Is it crucial to brush a dogs teeth? For the entire time we've had Cadence her teeth have been pearly white, but lately I've been noticing a bit more yellow gunk on her back teeth.
If this is a must, are there "at home" things you can do instead of going out and buying special doggie toothpaste and stuff?
Brushing Teeth
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Re: Brushing Teeth
I saw the lady on Underdog to Wonderdog use a piece of what looked like gauze to me. She wrapped it around her finger and scrubbed a tiny bit. My vet said you can make a paste of a tiny bit of garlic powder and a tiny bit of water and rub it around back there, but it smells AWFUL and from what I saw doesn't work. We use the doggie toothbrush and toothpaste and it's really not expensive and Bruiser and Lu love it. Kole's a bit more, um, delicate and doesn't like anything that could possibly hurt his sensitive feelings (which everything seems to do).
Re: Brushing Teeth
Thanks Leigha! Not sure how Cadence will like it.. I can see it going two ways; she loves it and will lick me the whole time like she does when I'm washing her or she'll give me the old snarly face like when she sees me get her ear wipes out 
Re: Brushing Teeth
I let them lick the stuff out of the tube, then from my finger, then from the toothbrush all before i attempted to brush their teeth. Bruiser will just stand then and let me do it, Lu I have to hold his mouth open, but he doesn't mind. Kole hates it.
Re: Brushing Teeth
I brushed my dogs' teeth similar to what Leigha said. You can only use baking soda and water too as a substitute for tooth paste. I prefer to use a tooth brush with my dog since they are chewers! You can also use raw bones or chewing toys to help clean the teeth.
Dogs rarely get cavities but are prone to periodontal disease. Some breeds, such as Poodles, are more prone than others. Considering the costs and risks of a vet cleaning your dogs' teeth, buying tooth brush and dogie tooth paste is cheaper and works as a preventative to periodontal disease. If dogs teeth are never cleaned, the infection can spread to other body parts and lead to worsening tooth decay. Dogs, ideally, should never have breath that smells.
Dogs rarely get cavities but are prone to periodontal disease. Some breeds, such as Poodles, are more prone than others. Considering the costs and risks of a vet cleaning your dogs' teeth, buying tooth brush and dogie tooth paste is cheaper and works as a preventative to periodontal disease. If dogs teeth are never cleaned, the infection can spread to other body parts and lead to worsening tooth decay. Dogs, ideally, should never have breath that smells.
Re: Brushing Teeth
I find the raw bones keep teeth sparkly white and clean (check out the 6 year old dog in my avatar). This method cleans the gunkiest teeth with no effort at all.
If you don't want to feed bones, some aloe vera gel rubbed into the tartar every day for about 2 weeks eventually loosens it so you can rub it off.
A lot of commercial foods encourage tartar because they have caramel in for colouring. Other colouring and flavouring stains the teeth also.
If you don't want to feed bones, some aloe vera gel rubbed into the tartar every day for about 2 weeks eventually loosens it so you can rub it off.
A lot of commercial foods encourage tartar because they have caramel in for colouring. Other colouring and flavouring stains the teeth also.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Re: Brushing Teeth
Ideally daily brushing with an enzymatic toothpaste is a plus, for the real world, it sometimes is a little more difficult.
Any chewing, rawhide toys, cow hooves does help to clean the teeth and keep gums healthy. There are certain brands of dog food that seem to stick to the teeth, and cause issues, yes indeed cavities
I spray my dogs mouths with a mixture of 1/2 water 1/2 mouthwash (NOT mint PLEASE, they don't like it) after brushing to keep the bacteria load down as much as possible, it also seems to keep the tartar a little softer and easier to remove. If your dog really does not like the actual brush, you can get finger tip brushes that work well. Some dogs don't mind brushing at all, especially those started at puppy stage, others act like it is a Class 2 felony. Patience and lots of praise and rewards seem to make it less offensive for them
Any chewing, rawhide toys, cow hooves does help to clean the teeth and keep gums healthy. There are certain brands of dog food that seem to stick to the teeth, and cause issues, yes indeed cavities
I spray my dogs mouths with a mixture of 1/2 water 1/2 mouthwash (NOT mint PLEASE, they don't like it) after brushing to keep the bacteria load down as much as possible, it also seems to keep the tartar a little softer and easier to remove. If your dog really does not like the actual brush, you can get finger tip brushes that work well. Some dogs don't mind brushing at all, especially those started at puppy stage, others act like it is a Class 2 felony. Patience and lots of praise and rewards seem to make it less offensive for them Re: Brushing Teeth
Josie, what's an enzymatic tooth paste? The first tooth paste I bought was this, but since I didn't think there was any difference, I switched to a non-enzymatic one (or at least it didn't say "enzymatic" on the label) after the old one ran out.
