Friday, August 24, 2012

Brushing Teeth

Brushing a dog's teeth isn't an easy task, but the benefits are huge!  It will help prevent tooth loss over time, and it helps remove harmful bacteria that left alone, can spread to other organs and cause serious illnesses.  I picked up a dog teeth brushing kit at my local pet store, and away I went!  The toothpastes come in different flavors geared toward dog tastes.  I chose peanut butter because my guys LOVE it.  Please don't ever use human toothpaste,  it is upsetting to their stomachs.  I start by giving them a tiny lick of the paste off my finger, just to entice them.  The kit also came with a finger cap brush as well as a double sided toothbrush, with a different size brush on each end.  I know many people like the finger cap style, but it felt ineffective, having very small and rubbery bristles.  I have more control with the short side of the regular toothbrush.  The main focus should be on the outside (or the front) of the teeth.  It's less important to brush the backs.  It is not necessary to scrub either.  A quick, gentle passing over works.  A couple things I have learned to look for that could signal a dental issue in your dog are to watch how they chew food and treats.  If they are having some noticeable trouble, there could be something going on.  Also, bad breath is a symptom sometimes too.  We are still working up to doing teeth brushing regularly.  We're getting there though!  We have to keep Murray's mouth healthy so we can keep blogging!  ;)

The tools
What's this?


Yum!




Can't forget the fronts! (shh don't tell Murray his shaving box is behind him for tomorrow!)



12 comments:

  1. Those are some really great tips Murray! and you are doing such a great job!

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  2. Murray ~ Thanks for visiting my blog today. It is nice to meet you. I get my teeth brushed also.
    Sweet William The Scot

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  3. Mom always says she'll start brushing my teefs soon but she hasn't yet!!
    Woofs
    Cotton

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  4. Shaving box?!?! Don't let them do it Murray!!! :)

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  5. Murray.....look behind you boy. We know all about shaving boxes...even if we're girls. It happened to us yesterday.

    Thanks stopping by our blog. We love meeting new pups.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  6. I've had the brush a couple of times...it's not exactly my cup of tea and I made sure to tell Domeek! I'd much rather she just open the toothpaste cap and let me chew on the tube! ;-)

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  7. Murray
    You are much better at getting your teeth cleaned than us - perhaps that's the reason Dip only has 5!
    Dip Bridge and Elliot x

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  8. Well done Murray , we wont allow that so we have dried (yuk) food instead. Have a lovely Saturday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  9. Mom and dad brush our teeth every couple of days. We REALLY like our toothpaste and try to eat it while we are having our teeth brushed. We like the taste so much that we try to eat it off each other's teeth if we aren't getting brushed at the same time.

    Your friends,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  10. Moms brushes our teefers all the times, but Milo still had issues with his teefers (a story for another time)

    We loves our teefer paste... it tastes like chicken... or snake, cause snake tastes like chicken... so does turtle... and frog legs... so it tastes like something that tastes like chickens.

    Shelle, Milo, Dixie & Newby
    http://simpaticodreams.blogspot.com/

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  11. Toothbrushing, to be effective, has to be carried out regularly - ideally at least daily. In order to do this it cannot be a battle - it has to be enjoyable - both for your dog and for you!

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