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My dogs teeth are rotting which I cannot imagine makes him uncomfortable and he is 18 years old, does that limit the kinds of treatment he can have?
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Dog Gender: Male Age: 18 Name of Dog: Toby Already Tried: nothing really. He had a teeth cleaning years ago when he was young and they were able to knock him out, but I understand that is not advisable at his age.
Hello and thank you for asking your question. My name isXXXXX will try to help.
What I do with my elderly dog is pulse therapy antibiotics. This means I give antibiotics one week each month. This keeps the bacterial count down.
The antibiotic I use is clindamycin. It is well tolerated.
I also give her an anti-inflammatory pain medication (rimadyl) as needed.
I would not advise putting an 18 year old dog under anesthesia. It is too much of a risk.
I also add a "chlohexadine" rinse to the drinking water.
You can try brushing his teeth. You may have already tried it.
If he will chew, there are many products that could help. My favorite is rawhide strips that are basted in a tooth cleaner. It is my way of cheating and not brushing the teeth since my dog hates the tooth brushing. The ones I use are called "CET enzymatic dental chews." You should be able to get them online.
I also use a chlorhexadine spray to kill bacteria. My dog is not a fan by Toby may be alright with it.
You can buy the products here: http://www.1800petmeds.com/Dental-cat63.html?source=dog&AFFID=GG&ID=159265048
I hope this helps.
If you have additional questions, please click reply. Thanks
Are these all drugs that must be prescribed by the vet? Are they OK with his benadryl? He has awful allergies as well. If I can avoid taking him to the vet all the better, it is so stressful for him and costly for us. I just want him to be comfortable in his old age.
Yes, the only drug is the antibiotic clindamycin. Hopefully you would just take him the one time, and get enough antibiotic to last you 6 months. Just get an exam and the antibiotic.
The other things I talked about, like the water additive, and the dental rinse contain chlorhexadine. Chlorhexadine is a topical antibacterial that you can use in the mouth.
Neither the clindamycin, nor the chlorhexadine, will interact with the benadryl.
If you do not want to take him to the vet, try the products I recommended for dental care first.
http://www.1800petmeds.com/Dental-cat63.html?source=dog&AFFID=GG&ID=159265048
Experience: DVM 14 years. Compassionate, Caring, Experienced.