[Nat]

Flea is going for what I assume to be her first teeth-cleaning on Wednesday (for those of you who don't know, she's 2 yrs old and I adopted her at the end of Aug).

Anyway -- it is a situation where I have to bring her there in the morning and pick her up later in the afternoon. The vet appointment paper says not to feed her past 10pm the night before, however, can't it be a bad thing if chihuahuas don't eat in at least small increments thru the day? I feed Flea 2 x day - morning and evening with ocassional tidbits in between and I am a bit worried about not having her eat....what do you all think? (p.s. they will be putting her under for the tooth-job).

 

[Boogaloo]

If a dog eats closer to the surgery, they can sometimes vomit while they are under. Then, even worse, they could choke on it.

 

[Ms_P]

Don't feed her!

The vets know about how to take care of her. Don't worry.
And you don't want to feed her too much the first time she eats when she comes home either, because it could come right back up.
She'll be good as new in no time, don't worry.
And she'll have beautiful pearly white teeth.

 

[sillymom]

How often should we do this?

 

[Ms_P]

Your vet will be the best judge of how often.
They don't do it on a regular basis. It usually is because of extra plaque build up causing pockets under the gums. If left untreated, can cause the tooth to become loose and the gum to get infected. This leads to bad breath and teeth rotting.
One way to cut down on the need for those extra cleanings is to brush your dogs teeth.

 

[Nat]

thanks!

You're awesome guys, thanks! I won't feed her.

Poor little Flea, she's got really nasty teeth but y'know, since I adopted her, she's so much healthier than she was when I first got her! Thicker coat, longer fur...and soon, nice teeth!

How often do you all brush your dog's teeth? I know they sell those rubber finger nubs you can wear...but have you found something that fits a tiny mouth better?