Macy's First Dental

Macy had her first dental (since we adopted her) on Friday, October 2. Technically, her first dental was done in March 2008, just before we adopted her. Her gums have been blood red since the day we got her! Our vet even told us not to brush her teeth because her gums were too sensitive. On Friday, the vet took before and after pics so we could see the difference, but I only have paper copies. I forgot to take a recent picture, but here's one that I took on March 24, 2009.


In the beginning, I must admit we didn't do a whole lot with her teeth. We tried to brush them, but she made it very difficult and we just ended up with a bloody mess. However, over the last year we really have done a lot to take care of her mouth. We've been using the CET rinse, as well as a gel to help combat the bacteria. We could still do better of course, but honestly we do a lot more than many greyhound owners I've talked to....it's still not enough though and we felt she was due for another dental.

I was very nervous about her going under anesthesia. I'm sure the vet thought I was nuts, but I know I'm not the only nervous mom he's dealt with. Thankfully, she did very well with the anesthesia. Unfortunately, the vet said she has one of the worst cases of ginigivitis he's seen, especially given that her actual teeth were in pretty good shape for a sighthound. She came home with an antibiotic to help with the inflamation since the dental aggravated everything even more. They said she bled a lot while they were working on her.

We dropped her off at 8:30 am. They called at noon to say she did just fine and was awake and I could pick her up anytime after 3 pm. Aside from being a little extra cranky with Buford and Puddin when she got home, she did great and I was very relieved! She was glad to be back home and resting (the bandage is from her IV).


Macy no longer has fish breath and now has pearly white teeth! Her gums still look terrible, but we're going to do our best to keep up with them. The total cost was $378 so we'd like to avoid another dental for as long as possible (yes, our vet is outrageous)! We got Buford just three months after we adopted Macy, but he is no where near needing a dental. Fortunately, his teeth and gums still look wonderful! We haven't had Puddin long enough to know how she's going to be, but I'm pretty sure neither will ever be as bad as poor Macy's.

In other news, we also got Macy and Buford microchipped today (Puddin was microchipped in Florida before she came up). The vet offered to do Macy while she was there on Friday....for $100! Our local SPCA had a rabies and microchip clinic this afternoon and the cost was $25. Hopefully, we'll never actually need to use the microchip, but just in case!