Do you know that us doggies have to take care of our teeth just like you humans do? I have to admit I am not the best dog when mom get out the tooth brush and that is why mom sometimes falls off the wagon and forgets to do it . My teeth are white and I have good doggie breath. However, Elvis not so much so! He came with yucky teeth and last week he went to the vet to have his teeth cleaned for the first time. Yes, mom has had him for a while but she felt that we had other issues we needed to address first like his skin, coat, and ears, and his teeth can wait a little bit. Mom does brush his teeth and he loves the toothpaste so much that it is hard to get them done before he eats it all BOL.
Did you know that dental neglect can lead to more serious health conditions for us other than just bad breath and some cavities? It can lead to heart, lung, and kidney diseases. Also, the stats say that two-thirds of all dogs by the time they are three are showing signs of periodontal disease..yikes!
So what can you do to make sure we have bright shinny and healthy choppers?
• Have a professional dental exam from a vet done (every year). This will let you know exactly where you stand on your doggie’s teeth. Then you will know if we need to have a dental cleaning done and/or problem areas to watch for. The vet can also give your rents a lesson on how to correctly brush our teeth.
• Make brushing fun… if you come running after us with a toothbrush and pin us down of course we won’t like having our teeth brushed. You have to make it fun for us. You may have to start small like touching our mouth first, then next week raising our lips, third week brushing the outside of our teeth, etc. Treats at the end always help too!
• Brushing should only last 2 or 3 minutes tops. Any longer will stress us out.
• There are also special formulas of dog food,treats, and even toys that helps between brushing.
Just remember we love spending time with you and if you make brushing fun we will have no problems letting you take care of our teeth!
Great advice Preston! I have to admit that I have some tarter on my eye teeth but between busy bones and greenies it is not as bad as it was. Whenever mom gives me a bath she always uses a wash clothe with some doggie tooth paste on it to brush my teeth. I don’t mind the wash clothe treatment at all but my vet gave me a tooth brush but it tickles so bad that I can’t stand it.
Does it stop tickling once I get used to the toothbrush?