Doggie Dental Care
^{by Tracy Smith}

Dental care is very important to your dog's overall health. Neglected teeth can lead to some of the same health problems that it can cause in humans, such as periodontal disease. And just like in humans, the bacteria can enter the blood stream and cause other diseases of the heart, liver and kidneys. It's important to have your vet check your dogs teeth and mouth at least once a year. Sometimes it may be necessary for a professional cleaning. This is done in the vet's office and it is basically the same as what we get when we have a cleaning done at the dentist's office. Of course it is stressful for our dogs so the normal course is to sedate the dog for the procedure.

Brush those Teeth

Regular brushing of your dog's teeth will help promote good dental health. It can also help to avoid the need for professional cleaning so often. A puppy can be trained to accept dental care if you do it frequently and keep the sessions short and fun. Adult dogs can also be taught to accept it, but it may take a little longer. The taste of the tooth paste can help a lot. Dogs cannot spit, so human tooth paste can be dangerous for them. There are plenty of tooth pastes out there that are made specifically for dogs. They are safe to swallow and many of them are flavored for your dog's enjoyment. Molly and Jake like chicken flavored tooth paste. You'll find a link at the end of this article to a good on-line source for doggie dental care products.

There are a number of different types of tooth brushes designed for dogs. I don't think that the specific design is all that important, other than it is one the dog will be comfortable with. There are regular looking brushes as well as finger brushes. The finger brushes are sort of like finger puppets and they may be easier to control.

Some Tooth Brush Alternatives

Some dogs just don't take to brushes at all. Especially older dogs. There are a number of other dental products that can help your dog maintain good dental health even if he refuses a brushing.

There are dental pads or wipes that are easy to use. They are made with ingredients to help promote healthy teeth and gums, reduce bad breath and help fight plaque build up.

There are doggie breath mints or tabs. Many of these have time released ingredients so they help to neutralize odors for long periods of time.

You can also find dental sprays that you just spray into the dog's mouth and liquid breath fresheners that you add to your dog's drinking water. Regular use of these liquids helps make professional cleaning easier, faster and gentler because they help remove built up tartar and plaque.

Greenies are very popular, but I must ask you not to use them. Dogs have died of intestinal obstruction and some have choked. If the dog doesn't chew throughly it is very risky to feed Greenies to your dog.