Abby’s got some loose teeth and a lot of plaque buildup. The vet sold me some Oral Care Spray and told me to dose her with it twice a day. Fortunately she’s about as laid back a dog as you can imagine. I sprayed some onto her teeth when we got home and she shook her head a few times and then walked over to a corner, but she exhibited no other signs of displeasure.

She might need a root canal, but the vet cautions that roots in dogs’ teeth are curved, so it’s harder to operate on them. Another strike against it: it requires general anesthesia, and I think that’s trickier for 52-pound dogs than for 140-pound humans. However, canine root canals are less invasive than extractions are, so we’ll see. Maybe the spray will clean up her teeth a little, and if not we might try the gel from the same maker.