Dental care! One thing we always forget in our dog’s daily
lives. I’ll admit that I’m not the best at keeping up with it, but there are
many ways you can help take care of your dog’s teeth.
1)
Dentals at the vet are incredibly important,
especially for your smaller pups. Unfortunately, they were not blessed with
healthy teeth. Since their mouths are a lot smaller than a larger dog, they
tend to have more dental issues as their teeth are closer together. With a
small dog, it can be hard to tell if their mouths are in bad shape, and you
never know what’s lying underneath the gum line. As my chihuahuas get older, I
have started paying more attention to their teeth. Even though they’ve been fed
a raw diet (which kept their teeth pearly white and healthy all their lives),
genetics are genetics, and they still need dentals and daily brushing. When one
of my chihuahuas was 7 years old he had to have a dental because he had a loose
tooth. Little did I know, he needed 8 teeth pulled and 1 was infected. Yikes!
As we all know, dogs can hide pain really, well. So, moral of the story – even
if you don’t think your dog needs a dental, you could be wrong! They may be
expensive, but they are vital for keeping your pet healthy.
2)
Diet. If you have been told “kibble is what
cleans the teeth,” I hate to break it to you, but that’s far from the truth.
Your dog does not need the “crunchiness” to clean its teeth. What happens if
you eat an Oreo? Do you get cookie bits jammed in your teeth? Been there, and
that is not what I consider cleaning my teeth. If anything, I NEED to brush
them right after. The same concept goes for a dog eating kibble. It’s a
complete myth. Honestly, who knows where that myth even started?! Anyway, raw
diets are what help keep your pet’s teeth clean. It’s what they were designed
to eat! Raw has natural enzymes that help keep your pet’s teeth clean. Plus,
chewing on raw bones helps as well.
3)
Prevention! Start as soon as possible! We have
so many products when it comes to preventing and keeping your dog’s teeth pearly
white! From sprays and gels to water additives. All these options make it so
easy! Water additives are the easiest for my pups, especially when I forget to
brush their teeth! Every day that I refill their water bowl I just add a few
pumps of Zymox Water Additive and Ta-Da! That doesn’t mean I can stop brushing
their teeth, though. The enzymes in the water additive may be doing a wonderful
job, but it is not brushing. I use the Petzlife Gel - pump it onto a toothbrush
and brush my pet’s teeth. Once finished brushing, they get a few drops of Earth
Animals Daily Oral Care and Voila! Done. I can honestly say, doing this every
single night truly helped my chihuahua’s mouth. The plaque was getting bad, and
I forced myself to make it a habit every night to brush his teeth before bed,
and after a couple of weeks the plaque was literally falling off. It was amazing!
Don’t forget your pet needs those dentals! Check your dog’s
diet - are you feeding a biologically appropriate diet? And prevention,
prevention, prevention! Come in to Hungry Hound and we can find the perfect
product for your pup, because we understand not every dog is thrilled with
having their teeth brushed!