Comments on Are You Allowing the Dangerous Animal Dental Mistake?

You mention Transfer Factors for immune support. Are they safe to give to a pregnant bitch who had antibiotics just before breeding?

Our precious 11 yr old poodle mix with a leaky heart valve had his teeth cleaned last July. Afterwards he had a cough -- like something was stuck in his throat and he was trying to cough it up. Our vet said the tube used during intubation caused throat irritation and gave him an antibiotic and a cough tablet. The cough continues still after over 6 mo. Seems it could be related to congestive heart failure, so now our "child" is taking Vetmedin and a diuretic. The cough is really bad although he doesn't seem to feel bad. Can anything be done? I'd like to bring him for an appointment but can't access the web page.

Antibiotics almost killed me--I dang sure ain't givin' em to my fur babies! Antibiotics don't just kill the good gut flora, they do even more damage when they end up in the liver, which is the body's detox factory, a double whammy.
But Chia Seeds?! Do you realize if I give them chia seeds, that I'll be turning them into a Cha Cha Chia Pet? Hoo hoo hoo, ha! Sorry doc, I couldn't resist your pun-perfect tasty tip!
Chia seeds and Slippery Elm Bark extract are wonderful for cat constipation and mega-colon. Chia sprouts are tasty, too.

You are absolutely spot on about human and animal docs dispensing RX's, or actual prescription bottles of anti--biotics, prophylactically. And what you said about docs recommending taking them before and after a dental procedure has been de rigueur for decades. I was co-owner of a dental office for 25 years and saw this practice close up. It's astounding the ignorance that surrounds this purported "miracle" drug.
Living up in farm country for some years, our visits to the conventional vet were few and far between. Once for neutering our guy and several other times for stitches, as farm dogs are subject to quite a few hazards. Every single time, the vet gave us antibiotics to administer to the dog. For no good reason I could think of except "just in case." I just brought the meds home, put them in the refrigerator, and then eventually tossed them in the trash.
And BTW, with each of those visits, I was asked if my dog was up-to-date on his shots. And I always answered in the affirmative. He didn't care if the dog was sick or not. He just wanted to upsell.
It's unbelievable how antibiotics are dispensed with so many procedures. Big pharma has been quite successful in brainwashing the professional medical masses. Reminds me of how conventional farmers parrot Montsanto about using GMO's and Roundup. "We're feeding the world." In both cases, what we're feeding them, however, is poison.
Yikes!

Hi Dr. Falconer,
About 14 weeks ago my 90b Pitbull had a abscess develop over one of his canine teeth. The bottom tooth had wore a groove in the upper canine tooth and after a couple years of having this groove in his tooth the root finally died I guess. The tooth got darker and one day his breath smelled like a rotting carcass. He had developed a abscess but the vet couldn't get him in to pull the tooth for a couple weeks so Rush was put on antibiotics to eliminate the infection and then another 7-10 days of antibiotics after the extraction. Would you say the antibiotics were unnecessary in this situation? Btw, all this happened just a month after Rush had TPLO surgery for a completely torn ACL. I'm happy to say that now he is doing great! I thank you in advance for your advice on this and also for your seemingly endless supply of knowledge to help us improve our pets lives :-)
Paul (and Rush) in Michigan

I have found that oil of oregano is a powerful antibiotic. I learned about this from an holistic MD and purchased a bottle to have around just in case. Then I cracked a tooth and developed an infection/abscess and I immediately saturated it with the oil. 7 hours later (overnight) it was down by 75%, and completely gone by the following day. I've never cured an infection that fast before, although therapeutic doses of oral vitamin C/ascorbic acid works well also. Then I got a slight infection after ripping open my knee even after cleaning it well, and it was gone in no time after applying the oil. My husband just had a tooth pulled, and the dentist prescribed Amoxicillin "just in case of infection." We never take antibiotics either because of the damage they cause to our gut flora and our immune systems in general, so he used the oil of oregano and his gums were perfect after two days. I've recommended it to others for different infections, and it always seems to work well. I don't know how it will work for dental work on dogs, but I have to think it's a much better option than the usual chemical prescription antibiotics. Do you have any experience with this? I haven't used it on any of my animals yet, thank goodness I haven't had a reason to, but I would be more apt to try this before a prescription antibiotic. What do you think? Oil of oregano has other health benefits also of course, it has to be a healthier option than those drugs! Would love to hear if you have any experience with this with dogs!

I have a dog that had to have her teeth cleaned after an infection (swollen jaw). She hasn't been the same since and they will not admit that the teeth cleaning could have anything to do with her changes. She is more nervous; doesn't want to eat or picks at her food; her tongue has turned purple and she has started having seizures. She has a broken tooth which they have said nothing to me about "fixing" it. I wish I had seen this article before this happened...at least I would not have given the antibiotics to the poor girl.

Recently I was thinking of taking my 11yr old chihuahua in for a tooth cleaning he has dark stained teeth bad breath, doesn't seem to be bothered with bad soar teeth though, im giving raw meaty beef ribs to chew on hope this is the right direction to go, im a little worried (my baby) not sure if taking him in for a tooth cleaning is warranted, I don't want to subject him to the anesthesia if it isn't nessary, what's your opinion.
Mark, WI

Most of the time I have been given antibiotics for extractions and sometimes even just cleaning. I do not believe in giving antibiotics to "prevent" an infection. Rather than argue with the vet, I either just take the drugs or tell them I have some at home. Then I will have them on hand if an infection actually happens. I carefully watch the mouth for a week or so. To date "we" have never gotten an infection from extractions or cleaning. IMO this is just a ploy to collect more money.