Price for cleaning dog's teeth

12 years ago

What do you all pay for this? I have never had it done before. My two dogs had a wellness check up today. Vet said they are both in excellent health, beautiful shiny coats, and good weight. However he said I should think about having the Dachshund's teeth cleaned this year. We rescued him two years ago this week , and he came from a kill shelter in WVA. He is probably five , vet said but is getting tartar. He said it would be between $350- 550.

Veterinary care is getting so expensive. Vet said he wishes all his patients were as healthy as my two dogs. This was a routine visit with the exception of one getting a three year rabies shot and it cost $350.

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Comments (9)

lzrddr
12 years ago
seems like costs for dental cleaning vary a LOT depending on where in the country you live, how good a job you want done, how closely you want your pet monitored and cared for while anesthetized, and how expertly you want any extractions done. where my wife works as a dental technician here in Los Angeles the average dental runs just under $1000... but can easily get over $2000. But in some clinics here I have worked relief at $250 is standard (but the standard of care at these places is BELOW standards!)- I sure wouldn't want my own pet done there, even if I did the dental myself! Where I work now the average is about $600, but you rarely get a doctor involved... which I don't necessarily think is a good thing... and we don't routinely radiograph teeth (and therefore probably miss a LOT of stuff). Saving money on dentals is not necessarily a good thing in the long run... Not sure where in the country you are, but my only experience is with Los Angeles prices.
glaserberl
12 years ago
I'm in Des Moines, IA and paid just under $400 last year. That included the pre-anesthesia blood work and one extraction. He also got a pain killer. I think this about average around here.
Katharina
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Thanks for all your advice. I forgot to mention that I do brush his teeth with enzyme toothpaste (CET) and he let's me do it. It's just his back molars that have tartar/plaque build up. His front and side teeth are sparkling white. I will ask my vet about the gauze wipes. I tried to find these at Petco but didn't see them. I am so sympathetic to this poor dog as I have the same problem and have to go to the dentist every 3 months for cleaning! I tricked him into eating a Greenie yesterday. I made believe I was eating it and this made him want to eat it. It's hard to believe but his back teeth are looking better already. If I can trick him into chewing a bone, then I think his tartar problem will be alleviated. Re the anesthesia. After he came back home from the teeth cleaning, he was desperate to drink water. I gave him just a tiny little bit and he started throwing up. Then he was desperately thirsty again. Every time I gave him a drop of water he would throw up. This went on from 3 pm when we brought him home to around 9 am the next morning when the anesthesia finally was out of his system. I have never seen this kind of reaction before. Very scary. I will have to let the vet know next time about the bad reaction because it truly was not normal.
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As some others have mentioned, teeth cleaning is absolutely unnecessary if animals are fed properly (a raw, species appropriate diet). And I disagree with one poster who said the cost is probably the same as dental work. What s/he fails to factor in is the suffering the animal must endure, not only from dental disease but from periodic anesthesia (which is not harmless), cleanings and extractions, not to mention other very common health issues that result from the same causes (primarily, commercial pet foods) like UTIs, liver disease, FIV, and the like. Even if you just consider the financial cost, you're way ahead feeding raw. Dental cleanings are big business in the vet industry, and a vet will never tell you how to avoid them. They are not taught this information in school, because the system that trains them would fold up and die if it taught vets how to keep animals healthy and illness-free for life. Feeding cats raw is the easiest thing in the world. Cut a leg off a cornish game hen and put it on a plate. That's dinner. If your cat won't eat it that way, cut it in small bites or use some of the transition strategies that are published in various places on the web. Here is a link that might be useful: No More Vet Bills
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Cats don't really get cavities. They do undergo a weird process where they resorb their teeth for some reason (it's not known why). This can expose the root and allow a direct access to the bloodstream for bacteria to enter and cause septicemia, leading to serious organ damage or even death. Every cat (and dog) is different in their dental needs. Some almost never need dental prophies, others need them a lot. I know a pair of bichon frises who get dental prophies every 6 months, and they really need it! OTOH my mom's dog never had a prophy in 14 years, and her teeth were in great shape. So it really depends on the individual. I would at least say that all dogs and cats need to have an oral exam every year, and a prophy recommendation made on the results of the exam. I would ask specifically what is involved in cleaning your cat's teeth. Some places do a crappy job IMHO in order to keep costs down. They should have the cat intubated and fully anesthetized (not just sedated), they should use an an ultrasonic scaler and polisher on both sides of all teeth and up under the gumline (some places just crack off the obvious tartar and don't polish, which makes it easier for bacteria and tartar to come back), they should probe all the teeth for pockets around the gums. I'm a little concerned that they even offered to just extract the bad tooth without doing a full dental prophy. Unless of course he had just had a prophy and then fractured a tooth or something. You can miss early signs of disease by not doing the full prophy.
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Ninapearl
12 years ago
for my great danes, it's about $500/each. both of mine were in need of a good teeth cleaning just about the time i started them on RAW. within 2 weeks of eating RAW, there wasn't a speck of tartar on their teeth. they do get their teeth examined at their yearly wellness exams but their vet sees no reason to do anything. last time we were there, she had all of her techs in to see how pretty their teeth were. :)
clg7067
12 years ago
Around here cleaning starts at $350. Then the extras add up if there are problems.
cynthia_gw
12 years ago
Happy to say I have no idea! I raw feed and brush regularly. But if your dog's teeth need cleaning, I would stick with a vet you know and trust to care for your dog. The price sounds reasonable to me. Once his teeth are clean, just brush more frequently to keep them that way, and offer raw meaty bones a few times a week. I would also recommend avoiding the 'no anesthesia' cleanings that some non vets offer. If you can see tarter on the teeth there is more below his bums and the no anesthesia cleanings can't possibly do a complete job of cleaning. I've linked a good explanation of the reasons...

Here is a link that might be useful: AVDC position statement
User
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for all your replies. As I said I have never had to do this before. His teeth didn't look bad to me when Vet showed me. Cynthia..I'd like to read your link, but it wouldn't come up. With your greys, I can see why you wouldn't want anesthesia.
cynthia_gw
11 years ago
OOps - I linked the pdf. Trying again :)

Here is a link that might be useful: scroll half way down to scaling wo anesthesia
mountain_lady
11 years ago
we have a little Pekapoo that is 15 yrs old. I am glad we live where we live. When I took my old man in last winter for a check up. in that check up he had his ears cleaned , 5 teeth pulled, a cleaning of the rest, 2 shots, plus the pain meds, and treatment of his ears, with office cost was 200 bucks. but I think it was cause we live in eastern Montana.
msdos
11 years ago
I've had to pay up to 700 dollars

Price for cleaning dog's teeth

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Price for cleaning dog's teeth

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