Study Identifies Dog Breeds Most Likely to Suffer from Dental Disease
Dental disease is the most common major health problem that I identify in my patients. And studies have shown that my patients are not unique in that regard. Dental disease is endemic in pets.
Dental disease (also known as periodontal disease) has been associated with pain, heart problems, liver problems, diabetes, cancer, sinus infections, behavior changes and a host of other problems. Brushing your pet’s teeth is the best way to prevent dental disease, and I strongly encourage it.
All breeds of cats and dogs are at risk for dental disease, and all pets should undergo regular veterinary checkups to ensure that they are not suffering from dental disease or other medical conditions.
A recent analysis of patients seen at a large chain of veterinary hospitals (Banifield, The Pet Hospital®) led to a list of the ten breeds of dogs that are at highest risk for periodontal disease and its associated problems. The list was published in the January/February issue of Banfield® Magazine.
Here is the list: Toy Poodle, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Pomeranian, Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie), Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Papillon, Standard Poodle, Dachshund and Havanese.
I should emphasize again that every dog and cat is at risk of dental disease. However, if your dog is on the above list, you may want to pay special attention to his or her oral health.
You have questions. 
My dog, a mutt, had really yellow teeth when I adopted him. Two years later and after much tooth brushing, he now has nice white teeth and not so bad doggie breath. I brush his teeth not only for the overall health of my dog, but also to decrease the pain and cost of having to take him to the Vet to get his teeth cleaned.
We rescued a Jack Russell Terrier at 5 years of age. She had chronic diarrhea and vomiting but managed to maintain a relatively stable weight but looked ‘poorly’. The vet said she had colitis and she had several tooth cleanings over the years. She had terrible smelling breath which would come on in conjunction with her sick stomach. At the age of 12 she had a dental cleaning that caused a pinched nerve in her jaw. Long story short, her dental X Rays showed that she had 5 teeth that had ROTTED BELOW THE GUM LINE! They were not visible on previous cleanings. At this point we were seeing a dental specialist who removed the rotten roots and the change in my dog is nothing short of miraculous. She gets her teeth brushed twice daily, mouthwash twice daily and antibiotic pulse therapy for 5 days per month and the difference is just so enormous! My other dog is benefiting from my increased knowledge about good dental hygeine and every dog I have in future will also benefit.
I just can’t recommend this tiny gift to your animal highly enough.
I want to clean my 2 Yorkies teeth but the problem is they
fight me all the way. Spike holds his jaws shut to tight I can’t
open them. How do I do this so it’s not such a trauma to both the
dogs and me???> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
I have a spray that I got from my vet that I spray in my two cats and two dogs every day and it disinfects the germs. Since I have been using it, I have had no trouble. My miniture poodle had terrible teeth when I rescued her from animal research at 2 years old she had lost five of them. Now her gums are healthy.