BROKEN JAW, MISSING TEETH: What you need to know before getting your pet’s teeth cleaned
"IT WAS VERY BRUTAL"
KELOWNA – Cheryl Lyse and her husband Warren thought they were doing the right thing for their eight-year-old Shih Tzu, Lexy, by taking her to get her teeth cleaned.
But now they have only regrets for using 'unlicensed veterinary care' — one of many pop up or pop in pet teeth cleaning services provided around the province. Four days after Lexy's $236 cleaning by Tina’s K9 & Feline Teeth Cleaning, she says Lexy wouldn't eat and had a fever. Dr. Theresa Jacobson of Jacobson Veterinary Services in Kelowna found she had a broken jaw, four loose teeth, two front teeth were missing and she had abscesses on her left flank and her right eye caused by a blood infection.
“I regret it now because I think it was very brutal,” Cheryl says.
And that’s not what she expected. The Lyses are like thousands of other pet owners around the province who were attracted by advertising claims from a burgeoning industry of pet teeth cleaning services. They often advertise themselves as 'anesthesia-free' and an alternative to more expensive veterinary care. But the risks, some veterinarians and others like the Lyses say, are too great.
Lexy’s jaw was wired for seven weeks.
“They pulled out two of her teeth without anesthetic or pain killers,” Cheryl says. "She’s not licensed to give injections, she’s not licensed to administer antibiotics. On her website it says if they see any signs of dental disease they won’t do the procedure, they’ll refer you to your veterinarian. Well, she didn’t do that.”
Now the Lyses have filed a small claims suit against owner Tina Bell, seeking a refund and compensation for their vet bills. Bell is from Vancouver Island but her company hires 'apprentices' for mobile clinics. Last week Tina's employees were practicing at a pet supply store on Pandosy Street but Bell was nowhere to be found. Numerous attempts to contact her for this story have gone unanswered.
In response to the claim, she said in court documents: "Any injuries to the claimant's dog was caused by activities or agencies completely unconnected with the services provided."
The allegations have not been proven in court.
According to court documents, Dr. Jacobson described what she believes caused Lexy’s injuries.
"Lexy's jaw was broken during the dental procedure performed by Tina Bell,” it says.
PROVINCE-WIDE PROBLEM
But it doesn’t end there. The College of Veterinarians of B.C. is pursuing a legal injunction on Tina Bell and her business, asking the Supreme Court of B.C. to force her to stop offering her services. Deputy registrar John Brocklebank says the college has received numerous complaints about these procedures and businesses and has sanctioned a handful of oeprators, sometimes employing private investigators to confirm the unlawful practices.
The college is also investigating the Victoria-based agency that 'certified' Bell.
Sylvia MacDonald of K9 BriteBark has already been sanctioned by the college, upheld by the B.C. Supreme Court in 2004. The judges ruled her advertising and claims were misleading and purported to be undertaking activities regulated by the college by law.
But since then she has only further tested the boundaries. She created the K9 Oral Health Association, according to her website. The association purports to 'enhance the level of ethics, civility and professionalism in the practice of Anesthetic-Free pet oral hygiene and cleaning' by certifying others to do it; 16 people so far. The 'certification' would appear to add credibility when advertising — Tina Bell displays it on her Facebook page — but the certification process remains a mystery: It was not approved by the college and a Supreme Court judge found the teeth 'cleaning' they do is little more than a 'cosmetic' process.
Proper teeth cleaning can only be done under anesthesia by a veterinarian because it must reach below the gumline.
MacDonald’s website claims they teach anesthetic-free pet oral hygiene and cleaning techniques through 'an extensive educational and hands-on program' but in an interview, she refused to give any specifics. MacDonald says all of the people she has certified came to her with years of experience 'in dogs.' She says there is no way to break a dog's jaw using the techniques she teaches and that Lexy's injuries must have happened before coming to Tina.
"This is ridiculous, it really is a witch hunt," she says. "I've never heard of such nonsense. I'm a behavioralist (sic) I've been working with dogs all my life… they don't have to make this stuff up. This has nothing to do with the certification."
Her certifying agency has not investigated Bell nor does it appear to have procedures in place for monitoring or disciplining those it 'certifies.'
Brocklebank says the college is currently investigating MacDonald and her 'certifying' body as well as the accreditation it gives its students. He says while they take no issue with groomers brushing dogs’ teeth, the language being used to sell the procedure borders on the practice of veterinary medicine without a license.
“Sylvia is claiming this is (college-approved) and therefore have permission to use these titles,” he says. “They can’t call themselves a certified canine oral hygiene provider or cleaner because those titles (are) misleading to the public. Only veterinarians or people who work under a veterinarian’s supervision or delegation could look at animals’ teeth and assess whether or not the mouth is healthy.”
