Dog teeth cleaning cost

[Dalton]

I know there are some dog lovers here, so............

I have a small 7 year old chihuahua mix that needs to have his teeth cleaned. My dog really has a lot of tartar buildup, which I understand is common in chihuahua's. I have been given a quote for $592 for cleaning/scaling/polishing. The price includes anesthesia and all the stuff that goes along with that. The vet does not think that any teeth need to be extracted. Does this price seems too high? I have used the same vet since my dog was a puppy, and I don't really want to go somewhere else, but that seems like a lot of money. Thanks in advance for any advice! Seamus (that's the dog) thanks you too!

[Craig Walker]

We are paying $400 in the morning.....If there isn't anything wrong [bad teeth, etc].

LOL, my wife and I were just talking about this topic...we too, don't want to price shop because the vet has been our vet since he was a pup [5 years old now].

[The Golden Boy]

Geez...

We had the boy in for a grooming and a dental for (well) under $100 at Petco.

Maybe the stuff you're having done is much more intensive than they'll do at Petco...

[sixstring531]

A vet friend here told me it would cost around $100 to have my mini dachshund sedated, teeth cleaned (UV cleaning or something like that). He also said small dog's teeth get worse quicker than larger dogs. Our dog is also seven.

[Boomer]

My vet quoted $250-275 for what you listed, however, my groomer brushes and removes plaque from Angie's teeth whenever I take her in for a full grooming so that may help keep the dental costs down.

[rdnzl]

I had a really good idea, but I'd better not post it. I'd be getting a VIOLATION. Can't have that.

[CharAznable]

We paid about 100 bucks. Full sedation and everything.

[Dalton]

Wow.........Maybe I need to shop around. Price seems way too high. Here is a copy of the quote showing everything they are proposing:



Is this more than is normally done for a teeth cleaning?

[circusinthesky]

Cute dog you got there, Dalton.

Well, small dogs that get put under for a dental often get a slightly better class of anesthesia. It might be the stuff they use on children. Fewer problems coming out of it. Safer. More expensive.

We don't go to the vet for dentals. My wife brushes their teeth once in a while with some enzymatic toothpaste, a baby tooth brush, and uses a tool to scrape the worst of the tartar off the outside of their teeth. Takes 10 min per dog, once every other Month or so. Trick is you gotta start when they are young, else they'll struggle.

I firmly believe good dental health in canines equates to a longer life span.

[dmczern]

That is pretty damned expensive.

• Your dog is teetering on being an older animal so the bloodwork is well money spent unless it's been done already in the last year. However, for $100 you should be getting a full panel as well as a CBC..
  
• The Lincocin injection seems unnecessary, there are many cheaper, effective injectable anitibiotics used (such as Cefazolin) during dental procedures.
  
• ECG seems silly unless Seamus has a heart condition...your vet should be able to hear cardiac anomolies with a stethescope.
  
• IV fluids? your dog will likely use less than a tiny bag of fluids which costs a few bucks.
  
• Blood pressure/ pulse ox monitoring is definitely necessay, but it sure is expensive at your vet clinic.
  
• $247 to clean and polish your cute tiny dogs mouth is ridiculous. It will no doubt take 30 to 40 minutes at best if your technician (is a beginner), yes don't think for a minute that the vet is going to do this.The vet will step in for extractions or maybe for the final approval.
  
• $600 is awfully high!! If Seamus was super old, had a heart condition, or some other issue such as siezures I could see where some extra monitoring and money would be called for, but not for your pooch. Unless your vet is a board certified veterinary dentist, shop around, I wouldn't pay more than 3 or 400. IMHO!!

[Dave2512]

My dog is 10 and has never had any dental work. I've spent 7K on other health issues but none on dental. My vet says his aggressive chewing of rawhide is the reason. I am amazed at what he does with it. What I can't cut with a saw he'll chew up in few minutes. Anyway with chewing they knock a lot of that stuff out of there. My dog's teeth look better than mine and I am without a cavity ever at 43.

[DGTCrazy]

Originally Posted by Dalton

Wow.........Maybe I need to shop around. Price seems way too high. Here is a copy of the quote showing everything they are proposing:



Is this more than is normally done for a teeth cleaning?

I live just 35 miles North of S.F., CA (Sonoma County).....and we pay half that. Guess I won't be moving out your way, as it's way to expensive!

[snacker]

this is right around the time of year that vets get slow and need to boost their sales - that's why they all want to sedate your dog and clean their teeth. a few years ago, our vet (who we left shortly afterward) told us that our one dog needed a $400 procedure to clean his teeth and needed to be sedated. We went to our local natural pet food store, they sold us a $10 bag of raw beef neck bones and his teeth were perfect after one bone. The vet asked us a couple months later what we had done.

I guess dogs lack the enzyme needed to break down the crud that collects on their teeth - raw bones have the needed enzyme

I'm sold on raw bones - my dogs get them once a month and their teeth sparkle and their breath is great!!! (even for dog breath)

[Jiffy_Jeff]

Dental Kong works for my dog.

[Radardog]

I have 2 syberian huskies and get their teeth cleaned for $150 per dog