The best/easiest way to keep a dogs teeth healthy?
I have a Mini-Pinscher, about the size of a Jack Russell for those who haven't heard of them, and his breath is bad due to his teeth needing cleaning and care. My wife and I have tried cleaning them using 'dog toothbrush and toothpaste', but he hates it and gets quite upset when we try....
Any ideas?
Answers:
I was overwhelmed with trying to keep up the teeth on my motley crew, but when i began feeding Canidae, the problem is gone..completely.Teeth are sparkling clean with no tartar or gum disease, even on my old dogs..
Or, Get a good quality rope toy.(not the dollar store ones) ..the ones that appear to be twisted string tied in a knot. Soak it in unsalted broth. Dry it in a very slow oven. he will try to chew all the flavor out of that, and it works as dental floss to keep his teeth clean, and his breath fresh.
If he grows tired, (couple of months)as the flavor is gone, just wash by hand, and re-soak.
the remedy wasn't practical for me, as I have so many huge dogs in the house, and the rope chew would cause strife..
try dentastix from asda there good good luck
Try greenies. you can get them anywhere now and they are really good. get the ones for small dogs, and its just like brushing their teeth.
get him one of those large roasted bones from the pet shop - he'll love it and it will clean his teeth too.. (may turn his p00 white though)
The best way to keep a dog's teeth clean and healthy is a combination of things -
feed him/her biscuits as opposed to wet food as the crunch will remove bits from their teeth (wet food also causes their breath to smell worse)
Make sure he/she has lots to chew - rawhide or meat bones are always good and they keep them happy too.
Encourage the to play with rope/material toys as they will have a certain amount of rubbing and cleaning capabilities.
Get him/her used to be "checked" lift the lips and check teeth regularly, check inside the ears and feel all along their coat. The more comfortable the dog feels the less of a hassle trying to clean their teeth with a toothbrush will be. Maybe try to get one of those finger brushes which just fit on the end of your finger and tend to be softer and look less scary to a little woofer .......
this is what i do to my pinscher cross silky terrier, you don't have to follow
1) brush once a week, and also just let her lick the paste.
2) give one denta-bone every 2 days.
Get your dog onto a BARF diet. Not only will your dog be happier and healthier, but the action of crunching up bones naturally clean the teeth. DON'T give a dog cooked bones, they are liable to splinter. Raw Meaty Bones such as chicken wings would be ideal for your dog.
Take a look at the site http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html.
My German Shepherd is raw fed and has been since she was 10 weeks old, her teeth are perfect and she is a picture of health.
They have chewy sticks on the market but some dogs don't like them you can get a thimble type brush and get dog tooth paste IF YOU HAVE YOUR DOGS TRUST and clean them its a laugh when they try licking the paste before you can brush them SJ
i found the best thing for my dog(westie) was DENTY RUSK made by Pedigree. It really works and the dogs love it.
Try feeding your dog a raw beef/pork/lamb bone once a month. It can get a little messy but it can work wonders.
greenies
Make rusks, or use denta rasks.
the best way is brushing but if he doesnt like that then what we do that with our dog is give him cold carrots and raw hide sticks which helps keep them clean.
In response to one of the other answers, please do not give your dog chicken bones. They will splinter and could be lodged in the intestine and cause real problems!
Chews designed specifically for dental health can be helpful, though it sounds like your dog may have worse problems.
Periodically throughout a dog's life, it should be taken to a veterinarian for dental work. They will anesthetize your dog and clean his teeth with special tools. Your dog's bad breath could very well be caused by a rotten tooth that should be extracted before real problems occur (abscess, infection, etc.) The dental cleaning will give you a good start and will be easier to keep up with chews, period brushing, etc.
if he hates it its probably because its sore - as earlier answer said take him to the vet and have his teeth cleaned - they wil decide if any need to come out - my jack russel (age 13) was like that last year and ended up having to have quite a few back teeth out
Toothbrushes are a waste of time with many dogs because by the time we get around to using them the teeth problems are already set in.
Have you taken his to the vet to make sure there is no serious damage to his teeth and gums?
If the problem is a build up of tarter and related gum infmalation (creates awful breath i know!) then the best way to improve his teeth is to get him chewing. Often, older dogs will chew less and then plaque sets in and then gums flare up and so its uncomfortable to chew and the problem just gets worse.
If you are finding that he isn't interested in chewing things then you'll need to up the stakes. For example, get him a roast beef knuckle from the pet shop - very tempting - or swop a meal a day for a chewy bone/pigs ear etc.
If you can get him using those back teeth you will find his dental health improving enormously and his bad breath will disappear.
Give your dog denta sticks, you can buy them in the local supermarket and one a day should do the trick!