MacDonald also claims in her advertising to have the support of several veterinarians but was unwilling to supply a list of their names to Infonews.ca.
Several veterinarians contacted by Infonews.ca have declined to speak openly about the pet teeth cleaning industry while these cases are before the court. But others say it is a growing problem and the use of 'oral-hygiene' groomers has too many consequences.
Dr. Moshe Oz of Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital says almost every week he sees evidence of damage caused by the anesthetic-free teeth cleaning procedure, which may involve restraining the dogs' or cats' heads and bodies — sometimes with a towel or straps, but usually just a finger — and propping open the mouth. MacDonald denies this is the case but admits the groomers sometimes have to hold the dogs' heads to keep it still. Dr. Oz, however, says he has personally seen several injuries, including broken bones and teeth caused by the immobilization. But that’s not what worries him most.
“From the outside the tooth looks amazing but if you take an x-ray you might see an abscess,” he says. “It’s just cosmetically cleaning, it’s not medically cleaning. They don’t prevent problems it actually makes it worse and makes us really busy.”
Without anesthetic or an x-ray, he says, there is no way to know what is happening below the surface of the tooth, where the real problems start. And that’s not the worst that can happen.
“The stress can even cause an elderly animal to have a heart attack,” he says.
The advertising claims made by Bell certainly worked on Cheryl Lyse. A pamphlet for Tina’s services says: 'The benefits of this technique over conventional veterinary methods are numerous…. This procedure is quick, stress-free, worry-free, risk-free, and cost effective.'
Lyse says it spoke to her because she was worried about the possible side effects of putting an aged dog under general anesthesia but now urges anyone considering using these services to understand the risks — she won’t do it again.
“I thought I was doing her a favour by not having an anesthetic,” she says. “Now I regret it."
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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43 responses
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Roz Rickard Thank you, I know what a greenie is, it was an autocorrect from my phone. If you could re-read the post in which I replied to, that would be helpful in preparing an appropriate response.
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My Veterinary has an insurance program to cover surgeries etc. And – there are insurance companies that cover pets. Get a good vet, do regular visits…..and do not let untrained, uneducated people do procedures on your pets. This is a no brainer. Would you let some someone without a medical degree take out your appendix or clean your teeth? Veterinarians go to University for 5 to 10 years, then they have trained educated staff, medications are expensive, maintaining a clinic is expensive, and yes – Pets are expensive. Also – brush your own dog’s teeth and watch what you feed them. We raise Labradors and even at 14 or older my dogs have their teeth, very little tartar. Some Pet Food companies offer rations that help with tartar. Pets are a huge commitment. You take the time to help your children brush, you can make a difference with your pets.
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Rachelle ChapmanGreen bones are actually called “Greenies’, whichare endorsed by the USA Oral Health Council.Greenies are designed tohelp slow down the build up of calculus and are designed for a dog toEAT – I do not think a dog is going to choke on it and they are designed to be tasty and not to, as you say, ‘panic’ a dog.
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I am more then happy with my girl that does our dog cleaning, she is very gentle, does a great job and my dogs love her.
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oh and by the way I have heard that the dog mentioned got into a fight with another dog and the owner is claiming the dental clinic did it to make some $$.
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of course a vet wouldn’t sanction it as they charge 3x as much and want the business for themselves. My dogs have been treated by K-9 Brite bark and I have nothing but excellent things to say about them. They treat ALL 5 of my dogs and I can sit and watch the whole procedure! I have 3 Pugs 1 catahoula and a english bulldogge and they range in ages from 1-13 never a problem matter of fact they are like the dog whisperer’s.
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No, No, No, Thanks Mark I won’t send my dog to any of these. I use a certified vet who put the dog under to clean her teeth. Why would anyone do such a rotten thing to their dog?
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Good info,we have 2 Yorkie Poms and my wife will research high and low to find the best animal hospitals for our boys and of course money is no object when it comes to their health and happiness.
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relying on bones doesn’t mean they will have clean teeth.Bones will help in some cases but in others, some line in some breeds are just predisposed to having really bad teeth.Shelties are one such breed.Rock hard cookies will also help remove plaque, but not all.
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One has to be very careful and make sure you use only vet board certified technicians for teeth cleaning and even then, they are NOT allowed to go up and under the gum.What happened here is a hard life lesson at the expense of the poor wee dog.
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Kim Bee, Americans also charge for human health care, pretty sure a normal personwould not go have teeth extracted without freezing and a licensed dentist. Or send a young terrified kid to have teeth drilled and removed awake. I hope you are not pet owner, there is a reason for proper veterinary care and licensed vets to preform a surgical procedure. Even your dental hygienist who went to school for 2 plus years at a accredited college has a liscence to practice. People like you should not own pets, animals are a family member not a piece of property
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This is animal abuse and should be investigated by the humane society. They deserve to be criminally charged.
