Comments on Rotten Teeth Cause Cancer

I'm curious why a dog would have rotten teeth to begin with? I've had several dogs, none of which ever had bad breath, even before I fed raw, though I've always fed raw bones. I'm always disturbed when I hear about dogs and cats having their teeth pulled. I even had one dog that broke a tooth on a bone, the tip of the canine, never did anything about it and it never caused a problem.

Dr Falconer, I've read in my studies on homeopathy that frageria vesca in 6c potency can be added to water to help the dog loosen and remove tartar. Some homeopaths say it's dangerous to add it into water due to possibility of provings. Is frageria a good remedy? If so, how would you recommend using it?

Dr Falconer,
My little dog is 14 years old. His breath is terrible adn he has 3 bottom front very wiggly teeth with black film on the bottom. I believe that they are rotten even though I brush his teeth. I'm scared to put him under to get them pulled and the vet tech said if they don't bother him not to. However, I am worried about him. any suggestions on what I can do? Would you get a 2nd opinion and do you think I should put him under to get them pulled? I am thinking about giving him coconut oil and apple cider vinegar, do you think this will help? Thank you!!

Hello, Dr Falconer
I have an 11 yr old chihuahua, over the years I regretfully neglected his teeth and from what I can see of his teeth they are Yellow in color at the gumline and his breath had quite an odor, as for his gum condition they might be red although i dont have a clear look at them, after a month or so of adding beef and rib bones to his diet for the purpose of cleaning his teeth relying on the enzymes and the knawing on the bones I have noticed his over all health improving and his breath isn't nearly as bad as it was he donsn't appear to be bothered at all while chewing on the bones.
Questions:
1. Should I be worried about health concerns with the condition of his teeth?
2. Over time will the bone chewing and enzyme eventually clean his teeth and improve his overall oral health?

@ Dianne C, If the symptoms are as you have described, please consider taking your dog to the emergency vet, asap. At least call them and see what they advise. They may recommend an x-ray, at the least.
I had a similar situation with one of my dogs, that is why I no longer feed bones, raw or otherwise, any type, shape, or form.
Best of luck.

Hi Will. My dogs have been doing fine on raw bones. They had a nice big e!k leg they've been working on and off for a week now. Loki is acting like he swallowed a big chunk and it may be causing a blockage. Anything I can do to help him move it before taking him to the traditional vet? I wish we were still in Austin to see you! He vomited this afternoon and I just kept a close eye on him. Now he's vomited again 10 hours after his last meal. Otherwise he appears fine. Keeps asking to go out to go but he does nothing. Doesn't even try.

Very timely info, Doc! My Baby kitty is nearly 17 and doing great since switching to raw 2 yrs ago. Her teeth have improved some but there is still a lot of brownish yellow tartar on the back molars. There's some swelling and redness. Her breath is mostly unnoticeable but a few days a week can get stinky. She nearly died from both liver and kidney failure (each incident caused by rx vet meds) so I'm hesitant to consider having the teeth cleaned. I don't mind cutting her food into tiny pieces to facilitate eating but hadn't considered the implications of leaving the tartar. Would appreciate your opinion as there are NO holistic vets anywhere near here.
Thanks so much! Pamela and Baby

Hi Dr. Falconer,
Toby is now 7 months old and has never had a recurrence of symptoms from his second puppy series shot after being treated by the homeopathic vet you referred me to. He does, however, have bad breath. I noticed several weeks ago that his juvenile canines had not fallen out as the adult canines came in, and I finally had to have them removed (to the tune of $300 -- and incidentally did not get him neutered at the same time.) I hoped that the bad breath would go away but it has not. I feed him strictly frozen raw beef, chicken, turkey, duck (with vegetables) and give him raw marrow bones to gnaw on regularly...in fact, there are at least 3 bones available at all times. His teeth are very clean. After chewing on a new bone, his breath is greatly improved, but then returns and is worse in the morning or after being in his crate for 2 hours while we are away. Perhaps he is dehydrated? I've read that dogs on a raw diet do not drink as much water. Anyway, I was wondering what you think might be going on and if you recommend any special treatment. Thanks in advance,
Cassi

Hi Dr. Falconer:
My 13-year-old pit bull terrier has not been herself lately. I had an ultrasound of her abdomen, and it was normal. I just had a test for Cushings and blood work. My Vet told me that she has Leukemia. Her blood work numbers are off the charts is what he told me. Should I pursue homeopathic treatment or do you think it might be too late? I don't know if you are taking on any new patients. Please advise. Thank you!

