what is safe to brush dogs teeth with

I Admit I Don't Brush My Dog's Teeth

Yup, you read that right – I. Practice. Non. Brush. My. Canis familiaris'south. Teeth.

I've received a lot of flack for this argument.

I've heard things similar. "Y'all're lazy", "Y'all're selfish". "You obviously don't care about your dogs" and "Your dog is going to die" (yes, seriously).

If people actually knew me though, and how spoiled and well taken care of my dogs are, I don't recall they would say that. But it got me thinking… am I the simply 1 that doesn't brush my dog'southward teeth?

Heck no!

According to the American Veterinarian Medical Association, only 1% of domestic dog owners brush pet's teeth regularly. (Source)

That ways there are a whole lot of people out there also not brushing their dog's teeth.

UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 30,2018

Disclaimer: A thorough dental cleaning nether anesthesia, and brushing your dog's teeth, is considered the "gilded standard" by veterinarians for maintaining your pup'southward oral health. I am not challenge that there is a direct replacement for that. However, some people don't brush their domestic dog's teeth, or choose not to put their dogs under anesthesia (for health or personal reasons), then I wanted to share my experience with alternate methods that are amend than doing cipher at all. I'm a passionate canis familiaris Mom, not a veterinarian.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. That means we go a few pennies every fourth dimension yous click a link and make a purchase.

Information technology'due south Not That I Don't Care About Their Dental Health

Yeah, I know that a build up of plaque and tartar can lead practice gum illness, missing teeth, and affliction.

The thing is that I accept a hard enough time committing to brushing my own teeth every twenty-four hours.

Wait, I dear my dogs but I know myself good plenty to know that it simply isn't going to happen. I've tried.

I bought a finger toothbrush and yummy vanilla toothpaste before to try and castor their teeth with. That lasted about one time.

Both dogs absolutely hated it. I didn't enjoy it much either and I didn't have the time or patience to "go them used to it".

I bought sprays and gels with "active enzymes" but the struggle with prying open stiff Doxie jaws while trying to shoot the stuff into their mouth always resulted with more goop on me than in them.

Think Something Nearly Mary crossed with The Exorcist. (You know my dramatization isn't likewise far off if you accept a Dachshund)

I do pay attending to their teeth though. I go how of import a pet's dental health is.

Since I think doing something is amend than nothing, and I want to encourage others to take that showtime step along with me, I'chiliad sharing the two things I do to try and go on my canis familiaris'due south teeth clean and gums healthy.

Our Habitation Routine for Cleaner Teeth

Afterward some inquiry and testing, I found a petty at-dwelling house teeth cleaning routine that works for the states.

The showtime step in the routine is to sprinkle Plaque Off on Chester and Gretel's food daily.

This softens the plaque on their teeth so that information technology scrapes off easier when they chew on things. I am non sure how it works because the label says it'due south only kelp flakes but information technology does.

Information technology gets the plaque soft enough that sometimes I can scrape a fleck off with my fingernail when we are snuggling on the couch.

While Plaque Off softens the tartar, I find it doesn't remove it (although I've heard some people claim that it did for their canis familiaris).

To actually remove the plaque, I need to requite my dogs something abrasive to chew on every day.

I tried giving them raw, compact bones. I'd heard people rave about them – that chewing on the bones every day keep their canis familiaris's teeth sparkly white.

That didn't work for us though.

I tried both chicken and turkey necks but Gretel literally tried to gulp them down whole similar a snake.

I tried rib bones simply Chester and Gretel chip off whole chunks and swallowed them, which made me concerned about a potential abdominal blockage.

I tried chicken anxiety and chicken drumsticks but I felt the calories in them were too loftier for x-lb dogs.

I tried giving them antlers with non much success. Chester and Gretel had zero interest in chewing on plain ol' antlers.

Plus I had heard stories of dog's breaking their molar on an antler or, worse, the antler splintering and a shard piercing their dog'southward gums.

I tried softening them.

How do you lot soften deer antlers for a dog y'all ask? Information technology'due south piece of cake.

I soaked them in low-sodium chicken broth, or bone broth, for 24-48 hours.