Re: Brushing Teeth
Nettle wrote:I find the raw bones keep teeth sparkly white and clean (check out the 6 year old dog in my avatar). This method cleans the gunkiest teeth with no effort at all.
If you don't want to feed bones, some aloe vera gel rubbed into the tartar every day for about 2 weeks eventually loosens it so you can rub it off.
A lot of commercial foods encourage tartar because they have caramel in for colouring. Other colouring and flavouring stains the teeth also.
We used to give Cadence rawhide bones, which is probably why her teeth used to be so clean, but after she swallowed a huge piece and it got lodged in her throat and we had to dig it out after we heard her wheezing, we don't give them anymore since I'm paranoid.. and they make her gassy
Are there better and safer bones to give? She sure does love chewing so I wish we could some sort of bone to her..Re: Brushing Teeth
I wouldn't feed rawhide bones for that very reason, anmd also because of the chemical preservatives.
Raw chicken wings are great tooth-cleaners, or raw meaty lamb ribs/breast of lamb. Deer antler makes a good chew toy if you can get it, but saw off and discard the points first.
Raw chicken wings are great tooth-cleaners, or raw meaty lamb ribs/breast of lamb. Deer antler makes a good chew toy if you can get it, but saw off and discard the points first.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Re: Brushing Teeth
A large part of my job for over 13 years now has been dentals for dogs. Rawhides can be dangerous, I use the pressed rawhide bones for my dogs (they look sort of like resin) they are safe, last a long time, and dogs like them.
The reason enzymatic toothpaste for dogs (never use human toothpaste on dogs) is superior is that the enzymes attack the tartar more completely. The flavored toothpastes (beef, chicken, and seafood) often make beginning toothbrushing with a dog a lot easier, as the dog likes the flavor. We have had clients who have brushed their dogs teeth EVERY day for as long as they owned the dog. These dogs have never had a dental or NEEDED one. Any time you can avoid anesthesia for your pet, you are cutting a health risk, also I encourage brushing because when dogs get really bad, rotten teeth, loose teeth, inflamed gums etc. I can absolutely promise you the bacteria has gotten into their blood stream and you will have a dog with heart or kidney trouble very soon. The clinic where I work automatically checks the mouth of any animal under anesthesia, just to be sure there aren't any issues (broken teeth, retained baby teeth etc.) however, not all do, so if you are planning a spay/neuter or any procedure where your pet will be "napping" ask your vet to please check his/her mouth (there should not be a charge for this) Just like with positive training, it takes patience and lots of praise to teach a dog to look forward to having teeth brushed, but it is well worth the time and effort, for the health of your pet.
The reason enzymatic toothpaste for dogs (never use human toothpaste on dogs) is superior is that the enzymes attack the tartar more completely. The flavored toothpastes (beef, chicken, and seafood) often make beginning toothbrushing with a dog a lot easier, as the dog likes the flavor. We have had clients who have brushed their dogs teeth EVERY day for as long as they owned the dog. These dogs have never had a dental or NEEDED one. Any time you can avoid anesthesia for your pet, you are cutting a health risk, also I encourage brushing because when dogs get really bad, rotten teeth, loose teeth, inflamed gums etc. I can absolutely promise you the bacteria has gotten into their blood stream and you will have a dog with heart or kidney trouble very soon. The clinic where I work automatically checks the mouth of any animal under anesthesia, just to be sure there aren't any issues (broken teeth, retained baby teeth etc.) however, not all do, so if you are planning a spay/neuter or any procedure where your pet will be "napping" ask your vet to please check his/her mouth (there should not be a charge for this) Just like with positive training, it takes patience and lots of praise to teach a dog to look forward to having teeth brushed, but it is well worth the time and effort, for the health of your pet.