Your Dog's Oral Hygiene

By Joseph Devine

Have you ever considered brushing your dog's teeth? It may sound crazy at first, but when you think about it, why wouldn't you brush your dog's teeth? You brush your own teeth every day. If you don't brush your teeth, your oral hygiene suffers. The same is true for your dog. You may already be taking your dog in for a dental cleaning once a year, but this might not be enough. Imagine never brushing your own teeth, but going to the dentist once a year to remove built up plaque. That is similar to what your dog is going through.

The good news is that you can help your dog's oral hygiene fairly easily. If you feed dry food instead of wet, the broken kibble will do part of the job of keeping your dog's teeth clean on a daily basis. To supplement that, you can brush your dog's teeth approximately once a week.

You may think that it would be better to brush your dog's teeth every day. After all, you brush your teeth every day. However, this is similar to your bathing situation. While you shower every day, it would be bad for your dog's health if he or she were bathed on a daily basis. Just like your dog's hair and skin are different from yours, his or her teeth and mouth are different as well. Brushing your dog's teeth once a week Is all that his or her oral hygiene really requires.

Now you may be wondering how to go about brushing your dog's teeth. Your local veterinarian or pet store should have canine toothbrushes and toothpaste. The toothpaste is generally flavored so that your dog will enjoy the process. There are also different types of toothbrushes. Some resemble a normal human toothbrush, while others are finger gloves. You should get whatever is more comfortable and easier to use for you.

Once you have everything you need to brush your dog's teeth, it is a fairly simple process. Unlike with your own teeth, you do not actually have to brush your dog's teeth. All that you really have to do is spread the toothpaste on your dog's teeth to coat them. Once that is done, your dog will lick the toothpaste off of his or her own teeth. This completes the process. Your dog licking the toothpaste away is enough to keep the teeth clean. This will keep your dog's mouth much healthier, especially when combined with the yearly cleaning.

If you have more questions about your dog's dental hygiene, you should contact your local Miami Veterinarian Clinic by clicking here.

Joseph Devine