Dogs and Teeth Cleaning

Brush every morning, with products from Amazon Spain.

Not only shining whites but also nice breath too !!

I take my dogs to a groomer that does sonic cleaning, lot cheaper than vet bills and they are not sedated in fact my vet asked for the phone number he was that impressed

Previous two dogs had good teeth but current little girl hasn't got clean teeth and has twice had a clean with anesthetic and she's only 7. We've started cleaning her teeth but it's taken months of training, use toothpaste especially for dogs and a normal toothbrush. Tried all sorts of chews and powders but they never did much. We live near a branch of Luna and they managed her separation anxiety well and got her teeth really clean, which we're trying to maintain. I think she'll still need further cleans but hopefully not too often.

Used to use a finger brush, just like a firm glove finger when I had dogs. Cannot recall using any sort of paste or the likes. Started when digs were puppies and they just accepted having it done.

When we got our rescue gsd at 8 months her teeth were awful for a puppy so we tried everything without much success . As she grew she showed behavioural problems so we enlisted the help of a dog trainer who told us about chicken feet (dried) that you can buy from pet suppliers . She gets one as a treat 3/4 times a week and her teeth are great now.

Our dogs have rawhide chews. I have never had their teeth cleaned or tried to do it. Our last Goldie got to 14 and a half before he left us, with never any trouble. On the other hand our Bichon Frise (a rescue, came through a family member, not my choice of dog bless him!) had to have all his teeth out a couple of years ago - his first owners, who had special needs, fed him purely on human food, including Gaviscon and Paracetamol, poor little thing! My guess is that it depends what they're fed on. Too much processed human food may be a cause of problems in dogs - as it is in ourselves!

Rawhide chews are really dangerous for dogs. I don’t know of anyone that still uses them.

Have had three dogs; Dalmatian from birth to 14 - occasional tooth brushing, teeth fine all his life. Rescue Beagle from 9-12, occasional brushing whilst we had him, all OK. Elderly Collie (from a pup) - now almost 15 - kibble diet, lots of raw veg and regular brushing … all teeth rotted, 3 expensive extraction sessions at vets (only two teeth left which I still brush!). Likely Raine’s Syndrome 🫤

It’s important not the beat yourself up about dogs teeth many years ago we had two dogs A collie and a Belgian shepherd. The teeth of both dogs lasted a lifetime without decay. BUT one had a lovely white grin, the other not so attractive. Both fed identically mainly natural foods reckon a lot depends on the dog, ph and biome of the mouth etc

My partner and I have had 20+ dogs over the years. We've never cleaned their teeth. However, we've always had fresh beef knuckle bones from butchers for the dogs to exercise their jaws and teeth on. Also, none of our dogs have had commercially produced dog food entirely in their diets. Most of their diet has consisted of raw meat and a mix of cooked pasta and vegetables and just a few dog biscuits mixed in as a treat that I've regularly prepared for them.

We lived in Turkiye for 6 years and used to go to the local markets late in the day and collected the free trimmings from vegetable stalls and butchers for our 9 dogs. The dogs only ever saw a vet once a year for their regular vaccinations and she used to come to us to save us traipsing all the way into town with the dogs. There was no extra charge for the house call.

I have a Yorkie that I rehomed , I was told there suffer with bad teeth, I had her teeth cleaned once ( 18 months ago)as she had plaque quite badly on them, since then I have cleaned her teeth every other the evening and they are still plaque free

Nandalot

We bought the stuff you put in water to clean their teeth but haven’t used it yet. Our contrary cockapoo prefers to drink from the watering cans outside and ignores the clean bowl of water and expensive pet water fountain inside. It is such a pain as we have to let her outside in the foulest weather when she is thirsty. So far vet is pleased with her teeth.

That’s fascinating! What sort of water supply do you have? Would it be hard, soft, full of agricultural nitrates or whatever? Clearly she prefers rainwater.

