42 Shiny Whites

How to Keep Them Clean and Healthy

When I first heard about people brushing their dog’s teeth I thought they were going a little bit too far. Then I found out that my mother brushes her little Sheltie’s teeth. Well, I guess I can’t call my mon crazy so I figured I better find out what everybody already seemed to know.

I got on the phone with my vet, as I recommend everyone do before they begin doing something to their dog they know little to nothing about. Did you know that your dogs get their permanent teeth about 4 months of age? Signs of gum disease (tartar accumulation, redness of the gums and bad breath) show in 80% of dogs by 3 years of age. In fact, my veterinarian said this is the most common of all dog ailments (gum or periodontal disease). Of course we all know what would happen to our own teeth if we didn’t brush them so I guess this only makes sense. However, I never even thought about my dog’s teeth. Now when my vet said that regular brushing and proper diet can help reduce the risk to my dog, you bet I listened.

I went out to the nearest pet supply store and bought a doggy toothbrush and doggy toothpaste as recommended by my vet. (Recommendations by my vet, Dr. Jon: toothbrush designed just for a dog or ultra-soft brush designed for people. Only use toothpaste designed for dogs. The fluoride in people’s toothpaste can cause an upset stomach in dogs as they do not spit it out after brushing. Stay away from dog toothpaste with sugar in it’s ingredients.)

Now that we have all the supplies, how do we go about this brushing? Slowly and gently! Start with an introduction phase. Start by gently playing with your dog’s mouth. Gently stick your finger in his/her mouth and rub his/her teeth. Let your dog see, sniff, and lick the new toothbrush. Put some peanut butter or garlic on the toothbrush and let your dog get it into his mouth while you are holding onto the other end. This will get him/her accustom to the texture of the brush and having it in his mouth. When your dog is comfortable with these new things your can introduce the toothpaste.

Begin with adding a little toothpaste to your finger and rubbing it around on his/her teeth. Next day, add the toothpaste and toothbrush together. In the beginning here don’t worry so much if you aren’t getting every tooth covered. You want to keep this a pleasurable experience for you and your dog. Slowly do more teeth each time you brush. Stop brushing while our dog is still enjoying what you are doing and praise your dog at the end of each session. Don’t make this a stressful process for you or your dog. Neither of you will want to brush his/her teeth! With time and patience your dog is eventually going to look forward to having his teeth brushed.

I try to make sure that I brush my dogs’ teeth at least every other day. It only takes a couple of minutes and is easy to do just before I brush my own teeth. Now a days, every night as I’m getting ready to brush my teeth before going to bed my dogs line up at the bathroom door to wait for their turn.

Originally written for German Shepherd Rescue in the UK

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