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Canine dentals - is this typical?

The Menagerie
#1

My 7 year old, quite hale dog is, per the new vet, due for a dental. Previous vet who saw him one year ago thought his teeth looked ‘great’.

I’ve just received the pre-appointment info.

They insist on a $150 lab workup in advance (back when I was a vet tech, we did this for dogs over 10 or 12 or if they had an issue, but otherwise didn’t bother).

Over $300 for anesthetic and sundry things related to it (IV, monitoring, etc).

A full set of radiographs at $150

Plus the actual cleaning, which is $160 for an hour (that is SLOW in my experience).

The estimated bill is $903.

Is this typical?
Also, how often should I expect to be doing this? Every three years? Every 5?

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#2

I don’t know where you’re located, but when I worked at a clinic outside of Boston 5+ years ago that would have been well within reasonable. Given general price increases since then I’d bet that’s not out of the question most anywhere.

How often will really depend on your dog’s genetics and your home care. Brushing with enzymatic toothpaste after the dental regularly makes a really big difference, and there are a number of other effective products on the market as well. None will replace the dental, but if started afterward will really extend the time between dentals.

See the VOHC for recs- https://vohc.org/accepted-products/

8 Likes
#3

Well, yes, the price is typical but I question whether the dog really needs it. Do the teeth still look “great”?
I knew my little yorkie cross needed a dental, very bad breath and I could see tartar. He now only has like 4 teeth left, and they told me many teeth just fell out during the procedure. It doesn’t sound like your dog is in that kind of shape. I don’t get dentals done on them unless I think they have pain or I can see yuckiness. So I have no input on the freqency.
I’ve been told that small dogs tend to have worse teeth, and my guy is age unknown since he’s a stray from a shelter.

2 Likes
#4

My annual “dental” for each horse is $150. That includes sedation, and a board-certified veterinarian in both large animal surgery and equine dentistry doing the treatment, so the dog “dental” fee does seem very high to me.

But my vet works alone, and has no physical office and staff which he needs to pay for. So after thinking it over, the dog fees likely support building payments, staff salaries, fringe benefits, property taxes, payroll taxes and such, so the doggie dental price is justifiable.

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#5

I don’t think it’s fair to compare a dog dental and a horse dental. Their mouths and teeth are so, so different. A dog dental would be more in line with humans.

If the dog is otherwise healthy than I would have no issue doing a dental, even if it seems somewhat preventative vs reactive. It’s really hard to tell what’s hiding beneath the gumline. I also wouldn’t be averse to having labs/bloodwork done on a dog that age either for peace of mind.

I would say that the price is typical. As far as how often it would need to be done? That I’m not sure of. Since it’s being done under sedation they should be able to do a really good job. I would think you could stretch it to five years depending on what else may or may not be going on with the dog as it ages.

9 Likes
#6

It’s typical, yes. My rescue Cocker was usually $600, but was $900 I believe a month before his heart gave out on him. They wanted him done every year. It was a lot…

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#7

Thank you for these replies. Much appreciated!

#8

I was not trying to be fair. I should have spelled that out better.

By the way, I spent many years doing dental implant research using dogs, so I do have some knowledge of canine dental anatomy. I have both cleaned and extracted dog teeth.

#9

Ok. You would have a different perspective then, compared to those of us who are just clients.
Saying that, I pay $300-400 for a horse dental with sedation, etc.

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#10

What part of this estimate do you think is excessive? Or just that it adds up to too much.

In my opinion the pre-op blood work is never a bad thing. Your dog is getting older and I would think you would want to do periodic blood work to see how things are going anyway.

Safe anesthetic use is expensive. IV is important, monitoring is important.

The x-rays let them know what is going on in places they can not see.

Have you called around to see what other vets in your area might charge?

2 Likes
#11

Some dogs just have poor teeth, just think on how some humans are at the dentist all the time but brush and take great care of their teeth, then some people who rarely brush and are never at the dentist (ask my husband - he brushes 1 x a day and never has any dental issues, though his teeth are spaced a bit further apart, so nothing gets stuck in-between them to cause any issues).

I wouldn’t think 7 years old is too early to get a teeth cleaning if they have a large amount of tartar build up and they are not huge chewers (my in laws small breed dogs always have teeth issues as they are not chewers and always have a lot of tartar build up at an early age). I think blood work is great if your pup has never had it before, even if he’s totally healthy, at least you could have a baseline on his health and can compare if he ever becomes sick. I actually just did this to my pup when she was 1 years old to ensure she is getting everything she needs and is healthy. I won’t do it every year, but maybe in 5 more years I’ll do it again and can compare her levels (my vet did not suggest I get bloodwork done, I wanted it done - just to be clear on that point. They suggest bloodwork once your pup starts to age, so they suggest between 5-7 years old to get a baseline).

I think $900 is quite reasonable but I’m not sure where you live. Most vets around us (Toronto, Ontario) will charge almost double that for a teeth cleaning, with bloodwork and xrays.

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#12

Just trying to get a sense of what’s typical, as I posted.

I worked as a vet tech many years back and things have obviously changed since then. Also I’ve also not had a dog for years.

The vet I worked for way back when started his own preventative program that included blood panels and urinalysis etc based on the animal’s age. So I’m familiar with the concept.

I decided to post here rather than call around because no one in my area is accepting new patients. I didn’t want to waste their (and my time) asking for a quote on a dog they haven’t and won’t see. I am not as surprised by the number actually but rather by the long list of stuff for a straightforward dental.

Appreciate the helpful replies here.

3 Likes
#13

I think the $900 estimate is in the right ballpark. Check your itemized estimate and see what is in there - tooth extractions? Different costs for different teeth? Antibiotics to bring home? Some of these things might not be realized in the final bill, if no teeth get pulled (or fall out). I’ve had greyhounds with lousy teeth, and had to get regular (annual) cleanings for a period after they came home from the track.
Prevention is your friend. Personally I can’t be bothered to wrestle with my dogs and choke them with a toothbrush for an ultimately futile effort, but they do get OraVet chews every other day. These are also a little pricey but are much cheaper annually than a dental cleaning. Ideal feeding of the chews is daily, but then my dogs get bored and don’t eat them, so whatever. Since I started giving the chews I haven’t had a dog need a dental (it’s been about 3 years). Really worth it for us!

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#14

Extractions are noted as possible–would be in addition to the sum quoted.

We’ve been using chews but maybe will switch brands. I think I could work with this dog on brushing if I found a toothpaste he likes. He’s quite easy. Something else to try.

#15

My over 10yo dog just had a dental.
I don’t know what his cost specifically because he had it in conjunction with some mass removals (and I never looked at the actual bill).
But the prices on your list seem within what I believe I paid.

I do think vet medicine has changed a lot.
Now days there is more thought to the comfort of our pets and not just getting stuff done to them.
Not a dig on the old ways, just seeing what is happening now. I think back to pets of past and things like spay/neuter did not include take home pain meds, and now it seems to always include that.

2 Likes
#16

I may live in a lower cost of living area, but I paid between $700-$800 for cleaning and several extractions. This was on my at the time 9 year old hound mix a couple years ago. This was his first cleaning. My 11 year old mini Aussie is next up.

I swear they started saying they needed cleanings around 5 years old whether they really do or not. One year they would recommend it, I wouldn’t do it, and the next year “the teeth look pretty good” :roll_eyes:. I waited it out with the hound when I could see some of his lower front teeth start to shift a bit and then had him in.

I’m keeping an eye on my mini Aussie, but will prob have a cleaning sometime next year.

As an aside, and anecdotally, my dad is a people dentist and they ever took their dogs in for dentals. All their dogs had lived well over expected life spans. Had there been an immediate issue they would have taken them in, but nothing was ever an issue teeth/gum wise.

2 Likes
#17

Your horse is sedated. The dog undergoes full anesthesia, including intubation and monitoring. These things are not the same.

Price anesthesia for your horse to compare apples to apples.

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#18

Owner of multiple chihuahuas in the past, so I am an expert on dog dentals! The smaller the dog, the worse the teeth!

My dogs’ dentals were in the $700 range, but that was pre-COVID, and prices have majorly spiked. That includes bloodwork, sedation, and everything you mention as normal.

I was a little salty when my last dog was told to have a dental with only a year’s duration between. I did because of her age (15), and when another vet at the practice looked at her pre-op teeth after she’d had the surgery, he said they looked really good…then quickly backpedaled when I said, “hey, maybe we should have waited longer”? The one plus was that when my dog passed several months later, I had the complete (textbook perfect) bloodwork to know I did all I could to keep her healthy.

7 years sounds normal to me for a dental. In all honesty, they should probably have them more, but because it is so costly, they don’t. I tried brushing my dog’s teeth, but it didn’t see to do enough.

1 Like
#19

Good to hear that you’re getting such good results from the OraVet chews.

I’ve recently begun giving my small dog these, after reading about them on CoTH and discussing them with my dog’s veterinarian. She said that they are helpful, but high in calories, and to only give them once or twice per week due to that. She suggested purchasing only a few at first to see if my dog would eat them (no problem, she loves them), before buying the bag of 30.

Warning to others who may try these, be prepared for the oddly green poop that will result the next day after eating one of the OraVet chews, lol.

2 Likes
#20

I have never had a dental done on any dog? So no, I think that is outrageous! My dogs like to chew sticks so maybe that is why.

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