1. Brush your dog's teeth twice a-day. You know when your mother used to lecture you about brushing your teeth twice a day? Well... that goes for animals too. Organic Toothpaste is recommended, but isn't required.
- Buy a toothpaste that contains your dog's FAVORITE flavor.
- You will need to also buy a brush.
- You may need a friend to help keep your dog still!
- Avoid human toothpaste as dogs don't like the minty flavour (and it contains foaming agents which are not designed to be swallowed)
2. Take care with bones. If you are keen on using them then use with care - avoid cooked bones, use large hard cannon bones that are less likely to be swallowed, and remove the bone from the dog once the meat has been removed. Once the dog starts chewing on the actual bone, they are at risk of dental fractures (not to mention constipation/ obstruction/ gut perforation if they swallow bone fragments).
3. Use Veterinary Oral Health Council (www.VOHC.org) approved diets and/or treats that have been shown to reduce the formation or tartar and/or plaque. A lot of products on the market make dental claims but often are more of a gimmick/ marketing ploy. The VOHC products have been tested under strict guidelines and have a proven benefit. This website lists both diets and treats. Ideally use a product that has a whole mouth effect rather than relying on a mechanical action alone (which only works on the chewing teeth). Speak to your vet for more information. If treats are used instead of diet, they should be used on a daily basis in order to be effective. Ideally treats and diet are used in conjunction with tooth brushing for the best effect.
4. Use mouthwash. Mouthwash should be used after brushing. However you need to use dog mouthwash, and not people mouthwash.
5. Say bye bye to table food! Table food is no good for dogs, and that means their teeth too.
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