September 15th, 2011
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Must you do this? Aren’t yearly tooth cleanings with your vet enough? Yes and no, respectively. Great dog owners brush their dogs’ teeth every day from puppyhood. Buy a vet-recommended brand of paste and brush. Then brush consistently and gently, according to package directions. (Yes, it gets easier as your dog gets resigned to toothbrushing sessions.)
As your dog ages, the importance of dental health increases and her degree of tolerance for anesthesia decreases. Good lifetime dental hygiene means you should never have to decide between the danger of anesthesia and the toxic effects of an infected tooth. Helen Fazio and her dog, Raja, are world travelers. Click here to visit their blog, and click here to follow them on Twitter. |
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An even better option would be to feed your dog a species appropriate raw diet!
Raw meat and bones keep the teeth nice and clean w/out expensive vet visits and the danger of sedation.
Before toothpaste there was baking soda (which is also used for stomach problems making it fine to swallow). I add beef or chicken bouillon sprinkles to it for flavoring and use a baby toothbrush.