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This is animal abuse and should be investigated by the humane society. They deserve to be criminally charged.
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If this story happened the way it seems, this is so sad and unfortunate for the poor dog involved. Dental hygienists are not allowed to practice without a license from the registering body in their province for a reason. Why should it be any different for animals? I think that anyone providing any kind of invasive treatment – for humans and animals alike – should go through an accredited learning institution and be required to pass strict, uniform, and appropriate exams with supervised hands-on practice with live patients. I do not think it should be legal to just set up a service like this. There is no regulation!
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How stupid of any pet owner not to have their pet’s teeth cleaned by a veterinarian!
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Flora Mogdan – My dentist has never charged me $2,000 for all the things you listed.Yet a vet bill is definitely alot more than a people dentist!
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I talked to a vet about my dogs teeth and I was told to give them a raw chicken neck that would do the job.
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you can drive down to langley and go to thunderbird animal hospital, we charge 200$ and do a great job too. worth the drive to save the money :)
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I agree Cindy. I made an appointment to have no sedation cleaning and when I brought my dog in they would not clean her teeth because they recognized she needed some major dental work first. I had the work done ($800) and now I have no sedation cleaning done as maintenance for about $100 less than under sedation. She’ll still get her annual check up at the vet so if she needs additional work in the future it will be taken care of. As your dog gets older sedation becomes more risky!
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I would be skeptic of anyone doing vet work on my dog, without a veterenary license, It cost $980.00 to have my dogs teeth cleaned and 3 extractions done under GA. If I had taken him to a drop in teeth cleaning place, would they have known about the abcesses?My dog was in good hands with a Vet.
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of course they are after her vets are losing thousands of dollars because she is undercutting them //looks like a witch hunt to me.
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There are some things that one should never be cheap about and proper veterinary care is one of those things, whether it’s dental, physio, annual check ups, vaccinations, titre testing, etc., always go to a certified vet and one whom you trust.
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Then you need to seek a second opinion from another vet. At my clinic, you wouldn’t pay more than $1000 for cleaning and extractions with X-rays.
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Monique, while I agree raw food and bones keep teeth cleaner than kibble ( I have a 15 year old dog that was raised on a raw diet, ) I do not agree raw and bones cure all..my 15 year old has fractured teeth and they have now died but he needs them extracted, so he will go to an experienced vet to have this done..his teeth are otherwise clean and tarter free, but even with the best diets, just like us..dogs can have dental issues that need to be taken care of.
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vets are getting more expensive all the time. since in the US they pay a fraction of what we do, I think this is out right gouging. they are responsible for this happening too.
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I took my dog for a cleaning and now his teeth are ruined… not to mention he could have died from the infection. He now has to have expensive surgery done Wednesday morningto remove damaged teeth and has been on heavy antibioticsto save his life! These people should be charged and sued!
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yea there are a lot of these fools around.i took my Lhasa in for toe clipping they cut him , hurt him…he was emotionally scarred for all the rest of his life.then took him to be groomed at a place in Kelowna and when I walked in to get him, i heard screaming , theworst sound I had ever heard…looked and realized it was my dog.a guy was holding him up , hand over his nose….so they could cut his toes…he was traumatized for ever…I have never heard a dog scream like that….I yelled for him to stop…he insisted this is what they had to do….I have cut his toes….and all I do is speak low to him and he rolls over and I do them….he was never the same dog….they brutalized and traumatised my beautiful…well manored dog….this was at yuppy puppy…..there is a group of these idiots out there tramatizing our pets…on purpose….if your pets seems different after you bring him somewhere , do not bring him back….and the reason they say they arnt responable is beacause they are bring in others to do the dirty work so they cant be held responsible for the tortue….they will eventually found out….be careful these people are very , very nasty……
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any one can get a certificate like that and put what ever on it, doesn’t say what medical facility that it was obtained from.
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Feed raw food to your dog : no need to have their teeth cleaned as bones are natural toothbrush!
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This is awefull. This poor dog. I think it’s about time vets in the Okanagan make this a more affordable procedure for dog owners. Rutland Pet Hospital and Asher rd Vet Hospital do ( I’m sure there are others too ). I get the huge overhead but if they can make it affordable then the rest damn well should too. If I was given a $2000 estimate to have my dogs teeth cleaned with extractions I may feel inclined to seek alternatives too.
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Theresa Jacobson is our doggy dentist WONDERFUL woman and vet , always be sure when it comes to your pets she will be sure they are safe.
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Can you imagine the stress this poor animal went through. My old boy goes to the vet. Remember it’s only money. We are happy to pay for a job well done. That has got to be animal cruelty. Don’t do it to your best friend
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This bitch needs to be charged to the fullest extent of the law! & then some,, horrible bitch.
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