jimo3
#1
My dog has been taking 3-4 mg rapa / week over the past year & a half. He just had 2 teeth pulled for a gum infection. Any thoughts on whether rapa could have promoted this infection? There seems to be evidence that rapa is good for oral health but I can’t help being a bit concerned. Would you continue w rapa (after he’s back to normal?)
How old is your dog, and do you brush his teeth? If not, you really need to make this part of your care routine. I have a box of disposable medical gloves on the kitchen counter which makes the whole process SO much quicker and easier and less messy. My dog was due for teeth cleaning in 2019, but I started brushing his teeth 3x/week and he’s been stable (grade 1 without worsening) ever since then and the vet is fine with continuing to defer the teeth cleaning. He’s 8 years old and gets once weekly rapa.
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jimo3
#3
He’s 9.5 & we’ve not been brushing his teeth. My question though is whether rapa is a risk for oral infections or is perhaps protective.
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This is an interesting option, since you can not replace lost tooth enamel. As we live longer, due to dosing Rapamycin, we might need more enamel.
Here is a solution.
Keratin extracted from sheep’s wool repairs teeth.
Keratin extracted from sheep’s wool repairs teeth in breakthrough | Live Science Keratin extracted from sheep's wool repairs teeth in breakthrough | Live Science
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Interesting. My wife brushes the teeth of one of our cats (the other one won’t cooperate), and his teeth and oral health are excellent at 15 years of age. He’s only had one teeth cleaning at the vet, when he had to be put under for a different procedure, so we asked for a teeth cleaning at the same time. I really feel like routine dental care is frequently neglected by pet owners, but dogs and cats share our environment and are not in the wild, consequently they often share the same health challenges including oral health. You should brush the teeth of your dog/cat if practical; one of our cats gets very stressed and it’s not possible, but we’ve had good luck with teeth brushing our various cats throughout the years - the trick is to start them young - of course not possible in older cats you adopt.
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Nlo
#7
I’m curious about this topic for humans, too. I definitely have seen many convincing anecdotes on this forum about incredible improvements in oral health and I believe it. However, if memory serves, I think I’ve also seen some concerning reports and questions from members who were wondering if new onset deep oral infections, new pain or inflammation was related to their rapa use. My friend who has pushed the dose a bit on rapa (8 mg with gfj) has had a series of new tooth problems, pain, replacement of former work, all corresponding to his time on rapa.
It’s easy to posit that rapa at the right dose is helpful, but too much leads to immune suppression and risk of infection.
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Beth
#8
INDEED!
We adopted ferals who were even afraid of us for a long time, so that was probably not an option for them but wish I had known I should try. I exclusively raw for probably 15 years and the raw advocates swear that meant they’d have excellent teeth… NOPE!
I felt awful when their new vet, when they were aprox 10, showed me how awful all their teeth were… many missing etc (they had been in pain, oh the GUILT!).
Also, incase anyone doesn’t know this, there are animal dentists… I went to one because a dentist can do a root canal and save their canines which is ideal (the other teeth are less crucial for jaw health and eating etc). Your regular vet can only pull them.
If I ever have pets again, I will figure out how to brush when they are babies. Better for you and your wallet… meanwhile, I’ve put the dentist’s kids through college
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