Pekingese dental problem

Question
Hi, About 10 years ago I took in a Pekingese pup that was abandoned by its original owner.  I cared and fed it as best as I could - initially thrice a day and gradually reduced it to once a day.  It was given only Pedigree bit-sized, dry food.  Occasionally I also gave him some Pedigree Rodeo treats, that he loved very much. Recently I had to have it changed to Puppy Chow, as he was having difficulty chewing the larger bits.  About a couple of years ago, I took in a PG who, though a dog owner himself, used to spoil my Peke by offering him cake, creamy and wafer biscuits, etc. in spite of my instructing him NOT to do so as it would harm my dog.  Eventually, my Peke's mouth began to give off a rather bad smell. A few days ago he stopped eating his food, the next day he suddenly started crying in pain and he did this about 5 to 6 times during the day.  I thought he had some gastric problem and took him to the vet here, who suspects his teeth are troubling him and advised me to have at least 9 of them removed. The cost: At the rate of US$50 per tooth, plus consultation, plus anesthetic, medication, etc. is anything from US$750 onwards, something beyond my budget, to be honest, as I have been jobless for some time now.
First and foremost, I would like to know HOW many teeth does a Pekingese have, as I have been informed by them that it has 44 (and there are chances that they may have to remove all of them) which I find impossible as his mouth is very small.  Could you kindly shed some light on this matter.  Thank you,  Mrs. Davids

Answer
First of all, if this dog has not had dental care in the last ten years, and by that I mean daily brushings, one a year cleanings, etc, then I am not surprised that he has a mouth full of bad teeth.

Most dogs that do not receive regular veterinary dental care have periodontal disease by the age of two years. So this dog's mouth has been going bad long before the man (I don't know what a PG is) started feeding him junk food.

Puppy chow is very harmful to this dog due to his age. There is too much protein in it for an older dog. He needs to be on a senior diet. And only ONE kind of senior diet. Switching foods and treats is very harmful to his digestive system and to his overall health.

Now as far as his teeth go, first you are being taken at those prices. There is no veterinarian in the USA that would ever charge $50 a tooth to extract it.

A normal dental should never run more than $300 tops and that is WITH anesthetic. However, your dog has never had any dental care so I think he should have some blood work done before he even goes under any anesthetic.
His teeth are not just affecting his mouth, Mrs. Davids, but his entire organ system is being adversely affected by the bacteria seeding into his bloodstream constantly from these bad teeth.

His health and longevity are dependent upon you getting his teeth cleaned up. If this vet is so costly find another one that is within a reasonable amount. He cleaning will be more because he hasn't had one done- I am sure his mouth is a mess. I have done over 3000 dentals on dogs and cats and have seen some of the worst mouths you can imagine on dogs. I don't know how they eat or live with them. I felt very sorry for these dogs.

So please find a way to get them taken care of. The amount of teeth in a dog's head is irrelevant at this point. Dogs do not have 44 teeth, but 42. Most small breeds like pekes however usually miss out with one or two since their mouths are smaller. Since they have such small mouths, their teeth usually sit at an angle in the mouth which makes them even more prone to collecting food and thus dental disease.

So please get his teeth cleaned as soon as you can. A lifetime of care could have prevented this but after you get them done then with some simple care at home from now on he will be a much happier, healthier dog.

Here is a link to a site that talks about a dog's teeth and dental care.
http://www.dog-health-guide.org/canineteeth.html
and another one:
http://www.petdental.com/pd2/displayContent.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474395...

Please let me know how he does soon.