Sorry, this is a question on the article on Borax. Had to leave it here as there is not comment section for the article. Trying to figure out how much to use. The article says standard dosing is 1 teaspoon in a liter of water. But you said you were using 1/8 teaspoon a day. If I put it in water how much do I give my small dogs or me for that matter. It sounds beneficial if I can just figure out the dosing. Thanks.

I've taken a dim view of dental procedures since my 17 year old cat Boo died shortly after one. She never fully recovered from the anesthesia. That being said, I've come to the conclusion that my tiny cancer patient Pookie is not eating enough because her teeth hurt--she has two partially rotted ones--and she's generally inactive despite the fact that the tumor has shrunk to nothing and her blood tests are pretty good, but she's too thin.
Another concern is the darn antibiotics Dr. Whitecoat prescribes, which destroyed her gut flora. It took months to rebuild it, along with doses of Flow Free & Recovery, Nux Vomica. The Dr. will want to give another course, of course.
The bacteria from bad teeth are causing some digestive inflammation I believe, due to occasional bouts of vomiting and constipation. I do think pulling the bad teeth might resolve things, & it might be time to reconsider. It's a really hard decision to make because of her heart murmur, low weight and the drugs/toxins associated with extraction. I'd like to see her completely well again, and I don't think I'm going to get there unless the bad teeth come out.
I'm glad you posted this article, doc. Food for thought. Oh, and thanks for the link to the borax article, & nod, you're welcome!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, Dr. Falconer, for writing such a great article on Dental Health (or the lack of it). I was a holistic dental hygienist prior to my current work as a cat behaviorist and am on the same page as you about this very important topic. Sometimes undesirable cat behavior problems can be eliminated by resolving any existing dental problems. How good would you feel if you had a couple of abscessed teeth or a periodontal infection?
I encourage ALL my cat owner clients to have their pet's teeth examined clinically carefully at each vet visit. However, digital dental X-rays must be done to see the 2/3 of the teeth under the gumline. Without seeing the that area, serious problems can be easily overlooked. And, since cats mask pain so well, we can't always assume they don't have a dental problem if they are acting normally.
Thanks again for addressing such an important health topic! YOU ROCK!!
Lana Rich, Catsultant

What is your thought on Cancer being, not just inflammation, but, a fungus?

Dr. Falconer,
Thank you for writing about this topic. Last year my dog had an epulis removed behind his lower lateral tooth. He had gum inflammation as well. Epulis was mixed epulis, non cancerous. We were very concerned about the surgery as he is seizure prone. Surgery went well and no new growth in that area. Since the surgery however he hasn't had interest in his raw bones and I've tried many different proteins and brands. The only thing I can get him to chew is a nylabone (which I don't like bc it's plastic but am out of options). Also, in May he started to develop another epulis lower molar and 2 gum boils upper gum line. His gum color varies throughout the day between red and normal pink. He is still on his raw Darwins diet, homemade turkey treats, probiotics. I'm again worry about the anesthesia since he's seizure prone and am puzzled what is causing the inflammation. I don't want him to have to go in for another surgery year after year. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much, Toni Ann

In a past life, a vet cleaned one of my cats teeth (commercial pet 'food') and opened her mouth too wide. She had an issue with eating after that. That's when I discovered holistic health care - I think it was a chiro I took her to who solved the problem after a few visits. Now, I realise homeopathy could have done it more quickly. And with raw food, it would never have happened in the first place. But we learn, sadly often at our animal's expense. They are our best teachers, if we will listen.

Dr Falconer I'm a little worried now because my dog chipped one of her canines on the crate once but the vet said it wasn't anything to worry about. I've been feeding chicken leg quarters no problem and she's eating her raw fine no issues. Do I just keep an eye on the tooth?