Brushing your dog’s teeth doesn’t have to be a fight at bath time. Keeping up with dog dental cleaning is simple when following a few easy steps. The main thing is starting early, like when they are a puppy kind of early. The sooner you get your dog used to a tooth brush the better.
Never use human toothpaste to clean your dog’s teeth. The fluoride may be harmful to their health. Any pet store, or even your vet, will have proper dog toothpaste.
We have found that dry dog food is best to keep dog’s teeth cleaner than by feeding them wet food. The dry dog food helps to break down plaque while wet food tends to stick in their teeth. There is also an optional dental dog food that helps break down plaque on dogs teeth. Hills dog food company makes a “Prescription Diet Dental Care” dog food which helps reduce plaque and tartar. This dry dog food is larger and really works well to help clean your dogs teeth. This specialty dental dog food is available at most vet offices and pet stores.
What About Dog Bones to Help Clean Teeth?
Simply giving your dog a bone in hopes it will clean their teeth, won’t. You must take special care much like your own teeth, whereas visiting the dentist is every 6 to 12 months. If a vet visit for a dental checkup sounds like it costs a lot, consider the alternative.
When your dog has dental problems, it will be expensive. You’ll pay not only for the surgery, but also the anesthesia and often boarding. Cost for a tooth which is decayed can cost upwards of $1400.
Have you noticed any of these signs of dental problems in your dog?
- Really bad breath
- Change in eating or dog chewing habits
- Pawing at the face or mouth
- Yellowish-brown tartar crust along the gum line
- Bumps or growths within the mouth
- Excessive drooling
- Discolored, misaligned or missing teeth
- Red, swollen, painful or bleeding gums before or after brushing
If you have seen any of the dental problems in your dog as mentioned above, then it’s extremely important that you have your veterinarian checkout your dog’s teeth and gums. Dental problems in dogs can be painful and very expensive.
