Bleeding Gums on Ranger

[dohertyswissy]

I took a rawhide away from Ranger because I saw blood on the floor.  I checked it out and the gums on his back teeth are bleeding like crazy.  I give him rawhides, because the doctor said it may help with calcium deposits, but I can see another one forming right now.  I think I've managed to pop it off.

Is there any kind of supplement I can give to prevent this? 

[London_Pyr_Lover]

Will he let you in his mouth, either with a tooth brush or just your fingers??  If so, get a Gingevitus (sp?) fighting toothpaste for him and try to smoosh it around his mouth alittle.  My old vet suggested doing this to help prevent Gingevitus, there's no reason why it wouldn't work to try to treat it as well...(if that's even what it is, sorry I kinda jumped to conclusions there.  )  Hope this helps, good luck!  Poor baby Ranger!  You're not having very good mouth luck lately.

[mynameislola]

The calcium deposits as part of plaque formation, so cleaning the teeth will reduce places for the calcium to attach.  The enzymatic toothpastes are great for that.

Do you have hard water?  Hard water contains more calcium than soft water, so maybe changing the source of your dog's drinking water might help.  Our dogs, and the humans too, drink water from a reverse osmosis filter that hides under the sink.

Ask your Vet. about learning how to scale the dog's teeth at home.  It can be done, but if done wrong it can damage the dog's teeth.

[Nina]

I find raw bones work better than rawhides. Harley teeth are so much better now, not to mention her breath.  She use to have the bleeding gums too, but not any more.

Nina