Try a smoked marrow bone from pet shops most dogs love them.
try hills T-D biscuits. they are a special type of dried food you can get and they are designed to only break when the tooth has pierced the whole kibble meaning that it scrapes the tooth right up to the gum taking away any plaque. You don't need to feed it on it's own, just a small handle every now and then mixed in with the food should be suficient. another tips is to try the tooth paste but scrub using some tights. Wierd i no. Just wrap enough around your finger and use that. It's much less invasive to you pet.
As has been suggested earlier, dentistix are a good idea, they can keep the plaque down.
If your dog's teeth are bad it might be a good idea to get the vet to give him a thorough tooth clean to start you off before you begin. It's much easier to keep teeth clean if they aren't already too bad, plus it'll be less uncomfortable for your dog.
Most dogs hate having their teeth cleaned, so you're not alone.
Start by stroking his muzzle. Give him a treat when he lets you. The idea is to slowly get him used to the idea of you touching around his mouth.
When he gets used to this, lift up his lip to expose the teeth before giving him the treat.
The next stage is to get a small amount of the toothpaste and put it on to his teeth and allow him to lick it off.
Then start brushing, but only for a couple of seconds before stopping and praising him.
Then build up the time you brush for.
ABOVE ALL - BE GENTLE! And remember, don't be too hard on yourself or your dog if it doesn't go too well at first, or he has an off-day, or it takes longer for him to accept the teeth cleaning than you'd hoped. It happens, just remember that every little bit of a contribution towards cleaning his teeth, the healthier his mouth will be.
Good luck.
I started to clean my dogs teeth with canine toothpaste when we got him as a pup because my last dog died of cancer in the mouth - it was a knee jerk reaction because I knew it wouldn't stop something like cancer but it makes me feel so much better knowing that I am doing all I can.
The toothpaste I use for my dog is poultry flavoured and he loves it. He isn't great at letting me use the brush, he is trying too hard to lick the toothpaste but he does let me rub it along his teeth on the end of my finger and since it is enzymic it cleans just by being there. He is also fed dried food which has 'oral care' properties. He loves apple and carrot to chew and also rawhide sticks which all help.
He is 5 and his teeth are white and perfect to look at but the one thing we do not do is throw him stones - a sure way to damage teeth AND gums.
P.S. My cat who is a lot older will not tolerate a tooth brush at all and it not easy to get a cat to let you rub its teeth or gums so I put toothpaste on some of his dried food kibbles and he happily eats them crunching and cleaning at the same time. If you can get a toothpaste your dog likes the taste of then that might work for nim too.
keep trying :-)
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Answers:
I was overwhelmed with trying to keep up the teeth on my motley crew, but when i began feeding Canidae, the problem is gone..completely.Teeth are sparkling clean with no tartar or gum disease, even on my old dogs..
Or, Get a good quality rope toy.(not the dollar store ones) ..the ones that appear to be twisted string tied in a knot. Soak it in unsalted broth. Dry it in a very slow oven. he will try to chew all the flavor out of that, and it works as dental floss to keep his teeth clean, and his breath fresh.
If he grows tired, (couple of months)as the flavor is gone, just wash by hand, and re-soak.
the remedy wasn't practical for me, as I have so many huge dogs in the house, and the rope chew would cause strife..
try dentastix from asda there good good luck
Try greenies. you can get them anywhere now and they are really good. get the ones for small dogs, and its just like brushing their teeth.
get him one of those large roasted bones from the pet shop - he'll love it and it will clean his teeth too.. (may turn his p00 white though)
The best way to keep a dog's teeth clean and healthy is a combination of things -
feed him/her biscuits as opposed to wet food as the crunch will remove bits from their teeth (wet food also causes their breath to smell worse)
Make sure he/she has lots to chew - rawhide or meat bones are always good and they keep them happy too.
Encourage the to play with rope/material toys as they will have a certain amount of rubbing and cleaning capabilities.
Get him/her used to be "checked" lift the lips and check teeth regularly, check inside the ears and feel all along their coat. The more comfortable the dog feels the less of a hassle trying to clean their teeth with a toothbrush will be. Maybe try to get one of those finger brushes which just fit on the end of your finger and tend to be softer and look less scary to a little woofer .......
this is what i do to my pinscher cross silky terrier, you don't have to follow
1) brush once a week, and also just let her lick the paste.
2) give one denta-bone every 2 days.
Get your dog onto a BARF diet. Not only will your dog be happier and healthier, but the action of crunching up bones naturally clean the teeth. DON'T give a dog cooked bones, they are liable to splinter. Raw Meaty Bones such as chicken wings would be ideal for your dog.
Take a look at the site http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html.
My German Shepherd is raw fed and has been since she was 10 weeks old, her teeth are perfect and she is a picture of health.
