Eyes and teeth

Basil had his check-up today. I noticed some pigment forming in his eyes, only the conjunctiva, but wanted to get that checked out. My vet did a "tear test" and said it was fine, so probably just from rubbing. Has anyone else had this tear test? Is it 100%? I was kinda rushed today, so didn't ask the vet these questions. Kinda dumb, I know!

Also, she said Basil may need to have a dental in the fall. I'm so scared of that. I would rather not put him under anesthetic. He is only 4 years old and otherwise healthy, with the exception of Atopic Dermatitis. I just hate to do anything to him that puts him at risk if he doesn't really need it. What are your opinions on dentals and their need?

Have you thought about using a product like Plaqueoff? I use that as well as letting Tilly chew on bully sticks for about 15 minutes a day. Her teeth look good except for one that has a slight color on it.

http://www.plaqueoff.com/

I use Plaque Off and am pleased with it. A friend of mine has a pug who is now 7 and had pretty bad teeth and bad breath, but after 6 months of Plaque Off she noticed a huge improvement. So I agree with Sally's advice - perhaps give it 6 months with Plaque Off or similar plus plenty of things to chew on and then see how the teeth are.

The tear test will only show if the dog is producing a normal amount of tears (and thus should not necessarily need additional lubricant) but if there is something else causing irritation/pigmentation the tear test will not help you on that front.

Genie and Dora both had dentals this year and they are also 4. I took them to a vet in town that we don't normally use b/c they don't put them all the way under to clean teeth. I was nervous but they both did great. I'm going to have to look into that plaque off!

The Schwerner (Or is it Schwimmer?) Tear Test just tells you if the dog has adequate/normal tear production as low or no tear production would cause PK among other things. It's because Hazel has such poor to non-existent tear production that she ended up losing both of her eyes. It's often the first eye thing I get done on any of the fosters I have in foster care if I have any eye concerns. Good tear production helps slow down damage if they have eyelashes or fur rubbing the eyes, but doesn't prevent the damage from happening if they have entropion or other abrasive things rubbing the eye ball.

I use PlauqueOff on Thurston and now on Dragon Breath, er, Kimchi. I swear it has improved her breath somewhat! Thurston's teeth are pretty shiny white, but he's only 2.

Don't know much about the tear test but does your vet have non-anesthetic teeth cleaning available and would Basil be a good candidate? If the teeth aren't too bad, the non-aneesthetic cleaning can really help -- they basically scrape the plaque and some other things. I started all the boys on that when they hit about 3 years old and (knock on wood) we've still never had to undergo a traditional dental. They get it once a year. Chester is 8, Bruno 7, and Leo 4.

I will have to say that even with the regular cleanings, Chester and Leo have better teeth and gums than Bruno and I attribute that to the fact that Chester and Leo chew on their sterlized white bones all the time.

But I don't think they recommend that type of cleaning if the teeth are really bad. They can only address surface conditions with that type of cleaning.

Look for "Gentle Dental". It is a service that we will be offering at the store when we open.

northernwitch wrote:The Schwerner (Or is it Schwimmer?) Tear Test ...

It's Schirmer. Girly swot here.