Dog dental care

Have you considered your dog’s teeth and how important dog dental care is to your best friend’s over all health? Unfortunately many dog owners have not, and they should because regular canine dental hygiene is just as important for dogs as it is for people.

Yearly dental exams by your vet are needed along with you doing what does not need specialized vet care. There are several things you can easily do at home, including regularly brushing Rover’s teeth while paying attention to the condition of his gums and checking for any broken or loose teeth.

Dog dental Care

Pay regular attention to your pup’s mouth, because there are many things it can and will tell you about his health. The following excerpt from an article on the ASPCA.org website gives a good run-down of what to be on the lookout for:

The following are signs that your dog may have a problem in his mouth or gastrointestinal system and should be checked by a veterinarian:

Video: Tender Care Animal Clinic-Dr. Parr demonstrates a Dental Cleaning for a canine

• Bad breath
• Excessive drooling
• Inflamed gums
• Tumors in the gums
• Cysts under the tongue
• Loose teeth

Follow these easy steps for your home dog dental care plan:

Introduce your dog to this new experience by dipping your finger into a liquid food he likes and allow him to lick this off your finger. Now do the same thing but add a bit of textured gauze around the finger and as he licks this begin to rub his teeth. Once he is comfortable with these steps move on to adding a food to the bristles of a toothbrush and let him lick this off so he begins to feel ok with having a toothbrush in his mouth.

We now move on with the process by using toothpaste specifically made for dogs. NEVER USE HUMAN TOOTHPASTE! Repeat what you did in the previous step by dabbing this on a finger and allowing your dog to lick this off as you gently rub his teeth. Now we are ready for using the toothbrush with the doggy toothpaste. Start with his front canines as these are large and easy to reach. Over several sessions work further into his mouth brushing all the teeth.

We all love our dogs and keeping them as healthy as possible with dog dental care is just as important as regular shots, good food, exercise and clean water.

Are you brushing your dog’s teeth? Please leave your comments and experiences below for our readers.

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