Cleaning Dog's Teeth

J

jonnyB

Well-known member
A current article in "Gun Dog" discusses cleaning your dog's teeth.

Wondering how many of you use a brush and routinely clean teeth? Weekly...monthly?

What say you?
 
I have some old dentist instruments, and pick/scrape the tarter off every 3-4 months. Seems to work for us.
 
Tried it w/ my dogs. Exercises in futility. One school of thought was, "Start them young & they'll get used to it." Right. A little springer puppy knows EXACTLY what to do w/ a toothbrush in his mouth. Chew it & play w/ it. Impossible to get any cleaning done. Older dogs just hate it.

Periodically, if my 11-yr-old daughter thinks Buzz's breath is bad, she'll whip out a toothbrush & give it a whirl. Turns into a game for both of them & nothing constructive is accomplished. I sit & laugh.

That's my experience. I'm sure there are some owners with the stamina to keep it up & some dogs who'll put up w/ it. But so far, that's not me & it's not my dogs.

Good luck!
 
Have had success with "Benebone" a nylon bone that is peanut butter flavored. Very tough to destroy and it seems to do an adequate job in keeping the teeth in good condition.

I also use a dentist tool about quarterly; the dog doesn't like it, but we do it anyway.

Can't say I've ever tried the brushing routine...he could use Listerine once in a while to cut the breath odor!
 
As he is aging, sometimes Mick (ESS) is reluctant to eat his evening meal. I checked teeth--even got some dog dentistry tools, including a mirror--to aid in the search for tooth issues. He's 14+ and there was some plaque on his canines and I tried scraping it down. Made me wince and him squirm.

Tried, with some noticeable success, stuff from Petlite "Oral Care Gel," which I basically just rub on his teeth. It's sort of the consistency of not-quite jelled Jello. The bottle I grabbed is peppermint flavor...don't think it makes a difference. I try and keep him from licking it off for the first minute or two. Reduced the plaque a bit--and made him go: "nwargh nwargh nwargh", wondering what inscrutable punishment I'm pursuing now. :)

I just grabbed this stuff and this brand, but as I recall, there were other brands. I just did it a couple of times a week for a while...not scrupulously...so can't say what a rigid regime would do.

Usually, I just annoy the dog long enough so that by 10 pm, he's hungry enough to eat.

Tinker, GWP, on the other hand, approaches all food like she has never eaten before and this might be her last chance. She's just turned four, so minimal plaque, if any on her teeth.

Best wishes.
 
Both our current dogs get their teeth brushed 5 or more times per week. They don’t mind it. Didn’t start Young with either one.
 
2 sometimes 3 times per week with one of those battery powered toothbrushes. Yep both dogs let me do it. plus i spray the teeth with Dentahex oral rinse after each meal.
 
The vet gave me a brush for that but I don't do it. I do have the vet clean as needed.
 
jonnyB said:
A current article in "Gun Dog" discusses cleaning your dog's teeth.

Wondering how many of you use a brush and routinely clean teeth? Weekly...monthly?

What say you?
Click to expand...

Have mine get complete cleaning from vet once a year—really Believe it helps with health and longevity —JMO—
 
Mine get a small rawhide chip/chew after the evening meal. Been doing this for decades. Every once in a great while I may have to scrape a tartar build up on a molar. Some of them seem to chew mostly on one side. Otherwise, no tooth problems.

I do get rawhide chips from United States-grown beefhide, manufactured with no artificial chemicals or preservatives. I think they are made in Chicago.

YMMV.
 
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