath, he would likely have eventually died from the problems causing it.

Don't assume the problem is just with his teeth. Have an exam done. If a dental is needed, the vet will recommend it. If the breath doesn't clear up after that, INSIST on further examination/testing until you find the problem. I just get on this soapbox whenever anyone is concerned with foul breath. More often than not, it is indicative of mouth problems, but I just like to point out that it can also be a warning of something far more serious.

[imported_Foster]

My mini poodle had to have about 4 puppy teeth surgically removed. Now he has a canine tooth that sticks out a little. I am lucky that we have not had any further problems with his teeth but I check them constantly and he has never had a dental done by the vet.

Foul breath could be from many things including gum problems but also internal problems. Definitely take your dog to the vet...

[Beautiful Border Collie]

Thanks for all the GREAT advice. I will be taking him to the vet soon as he is due for his yearly checkup. I for sure will let you know what the vet says.

[RescuerAndVetTech]

Yes, in most cases foul odor is a result of infection or serious problems. Definately not something you should take lightly.

[Aroura]

My sisters mini poodle had really bad teeth, the had like a green sludgy covering on them. We started feeding her chicken wings every day, nothing but clean white teeth after that! :D