Not but did that make them a bit softer for chewing, it infused them with an extra bit of flavor.

Even so, they nevertheless lost interest in the antlers fast so I moved on to something else.

I went back to giving them a corking stick to chew on for a few minutes every mean solar day. I know they similar the taste and, as long as they are supervised, I feel they are prophylactic chewing on them.

Occasionally, for an extra treat and wellness boost, I dip the terminate in organic coconut oil.

Coconut oil can help keep their gums and teeth healthy because information technology has natural anti-bacterial properties (some DIY canis familiaris toothpaste recipes use kokosnoot oil equally a base of operations).

I may endeavor raw, meaty bones again someday if I can find something that works for united states of america but, for now, I'm staying with the bully sticks.

Aye, calories are still an issue with the not bad stick merely my dogs don't swallow much of it in the 10 minutes I allow them chew on it.

What Nosotros Go Done Professionally: Anesthesia-Free Dog Teeth Cleaning

If my dog needed to have serious dental work washed, I would pay to have them cleaned under anesthesia.

However,  the thought of putting my 15-year sometime senior dog, Chester, under anesthesia when the vet did not say information technology was medically necessary was a piffling unnerving.

I had heard about "anesthesia-costless" teeth cleaning through a friend.

I researched it and found information technology did a expert job cleaning a dog'due south teeth but that information technology's non as thorough equally a deep cleaning with anesthesia.

Since I was only going for "mostly clean" (because, recollect, I'chiliad using this method in the identify of brushing, which also merely gets a dog'south teeth "mostly clean"), that was ok with me.

I too heard information technology was cheaper than cleaning under anesthesia – only $165 – But information technology is recommended that it exist done twice a yr… so it's non that much cheaper, if at all.

Read: How Much Does It Cost to Go'due south Your Dog'southward Teeth Cleaned? (read the comments for reports from around the land)

Notation: Anesthesia-free teeth cleaning is very controversial. To understand the arguments, and my thoughts on them, read my article Anesthesia-Free Teeth Cleaning is Not Evil.

I thought I would give anesthesia-complimentary teeth cleaning a shot since Chester had no existing tooth or gum problems.

He was also a proficient candidate because he is a calm guy that loves people – fifty-fifty if they are poking him with precipitous objects – then the procedure could likely be done while he was awake.

All the Best Pet Care in Seattle has a doggy dentist technician, who is overseen by a veterinarian, that visits once a month and performs this anesthesia-free dental cleaning and then I made an appointment.

The vet said Chester did very well (I wasn't allowed in the room with him because he might continue looking at me and not relax).

When he came out of the back room he was all waggy tail and had sparkling white teeth.

I was happy with the results. Here is the before and subsequently so you can be the judge (pictures unedited except for the watermark).

Chester's Teeth Before

Chester's Teeth After

At first, I was hesitant to get Gretel's teeth cleaned this fashion.

Her teeth are worse than Chester's though so she needed some kind of cleaning. She is just so anxious I was afraid she would go super, super stressed.

I told him nearly her anxiety and he still thought he could do it. He said if she got as well stressed, he would just terminate.

After giving her some CBD to help calm her downward, we gave it a attempt and, to my amazement, the vet said she was calmer than happy-go-lucky Chester.

How Are Their Teeth Doing?

Chester and Gretel had a checkup of their teeth last year at the vet.

The vet was amazed at how clean Chester's teeth were and that they looked healthy. That's pretty amazing for a small-scale dog (which are known for having teeth issues) at xv!

Gretel'southward teeth accept always been a little worse than Chester'southward even though she is younger than him. Still though, I ask my vet every time we become in if I should take her teeth professionally cleaned and she said they weren't at the betoken of needing it.

Are their teeth gleaming and white? No.

Still, I'thousand convinced that the home routine, and occasional anesthesia-free cleaning, is ameliorate than doing nothing.

In fact, I might argue that it's simply as – or nigh as skillful as – brushing your canis familiaris'southward teeth.

What exercise you exercise for your dog's dental wellness?

grantprather.blogspot.com

Source: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/i-dont-brush-my-dogs-teeth-i-did-this-instead/