[ms.daisy]

When I first noticed our puppy having foul-smelling breath from the mouth, I got to talking with his trainer and he said that I should brush my puppy's teeth every other day or so.

This morning we headed over to the dental hygiene aisle and there were a lot of dental gadgets and things there. There was even dog biscuits labeled breath mint (i guess this acts like breath freshener in people).

Just curious though, I still have to figure everything out. Can somebody please tell us what's the best to use for a dog's dental regimen?

 

[Snoopy]

I know of a lot of dog owners who use the fingertip toothbrush and I am also using it because I am assuming that it's much better than the regular doggie toothbrush.

I have a friend who feds her dog with a raw diet and she said that there has never been an incidence of dental problems since she started with it. I also give raw bones (chicken neck) once or twice a week because it keeps their teeth and gums clean.

 

[cece]

There's this glove with a brush on the index finger. It protects your hands from becoming messy. Tom and Tweetums love the chicken-flavored toothpaste so you need to do the brushing quickly before they lick it off. Anyways, I think it will still do them good because our vet said the toothpaste are laden with enzymes that will protect the teeth from decay and help remove tartar from the teeth.

 

[MuzzlesMom]

More often than not, dogs need to get used to the idea of regular tooth brushing. Lucky are the owners whose dogs allow them to brush their teeth anytime and pity those who were nipped once or twice and have to race after their pooches during tooth brush time =)

 

[oceangypsy]

Dogs that eat a primarily wet food diet are more prone to dental problems. Brushing and offering chews such as raw hide is a good idea. Please remember to go easy on the raw hide as too much can cause problems also.

 

[BigBys]

Dogs also need to get used to the taste of the toothpaste and the actual brushing of the teeth. The vet's advice was to squeeze a pea size amount of toothpaste on my finger tip and let my dog lick it off until he is familiar with the smell and the taste. Then I go further by rubbing the paste on its teeth until he will allow me to brush his teeth.

The vet said the toothpaste contains enzymes that can target the plaque and break them up.

 

[oceangypsy]

What type of toothpaste are you using? Hopefully one that is made for dogs. I would think that the dog will eventually get used to it, just need to be persistent.

 

[Orrymain]

I never know what to buy when I go, and I've purchased different products over the years. My dogs just don't cooperate, though.