My chihuahua has bad teeth. Is he in pain? Can I help without a vet?

Hello. I would not pull them. Even though the teeth appear loose,, they will still have fairly good attachments to their dental ligaments. If you pull, this will be quite painful & the resulting tear will cause quite a bit of bleeding. The bleeding will stop, but it can be quite a bit of blood that may need compression or cautery to stop. If Marley swallows a tooth, it will pass with no problems, so no need to worry about this. You might want to find out if there is any low income veterinary care in your area. Your veterinarian might be able to guide you. You may also want to check out some payment options such as https://www.cafecredit.com & https://www.scratchpay.com. Good luck & thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi there! Charlotte will need a teeth cleaning under general anesthesia to make her mouth happy and bright again. Your veterinarian may take x rays to see if any of the teeth need to be pulled or filled just like your dentist does. After a thorough exam and work up-charlotte will undergo her procedure and come home with much fresher breath. Brushing after these procedures greatly helps too!

This is very sad, The teeth need to be removed by a vet. There are no over the counter pain medications we can recommend. Those medications are not very safe. If the dog is in that much pain it needs to see a vet. Even if your friend cannot afford the dental cleaning, usually pain medications are not that expensive. I, personally, would be more worried about the infection that is present in the mouth than the pain.

Poor Rusty! Unfortunately, there really isn't much you can do about this at home - there are no over-the-counter human pain medications that are safe for use in dogs, so your best option is to give him soft food until you're able to get him in to see the vet. He/she can take a closer look at his mouth, and can get him started on pain meds and antibiotics as well as scheduling a dental procedure to extract the painful tooth.

What I see in your pictures looks like tartar buildup. It happens more frequently in smaller breeds and is sometimes associated with feeding wet food. Getting her teeth cleaned by your vet will remove the tartar (you can't clean it off by yourself, it's adhered firmly to the teeth) and ensure she remains healthy for longer. Tartar buildup will trap more material, irritate the gums, breed bacteria, leading to foul breath, gum and even heart disease, as the irritated gum allow the bacteria to get into the bloodstream more easily. I recommend getting her in to see your vet for an exam and bloodwork to see how well she'll tolerate anesthesia. She will have to be anesthetized for the procedure. Trust me, this is in everyone's best interests. It greatly reduces the stress for your dog and keeps the veterinary staff from getting bitten by a frightened dog. They will remove the tartar with a scaler, polish the teeth to make it more difficult for new tartar to adhere and most likely recommend some treatments you can do at home to help slow the rate at which tartar collects on her teeth in the future.

Chihuahua teeth are a bit prone to dental disease and I totally understand your difficulty in trying to brush them. Would a children’s toothbrush work any differently ? If not you could try dental biscuits such as t/d from Hill’s. There is a very useful on line video that explains how these biscuits works. Alle these measures should aim at postponing the inevitable dental procedure, but it will come a day when she will need a deep cleanse. To reassure you, you must know that I have carried several dental procedures in elderly Chihuahuas .. some of them with heart disease too. They all went very well, it is important to have the best anaesthetic equipment and a skilled veterinary technician and supporting staff by your side. It is a routine procedure and I have never had any problems so far ! Sending Lucy lots of cuddles ! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.