Just got home from the vet and he wants to clean my dog’s teeth for “around $400.” Extractions will cost more. Seems pricey to me when I pay less than half that for my horse to have his teeth floated - farm call and sedation included! Am I getting ripped off? What do you pay?
Yup. “Around $400” is the going rate in my area. I had Tribble done last fall and it was $380 and change.
nothing. I feed part raw and that keeps them sparkly clean.
$300-$350 is the going rate around here and that does include full mouth dental x-rays! Oravet is a little more. Extractions are charged based on the labor/effort and time done to remove the tooth.
That’s about what it goes for around here.
HOWEVER, I have a 7 year old BC mutt who, at her 6 year annual checkup, it was mentioned that she would need a tooth cleaning the next year.
Completely coincidentally, that’s when I started all my dogs on Taste of the Wild. She went in for her checkup for her 7 year old year, and the vet was astonished. He said that the chart said that she needed dental work, but that he saw no reason for it and her teeth looked like the teeth of a two year old.
All of my dogs have sparkly clean white teeth now, the vet is consistently impressed when they come in. The BC mutt is now 9, and it hasn’t once been suggested that she needs dental work.
Yup…400.00.
I do raw and I had in Plaque Off in my dog’s water bowl. It has helped considerably.
I try to brush as well…but all three of mine act like the world is coming to an end when they see a toothbrush.
Well, I feel better that is the going rate and I’m not a sucker. :winkgrin:
Unfortunately the little guy is on a very restrictive diet for other health reasons or I would try changing his food to help with the teeth issues. Guess I need to be more vigilant with the teeth brushing.
:eek:
I give my dogs marrow bones from Publix. One is 11yo and the other is 4yo.
No tartar, never had to be cleaned.
Some breeds and some dogs are more prone to dental issues than others, regardless of diet, so do not feel bad. Just like some people have all their teeth for all their lives and others have dentures, bridgework. etc…
I rarely get out of the vet for under $300 for a cleaning…
Dentals are expensive, mostly because of the cost of anesthesia, an iv catheter, and possibly fluids. The cleaning itself is usually under $100, but the whole costs will be in the ballpark of $400.
With x-rays and possible extractions, it’s not unreasonable to see something more like $600.
I had my Collie done a few years ago, and it ended up being around $225, and that was with one extraction. Not including bloodwork.
The cats were done two years ago, and it was $70 a cat, again not including the pre-anesthesia bloodwork.
My vet’s office also does a courtesy ear cleaning and nail trimming while your pet is still groggy.
$12 for a pack of 100 rawhide sticks 
When I first adopted my dog from the pound 2+ years ago her teeth were pretty bad and the vet told me I should have them cleaned (to the tune of $300+ dollars:eek:). At the time I didnt have the money so decided to wait a little bit and see what happened.
But 9 months later with a diet change and chewing marrow and rawhide bones, her teeth looked great (complimented by same vet) and still do!
I never needed them cleaned.
I feed 1 or 2 RMBs (raw meaty bones) a week, and my dog’s teeth look great. None have had to get their teeth cleaned (ages 12, 8, 5). When I got a stray with teeth that had tartar, I gave him a RMB twice a week and in a month his teeth had no tartar.
I should mention that our Collie was most emphatically not a chewer. No interest in any kind of rawhide or bones, and he would get horrible diarrhea anytime he ate anything other than his regular dog food, or a few limited types of treats. So the rawhide/bone/dental chew approach was really not an option for him. Perhaps for that reason, he had really bad teeth, and dentals were a necessity for him.
Tessa, our current mutt, LOVES chewy treats. Most of the time we give her the bully sticks, but rawhides, bones, pig ears, hooves, and so on are all devoured enthusiastically. She has a little bit of tartar on her canines, but other than that, the vet says her teeth look great.
I started with raw chicken thighs 2x a week and it cleaned my guys’ teeth up very quickly. At first they looked at it like, “WTF?” 
but they got the idea very quickly and are quick and primal when they chow down. And my boy drools when he sees them going into the food dishes. He drools a lot. :lol:
$216 at our vet. I’m kind of :eek: at the prices posted so far. The vet practice we use is in a swanky suburb and is considered very expensive. But we have a great relationship with the two vets we see there (out of six in the practice) and even though we moved 25 minutes away 3 1/2 years ago, we’ve continued to use them.
I would love to hear more about supplementing their diets with RMBs or chicken thighs, since even at the relatively bargain $216, we still have four dogs! Our oldest male has horrible teeth due to severe malnutrition as a puppy (he’s a rescue). He develops really awful plaque quickly…but he also has a sensitive tummy. I’m not sure his system would welcome RMBs/raw chicken.
[QUOTE=asb_own_me;5727832]
$216 at our vet. I’m kind of :eek: at the prices posted so far. The vet practice we use is in a swanky suburb and is considered very expensive. But we have a great relationship with the two vets we see there (out of six in the practice) and even though we moved 25 minutes away 3 1/2 years ago, we’ve continued to use them.
I would love to hear more about supplementing their diets with RMBs or chicken thighs, since even at the relatively bargain $216, we still have four dogs! Our oldest male has horrible teeth due to severe malnutrition as a puppy (he’s a rescue). He develops really awful plaque quickly…but he also has a sensitive tummy. I’m not sure his system would welcome RMBs/raw chicken.[/QUOTE]
Actually, giving them 1 or 2 RMB a week, usually won’t upset their stomach. You can always add a couple of tablespoons of canned pure pumpkin to their meals before and after they eat the RMB, if they are prone to diarrhea.
I give beef knuckle bones, or beef rib bones with the fat cut off. Many people give raw chicken/turkey (thighs, wings, back).
Feeding RMB REALLY works to remove tartar. It won’t help if they need a tooth pulled. Don’t give the bones that are cut so they make a circle, with marrow in the middle. Dogs can get those stuck on their lower jaw. Raw bones don’t splinter. If they eat a little, it is digested (there poop will have a white powdery substance in it.) Don’t give cooked/smoked bones.
Not sure how much was the teeth cleaning but Rosie had a growth removed from her face and two cysts removed from her neck, teeth cleaning, urinalysis and extensive blood work yesterday and the total was $575.
Rosie is between 13-16 years old. She was borderline on needing the teeth done but since she was going to be out anyway we had the vet go ahead with it.
Her teeth are really worn down but she still chews rawhides, eats her dry food and chews raw bones just fine.
Dentals in SC
I pay $85 for a dental. $105 if I want pre-anesthesia bloodwork. $10 for extractions. All of the rescue dogs we get in that need dental work come to SC to be fosterd.
The last time i had a dog’s teeth cleaned it cost me $130. All my current dogs are bone chewers so their teeth look lovely. My youngest, Boo, has a tooth that broke off right in front but the broken piece still there is fine. If she ever has to be anesthetized for anything the vet will pull it, but he won’t put her under just for that.
