My senior Chihuahua has painful teeth. How to keep him entertained?

Hi. Just as in humans, yes dental problems can be very painful. There aren't any ways with that much damage you can help at home, other then softening the food to help her eat. There are no safe human or over the counter pain medications unless directed by your veterinarian. A veterinarian would perform a full exam, recommend a dental under anesthesia and clean the teeth. While cleaning, they also check for loose teeth, bone loss, pockets, abscesses, x-rays, etc. to determine which teeth should be extracted for the patients health and comfort. Warning signs of dental disease are redness of gums, loose teeth, bad breath, pain, decreased appetite, chewing differently, and guarded of mouth. You'll need to watch his appetite, pain level, and quality of life.

I'm so sorry Peper isn't doing well at the moment! I work for a home euthanasia service, so this is a question I face with my clients regularly. It does sound like he has some dental problems, and you are correct that it is painful when a dog has loose teeth. The good news is that this isn't necessarily an issue that can't be fixed. Peper could have a dental cleaning, scaling, and polishing by the vet who can remove any loose or broken teeth, which would relieve his pain. Having those painful teeth out will greatly improve his quality of life and extend his life. I would have Peper seen by a vet tomorrow to discuss doing a dental procedure on him.

I would recommend a wet food like Purina Pro Plan, Nutro or Natural Balance. I would choose a senior formula (small dog if available). If his teeth fell out naturally you may want to have a dental done to ensure that there are no retained roots that could cause him pain or infection! I hope this helps and I am glad you are looking out for Charlie!

Great question! I personally recommend Hill's Prescription Diet Dental Care Chews. They are good for dogs to chew on, and have the added benefit of being beneficial to Charlie's teeth. I would also have his mouth examined by a vet. His teeth shouldn't fall out from chewing on a rawhide (it can happen but not commonly), and it could be he has severe dental disease causing his teeth to be looser than normal. He may benefit from a dental cleaning, scaling, and polishing, which the vet can preform. You can also get those dental chews from the vet's office. I would take him into the vet this week. Good luck, I hope this helps!

The tooth is likely loose due to severe dental disease. Old chihuahuas commonly have badly diseased teeth and lose many, if not all, of their teeth. Unfortunately, you are not able to do much about this at home. He needs the loose tooth removed by a veterinarian and probably needs some other teeth removed. They can also clean the remaining teeth and help protect them from getting diseased. It also sounds like there is a skin disease. This could be due to an allergy, fleas, mites or infection. It would also be good to have the vet diagnose the skin problem, so he can get the best treatment and finally not have those scabs anymore. Aquaphor is safe for the skin and good for wounds, but could be toxic if ingested, so be careful to not put it on areas of the body that he can lick. I understand that Charlee is allergic to shots (I assume you mean vaccines), but this would not preclude him from getting treatment for his teeth and skin. Any veterinarian should be able to help you with these problems and it's going to be the best thing you can do for him. Dental disease is a painful condition, so I'm sure he'd be much happier with those diseased teeth out and healthy skin.

You could try a toothbrush with dog tooth paste applied to attempt to lift this off from the gum line outwards. Chew toys may increase the level of saliva in the mouth and allow it to be flushed off but if neither of these work it may be necessary to sedate and remove this to prevent friction and inflammation of the underlying structures in the mouth

It sounds like there are some anesthetic concerns and that your vet does not feel comfortable removing the incisors. You may want to ask about referral to a veterinary dentist if available in your area. Ideally Frodo should also have an echocardiogram performed by a cardiologist first to determine the extent of his heart disease and assess his risk under anesthesia. This website lists board certified dentists but there may also be a veterinarian in your area who limits practice to dentistry. https://www.avdc.org