Taking care of your dog’s teeth is just as important as taking care of your own.
Your dog can’t tell you when there’s a problem in their mouth.
Here are some tips to utilize to help prevent your dog from getting an oral infection.
Canine Dentistry: How Your Pup Can Avoid Oral Infections
Use a Pet Branded Toothpaste
Regular brushing is a good thing to start with your dog when they’re a puppy.
You can make it a little easier by purchasing a toothbrush that is designed with pets in mind.
The most common is the finger brush.
This is where it slips over the end of your finger so that you have more control when you’re brushing their teeth.
Another thing that’s important is to use a toothpaste that’s safe for your dog.
Regular toothpaste isn’t meant to be swallowed. Purchase a pet version to make your task easier.
Schedule Regular Checkups
Checkups are an important part of maintaining your dog’s health.
Seeing a vet specialist may be the right route for you to take.
They have the training and experience to ensure that your dog is in the best possible shape.
Some vets even offer a service to clean your dog’s teeth.
This would involve a more thorough cleaning than the one that you do at home.
They would also be checking to ensure that there aren’t any problems in your dog’s mouth.
Hard Food Is Best
Hard dog food is really the best choice when selecting the right brand of food.
Soft food is more likely to cling to their teeth.
This can cause cavities to develop if it isn’t cleaned off in a timely fashion.
The scraping action of the harder food also helps to remove some of the built-on tartar that accumulates in between deep cleanings.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t ever feed your dog anything soft.
Just be mindful to do so in limited quantities.
Purchase Specialized Chew Toys
There are toys and dog treats that can also act as a way to keep your dog’s teeth clean.
Some of these dog treats will help with doggy breath.
Anything that encourages your dog to chew will act to remove much of the buildup on their teeth.
Having clean teeth will be the biggest deterrent against developing oral infections.
This will prevent you from having to spend a bundle at the vet having rotted or infected teeth removed.
The best time to start dental hygiene practices is as a puppy.
If you can’t or didn’t do this, there are other alternatives to protect your dog from painful dental infections.
Janet W.
Tuesday 5th of February 2019
These are great tips! We give our dog hard food so it helps to remove tartar buildup.
Trisha McKee
Friday 8th of June 2018
I have two bulldogs and this is so important. Thank you for sharing this. The list helps.
Mia Rose
Friday 8th of June 2018
Better to take these precautions now and not have problems or big vet bills in the future.
rochelle haynes
Friday 8th of June 2018
Thanks for the tips will do
Ally Gibson
Friday 8th of June 2018
Good advice! I always feed my dog hard food and give her chewy dental treats once or twice a day. She's only 3 but so far I don't see any dental problems as her teeth always look clean.