They have chewy sticks on the market but some dogs don't like them you can get a thimble type brush and get dog tooth paste IF YOU HAVE YOUR DOGS TRUST and clean them its a laugh when they try licking the paste before you can brush them SJ
i found the best thing for my dog(westie) was DENTY RUSK made by Pedigree. It really works and the dogs love it.
Try feeding your dog a raw beef/pork/lamb bone once a month. It can get a little messy but it can work wonders.
greenies
Make rusks, or use denta rasks.
the best way is brushing but if he doesnt like that then what we do that with our dog is give him cold carrots and raw hide sticks which helps keep them clean.
In response to one of the other answers, please do not give your dog chicken bones. They will splinter and could be lodged in the intestine and cause real problems!
Chews designed specifically for dental health can be helpful, though it sounds like your dog may have worse problems.
Periodically throughout a dog's life, it should be taken to a veterinarian for dental work. They will anesthetize your dog and clean his teeth with special tools. Your dog's bad breath could very well be caused by a rotten tooth that should be extracted before real problems occur (abscess, infection, etc.) The dental cleaning will give you a good start and will be easier to keep up with chews, period brushing, etc.
if he hates it its probably because its sore - as earlier answer said take him to the vet and have his teeth cleaned - they wil decide if any need to come out - my jack russel (age 13) was like that last year and ended up having to have quite a few back teeth out
Toothbrushes are a waste of time with many dogs because by the time we get around to using them the teeth problems are already set in.
Have you taken his to the vet to make sure there is no serious damage to his teeth and gums?
If the problem is a build up of tarter and related gum infmalation (creates awful breath i know!) then the best way to improve his teeth is to get him chewing. Often, older dogs will chew less and then plaque sets in and then gums flare up and so its uncomfortable to chew and the problem just gets worse.
If you are finding that he isn't interested in chewing things then you'll need to up the stakes. For example, get him a roast beef knuckle from the pet shop - very tempting - or swop a meal a day for a chewy bone/pigs ear etc.
If you can get him using those back teeth you will find his dental health improving enormously and his bad breath will disappear.
Give your dog denta sticks, you can buy them in the local supermarket and one a day should do the trick!
Try a smoked marrow bone from pet shops most dogs love them.
try hills T-D biscuits. they are a special type of dried food you can get and they are designed to only break when the tooth has pierced the whole kibble meaning that it scrapes the tooth right up to the gum taking away any plaque. You don't need to feed it on it's own, just a small handle every now and then mixed in with the food should be suficient. another tips is to try the tooth paste but scrub using some tights. Wierd i no. Just wrap enough around your finger and use that. It's much less invasive to you pet.
As has been suggested earlier, dentistix are a good idea, they can keep the plaque down.
If your dog's teeth are bad it might be a good idea to get the vet to give him a thorough tooth clean to start you off before you begin. It's much easier to keep teeth clean if they aren't already too bad, plus it'll be less uncomfortable for your dog.
Most dogs hate having their teeth cleaned, so you're not alone.
Start by stroking his muzzle. Give him a treat when he lets you. The idea is to slowly get him used to the idea of you touching around his mouth.
When he gets used to this, lift up his lip to expose the teeth before giving him the treat.
The next stage is to get a small amount of the toothpaste and put it on to his teeth and allow him to lick it off.
Then start brushing, but only for a couple of seconds before stopping and praising him.
Then build up the time you brush for.
ABOVE ALL - BE GENTLE! And remember, don't be too hard on yourself or your dog if it doesn't go too well at first, or he has an off-day, or it takes longer for him to accept the teeth cleaning than you'd hoped. It happens, just remember that every little bit of a contribution towards cleaning his teeth, the healthier his mouth will be.
Good luck.
I started to clean my dogs teeth with canine toothpaste when we got him as a pup because my last dog died of cancer in the mouth - it was a knee jerk reaction because I knew it wouldn't stop something like cancer but it makes me feel so much better knowing that I am doing all I can.
The toothpaste I use for my dog is poultry flavoured and he loves it. He isn't great at letting me use the brush, he is trying too hard to lick the toothpaste but he does let me rub it along his teeth on the end of my finger and since it is enzymic it cleans just by being there. He is also fed dried food which has 'oral care' properties. He loves apple and carrot to chew and also rawhide sticks which all help.
He is 5 and his teeth are white and perfect to look at but the one thing we do not do is throw him stones - a sure way to damage teeth AND gums.
P.S. My cat who is a lot older will not tolerate a tooth brush at all and it not easy to get a cat to let you rub its teeth or gums so I put toothpaste on some of his dried food kibbles and he happily eats them crunching and cleaning at the same time. If you can get a toothpaste your dog likes the taste of then that might work for nim too.
keep trying :-)
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