This is a very hard thread for me to read. 2 weeks ago my 13 year old cockapoo hD hos second expensive dental operation due to vet identifying gum disease and tooth decay. He now has only 9 teeth left.
Have I been caught out by a money-spinning vet trick? Maybe. BUT after surgery his whole temperament has improved. He was becoming a worryingly surly, unfriendly dog and is now his old affectionate, cheerful self again, bounding about like a puppy. Today at a motorway service station he let a little girl come and stroke him without snapping at her which he would certainly have done a month ago.
We feel he must have been in a lot of pain.
I’m aiming to try to save the last 9 teeth with brushing, enzymatic toothpaste (whatever that is), dental powder in his food, additive to his drinking water.
I have been told that some breeds are more prone to tooth decay - so maybe it’s a poodle thing.
Also I’d say check all treats for ingredients- some include sugar.

Some years ago when we had dogs we used to clean their teeth with a normal toothbrush and power toothpaste. Our vet at the time told us to do this.

We clean our dog’s teeth every day with a toothbrush and dog toothpaste. He doesn’t seem to mind, we did start when he was a puppy

I’ve never cleaned any of my dogs teeth, each dog has a large cold raw carrot from the fridge each day, my vet has complimented me on my dogs healthy teeth a few times.

I have never had a dog whose teeth I could clean. A friend recommended this, which is fantastic, much less plaque and his breath, while not a bed of roses, no longer strips paint. Give it a try. You use a tiny amount - half you little finger nail so it lasts forever. bit.ly/45Y4eA0

My vet comments my dogs teeth are extremely clean at 9 years old. I put it down to her love of chewing those hard plastic bone toys

I no longer have a dog but have never cleaned a dog's teeth before. I tried to clean my cat's teeth once on vet advice but never again !!!! My cat has the dental treats and they seem to do the trick.

From what I remember it was never suggested that animal teeth be cleaned. I wonder if it's because of the food we feed them these days that make their teeth more vulnerable.

Have never cleaned any of my dogs teeth. Animals in the wild dont clean their teeth. Its just another money making exercise.

I recently saw a You Tube natural remedy. Coconut oil rubbed into gums. It softens plaque. I meet many dog walkers and mentioned this to one owner who said that he puts the coconut oil on the kibble. Duh! I thought I would try rubbing this on my gums and on a tooth that dental hygienist couldn't remove discolouration from. I am amazed at the result both on the Westie and my own oral hygiene!

Glad you reminded me about that. I’m going to rub some on Winnie’s canines which are getting very discoloured.

Nandalot

We bought the stuff you put in water to clean their teeth but haven’t used it yet. Our contrary cockapoo prefers to drink from the watering cans outside and ignores the clean bowl of water and expensive pet water fountain inside. It is such a pain as we have to let her outside in the foulest weather when she is thirsty. So far vet is pleased with her teeth.

Sounds like our dogs are related Nandalot. Our cocker has adopted the garden water feature as her bowl-it’s just water bubbling over a stone, nothing added to the water-but it’s turned off at this time of year much to her disgust. She ignores the clean indoor water bowl so we’ve put one just outside on the back step,like you we have to let her out to drink, whatever the weather.
We also tried an indoor fountain, she ignored that too.

Toothbrushes and enzymatic toothpaste each morning! The current 2 stand on my knees whilst being done and get a little blob on their nose afterwards as a reward.

Having paid for a descale on an elderly dog, with all the risks that involved, I started cleaning my dogs teeth every night at bedtime with enzymatic dog toothpaste and a silicone brush. It has become part of night time routine and the dog loves the flavour. If you get a puppy you should start this from day one which we did with the younger dog, along with trimming claws. It’s not much effort to prevent dental disease which can affect other organs in the body not just the teeth and gums. But the dog toothpaste is expensive. I tried adding seaweed (plaque off) to the food and didn’t really feel it helped but I know it works for some.