teeth

Question
Two days ago we took our 6 yr old(7lb) poodle to the vet to have 6 teeth removed.  They had to remove 22 of them.  How unusual is that.  This is our 3rd toy poodle and have never had such a problem. Will he continue to lose them?

Answer
Hello Marion,
Unfortunally, removing large quanities of older dogs teeth (especially little dogs teeth) is all too common.  I am not sure about the reasons; it could be that little dogs tend to have more of a canned food diet which can lead to plaque build-up and tooth loss, it could be due to the fact that little dogs aren't given as many of the chewies and hard bones/toys that are given to the larger dogs and are good for removing plaque and tartar on the teeth, or if its that smaller dogs live longer giving them a longer time to develop plaque and tartar, which leads to tooth loss.  Bad teeth can also be a genetic trait, due to the dogs background.  
I can't tell you if its any or all of these things in your dog, but I can tell you that if his teeth remain the way they are without being cleaned (which needs to be done ultrasonically by the Vet) they start being brushed, or he starts eating or chewing things that will help scrape the plaque and tartar off the teeth, his teeth will continue to get bad and more may have to be removed.  

Its also dangerous for your dog to have lots of plaque and tartar his teeth.  Several dogs die each year from having heavy amounts of tartar on the teeth, because what can happen is that little pieces can break off and get into the bloodstream through inflammed gums which can cause deadly infections in the heart.  If he had to have 22 teeth removed, then his teeth are pretty bad.  If your dog has trouble eating hard dog food, soak it a little first before letting him eat it. Offer him biscuits or other harder bone type items for him to chew if he can to help him scrape his own teeth.  
Even though its risky and can be expensive, having the teeth ultrasonically cleaned once-twice a year, especially in your dogs case, may be what saves the rest of his teeth.  
You can also buy a product called Plaque and TarTar control from a company called "Pet Kiss Co."  You can find them by typing "Pet Kiss Company/Plaque and Tartar" into any search engine.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim