11/30/11 - Before we adopted Reo, she had to have 16 of her teeth pulled. Part of this was due to genetics (teensy weensy teeth), and part of it was because she had some tooth decay/gum disease as a result of poor attention. Since then, Reo has had an annual dental cleaning under anesthesia at our vet's office. I've tried the OraVet stuff that our vet suggested post-cleaning, but I find it really expensive, a pain to apply, and it doesn't really work. Plus, the dogs hate it!
Both of our Min Pins have always had pretty awful breath. I think this is a small dog trait for some reason, as I can't think of one small dog I've met whose breath smelled acceptable. It's so weird that big dogs don't suffer with the same frequency. Our Doberman has incredible white teeth and insanely pink and healthy gums, and we never brush her teeth.
Anyway, I was on the hunt for a product to help make Reo's dental care easier. Because I will no longer put her under anesthesia for a cleaning due to the stress and possible estrogen spike, and she despises me brushing (not to mention the difficulties of getting a brush in her tiny little mouth), I wanted to see if I could find something else.
I came across this product called LebaIII (pronounced lee-ba three) made by Lebalab, Inc. I'm not sure how they came up with the name - I find it slightly annoying. ;) It has pretty good reviews, so I thought we'd give it a try. It's a formulation of mint and rose, stabilized in water and alcohol. It is quite expensive for a product that is mostly water and alcohol, but I figured we'd give it a month and see how it goes.
I give Reo and Leigh two squirts on the mouth/tongue. It says apply it directly to the tongue (and no food/water 30 mins before or after application), but they won't open their mouths easily and let me spray, so I sort of pick up their upper lip on the side and spray it in there. After a few seconds of licking, they're right back to whatever they were doing. They definitely don't seem to mind this, and it's a lot easier than brushing.
It took a while to see/smell results. I noticed that Reo's breath was a LOT better, and Leigh's was getting better (Leigh has always had the worst breath ever...). After about 6 weeks of usage, I think that it's easier for me to scrape some tartar off their teeth - I can do it with my fingernail when they let me. The other day, I used a papertowel wrapped around my finger and a huge chunk came off one of Reo's back molars! It's definitely working. It's worthy of note that Leigh did have an annual dental cleaning this year (in the late spring, I think?) and she already had had some heavy tartar on her back molars by the time I started using the LebaIII. I guess she is just prone.
So, overall, I am going to continue to use this product, as I've found it easy to administer, and it's producing results. I'd rather not ever have to have a dental cleaning again for our dogs, and so this product's cost is offset by not doing an annual cleaning.
In March 2011, our Miniature Pinscher, Reo, suddenly went blind and was diagnosed with SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome). We were given no hope for vision recovery, but through research, perseverance, love, tears, and a lot of luck, we brought our dog back from a serious illness, and restored some functional vision in about 5 months! This is our story, our journey...and we hope that by sharing our story, we can help other dogs diagnosed with SARDS!
BLOG DISCLAIMER
**DISCLAIMER** Please note: I am not a veterinarian, and the purpose of this blog is solely to educate, provide resources, and share Reo's story. In this blog, I will present research and information on the theories of SARDS to which I subscribe, along with my own narrative. If you think your dog may have SARDS, or adrenal exhaustion/Plechner Syndrome, please seek veterinary care right away!
If you are just beginning your SARDS education, I suggest you start with the blog post from August 22, 2011 entitled "SARDS Resources". If you'd like to know our trials, tribulations, and joys from the beginning, start with "But first...Reo!" and click chronologically on from there.
If you would like to read my suggestions as to how I would approach treatment for a newly-diagnosed dog, check the November 16, 2011 post "If I had another SARDS dog" (and then read my blog more fully for appropriate context).
Though we have decided to suspend Reo's retinal protection supplements in September 2012 (see September 16, 2012 post "Decision for Reo") due to the fact that she had very little remaining vision, I am still strongly supportive of our treatment approach, and know that it changed Reo's health and longevity in a positive way. Feel free to comment and ask me any questions - I am happy to help if I can!
Update: Reo became an angel on October 21, 2014. She had a profound kidney infection, causing acute kidney failure, and she was unable to recover. The contributing factors to her decline are covered in my February 16, 2015 blog post "Farewell to Reo".
Though I do not regularly update this blog any longer, much of the information is still relevant (though some of the links may be out of date). Feel free to join the conversation at "SARDS Dogs United" on Facebook.
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