LF: Dog Vet - Toronto

I'm looking for a vet that can do a super crazy teeth maintenance on my chihuahua. She has had horrible teeth since the day I got her and I've been bad not getting it looked after. She is going to have to go on antibiotics before the procedure so the tartar and nasty stuff in her mouth doesn't spread through her body, teeth pulled and then more antibiotics after the procedure.

Can anyone in the area recommend a vet for me? I'm at Bathurst and Eglinton and only take the TTC so something near by is best.

Thanks

I used to use the Willowdale Animal Clinic that is located on Shepherd between Bathurst and Yonge when I lived at Bathurst and Finch.
They are pretty decent with dogs and cats, and because they are a 24 hour clinic, getting appointments that fit your schedule are pretty easy to do.
I am not sure about teeth issues, or even how great they are with dogs overall, but I have taken cats there and they are pretty good.

I would be asking more specifically for a toy breed or chihuahua vet. Toy breeds are notorious for teeth problems, so a vet that is particularly good with the tiniest breeds is a good idea.

I'll see what I can find.

Thanks for your help everyone. I have gone to Willowdale so I will call them as well and see what they say.

Why don't you try emailing these guys and seeing if they have any recommendations??

http://www.ccrt.net/index.shtm

moon said:

Why don't you try emailing these guys and seeing if they have any recommendations??

http://www.ccrt.net/index.shtm

Click to expand...

Thanks, good idea! I will do that.

how old is your chi?

i board a 9 year old chihuahua named tonic, he has NASTY NASTY teeth, and breath, but a few months ago i told his mom about raw food, and she got some of the pre-made stuff, his teeth are much better, not as good as they should be, but if you saw them before..!

anyways, the patties arn't the greatest, actual whole bones are much better. you can go to st. lawrence market and get some chicken bones(they have some meat on them too) from uppercut meats, i for 15 pounds for $3!
you can give her half a chicken(they give you the rib cage,spine everything except the limbs), a couple of times a week, instead of kibble. some chicken wings thrown in here of there would be good too.

do some research on raw. you may want to switch her over fully, also feed raw and kibble at least 5 hours apart..

what kind of food is she on now?

She's on nutro small bites lamb and rice. I'll talk to my vet about the raw diet (even though she might be against as I've heard most vets are).

I wouldn't say "most" vets are "against" raw, but many of them are not sold on it. I think many many dogs do beautifully on raw, but many do not. Certain raw diets also require a large amount of dedication on your part, as you can not easily just throw a cup of kibble in their bowl if you run out. Other raw diets allow you to feed kibble in the morning and raw in the evening. But you really have to do your research.

Certain health problems can become apparent when you do a massive food change. Some gastro-intestinal problems will not be an issue when on cereal diets but will become very apparent when/if the dog is switched to raw. I am also a firm believer that certain breeds (ones closer to the wild state, IE: Canaan dog, afghan hound) will benefit more from the raw diet than others. There is a certain amount of trial and error.

That said, even if you did change to a raw diet and all went well, I would still recommend you finding a vet that's particularly good with toy breeds.

i think your vet will most certainly be against raw.

i board a chihuahua often, about one week out of every month he has AWEFUL breath, so much so i could not have him sleep with me, it was that bad. his molars were covered in brown tartar. he was on iams ( not much worst than nutro) but i got his owner to switch him to raw patties and he looks tons better, about %10 of his tartar is gone(it's only been 3 months), and this is only with patties, no bone! imagine how much more his teeth would improve if he had some bone now and then. i would change your chi's food to something better like canidae or orijen ( orijen being much better) since she's small it wouldn't cost more than nutro and is much, much better. it's almost like raw in kibble form. you don't need to feed her raw everyday, just some chicken bones now and then, more often is bettr, but only like every second day is fine. do some research on raw, it's not as hard as some say it is. .

I sent an email to the chihuahua rescue and waiting to hear back from them. I actually have to get some new food soon, so I will look into better brands. I guess I thought it was a good one.

I got a reply on Tuesday and they have referred me to a vet.

Good news!

Here's her gross teeth.

My dog Jax had bad teeth. He was all set to get his done when we found out he was sick. He couldn't have the anesthetic so I decided to buy him those huge bones. Well, his teeth are looking really really good. Maybe it would work for Lady too?

I'm going to try new, organic food and see how she likes raw pork neck bones.

Ok... I have to ask, what does LF stand for? I tried googling it cause I didn't want to appear like a dummy. :bee:

Looking For!

Turkey necks and chicken backs also seem popular, but those are more meat-on-the-bone options, I think.

I think pork bones would probably go over well. Have you gone to the new vet yet? I'm glad the chihuahua rescue people were able to refer you to someone.

Ok... that makes sense. :doh: