As far as teeth cleaning, yes it is a little pricey, mainly because they need to be sedated and these big guys need more anesthetic than smaller dogs. A teeth cleaning for dogs is the same thing that your dentist does when cleaning your teeth, only no dog in the world, no matter how well he is trained, is going to lie on a dental table with his mouth open while we scrape and polish his teeth for 20 to 30 minutes or longer and sometimes teeth need to be extracted. It's uncomfortable and usually by the time we see them, they already have lots of hard stuck on tartar, infection and inflammation in the mouth so it HURTS! You want them to be asleep for it.

Dental health is very important so if the teeth need to be cleaned (basically if your dog has bad breath, not just doggy breath, but breath that is pretty rank, tartar which just looks like brown stuff on the teeth that you can't scrape off with a fingernail, gums that are red and inflammed at the gum line or receding back so more of the tooth is exposed... ) you should have it done.

Talk to your vet about their anesthetic protocol and let him know you are worried about your dog because he is a Dane and discuss specific problems that might occur. If they pretty much use the same protocol for all dogs, maybe go somewhere else or talk to him about options to reduce his risk during the procedure. We give Guinness just a half dose of preanesthetic meds and then just use a very safe gas anesthetic and he does great. I have already had to fully sedate him twice to clean his teeth even though I brush his teeth and he has done fine and recovered quickly for each one.

After his teeth are cleaned, or if they don't need to be cleaned, yet, brushing his teeth is the absolute best thing you can do to reduce plaque (that's the soft film that bacteria leave behind on the teeth that turns into tartar. You can scrape that off with a fingernail.) and tartar buildup. You can also combine that with oral rinses (like mouthwash for dogs) that cut down on the bacteria in the mouth, dental treats with enzymes like CET Chews or others, and other chewy toys. Be careful with large, hard bones. They can fracture teeth and that is very painful. If you brush his teeth (don't worry, it's not as hard as it sounds especially for these big dogs, it's easier to get in their mouths) you need to do it AT LEAST 3 times a week, though every day is best. Plaque builds up very quickly so you have to get it off as quickly as possible. Use a toothpaste made especially for dogs, they even come in yummy flavors, although Guinness likes the mint kind. Using lots of preventive measures can help reduce the number of times your dog has to be sedated for teeth cleanings.

Ok, I know that's really super long, but I'm done now!

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((¸¸.·´ ¸.·´ -:¦:- Lauren -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ Guinness' Mom

My sister got Gandalf a bone shaped stuffed toy as a welcome home gift. It looks like a huge fuzzy bone. He loved it. It did go to toy heaven last week due to old age......Gandalf has several stuffed toys, but that one he liked best. It did not have eyes to worry about. About the teeth, I give my guys beef bones from the butcher. I do not like for them to go under at the vets, so I put it off as long as possible. Yes, it ts several hundred dollars to get the teeth cleaned.