I met for lunch today with the Resident Expert and we chatted about, non other than, life with Charlie. I shared successes, challenges and memorable moments with Charlie since we last touched base and she seemed to enjoy hearing them as much as I did sharing them. However, it did seem clear that there was an area I was missing. This was not the first time she asked me about progress with preventive dental care and this was not the first time that I had said that I really hadn't been there yet. R.E. urged introducing Charlie to the toothbrush during puppyhood to ensure that he was comfortable with having a daily dental routine in adulthood. R.E.'s basset hound, Elvis (pictured under Paw-Parazzi) is so comfortable with his dental routine that he often sits beside his toothbrush some mornings waiting for his daily brush. She offered that preventive dental care would help in keeping Charlie free from a host of tooth and gum diseases and serious medical conditions and suggested a number of ways to help remove plaque on Charlie's teeth including feeding dry kibble and providing chew toys such as ropes. However, she couldn't stress enough that the number one way to remove dental plaque and tartar formation would be to brush his teeth and that I should begin to research some reliable and popular canine brushes and pastes (many which are meat flavoured found to be favoured by dogs). She suggested looking for products that were easy to use and apply which would help to ensure we would continue with a daily routine. She also suggested researching an oral dental rinse, simply added to Charlie's water and that there were many reliable online sites that showed "how to" videos to brush your dog's teeth. So, I have now resigned to do my homework.
Start by just giving him a bit of toothpaste. He'll like the taste and then he won't be so bothered when you try to brush his teeth.
ReplyDeleteDOgs will swallow toothpaste and ours is not to be ingested by people or animals. I learned this the hard way. Brushing with water is fine. The main objective is to get the plaque and tartar off and stimulate the gums.
DeleteThey make toothpastes specially for dogs. If you want, you can use a people toothbrush for babies - not adults. The bristles are much too stiff on the adult toothbrushes.
My little guy can tell the time. Every night at 7:15, he gets his teeth brushed and then he gets a doggie biscuit. He starts bugging me around 7:10. It is our together time.
ReplyDeleteI've trained dogs for decades, but I think that isn't especially relevant when all I have to do is run my dog's electric toothbrush for a few seconds, and she comes running. She's obedient, so she'll do whatever I ask. But she loves all the praise she gets at toothbrushing time, and she particularly likes the taste of the peanut-flavored dog toothpaste.
ReplyDeleteThere’s an age-old myth that animal teeth are somehow “self-cleaning”, but that is rubbish. Animal teeth are similar to human teeth: regular brushing is the best way to make sure that they stay healthy. Chewing does help to keep teeth clean, especially if specially-designed “dental chews” are used, but tooth brushing remains the gold-standard of dental care
ReplyDeleteThanks Manual, I totally get that now. My mission this week is to educate myself and get Charlie started on a good routine. The more I hear, the more I am believing that this is not going to be a chore but something exciting for our little guy! Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for posting about the importance of your pet's dental health! Many times, people forget about their dog's teeth. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis type of article is interesting and fun to read. I love reading and I am always searching for informative info like this.
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