The Undercover Vet: Smelly breath - what are they feeding you?

There was this one time when I had to do a dental procedure for a 10 year old yorkshire terrier dog. This dog had appalling teeth, with plaque/tartar as thick as cement. The dog had terrible halitosis, so smelly that the teeth ducked when the dog yawned!! So anyway, the dog was admitted for the procedure, which required a general anaesthetic.

The owner was an old lady, who listened to me and signed the appropriate consent forms during the admission. I advised her that we would clean and polish the teeth and extract/remove any rotten or loose teeth. I told her that the dog's teeth were awful and most of them (if not all) would probably be removed. The owner agreed and left the clinic happily.

The dental went smoothly but all the teeth needed to be removed. However, when the dog was collected, the owner's daughter came in. Once she found out that all the teeth were removed, she went crazy. She claimed to be a human dental nurse and that the dog needed fillings, implants etc but not extractions leaving the dog with no teeth! She fretted that the dog would starve and would never be able to eat again.

I tried to reassure her the dog would be fine and even be able to eat biscuits still. I told her dogs normally eat more after the procedure since the mouth is no longer sore. Imagine having a mouth full of aching teeth! I also tried to explain that healthy teeth has strong ligaments holding them in place, making them very difficult to extract. It would make no sense for me to make more stress and work for myself by spending ages trying to remove a healthy tooth. She had already decided that I was wrong since she was a dental nurse (not even a dentist!) and as such, was far more qualified than me to decide.

She went off with the dog, huffing and puffing and proceeded to write a letter of complaint to the boss (which was subsequently dismissed as nonsense). The dog obviously did well after, eating and drinking better than before and even gaining weight - but there is no pleasing some people!!

So remember, if your pet's teeth are so rotten with holes, making them look like dominoes, expect them to be extracted.