Cleaning our dog's teeth at home(?)

[Tallbald]

Growing up we had both American Randombreds (my name for mixed breeds) and purebred Rottweilers. This was the early 1970's before the recession stripped my parents of their jobs and almost our very home, and my parents spared no expense within reason caring for our dogs. Never did I ever hear of our dog's teeth being cleaned by our vet. Nor even to my knowledge was teeth cleaning suggested. Times do change.
Friends, it is quite expensive to have a vet clean dog teeth. In the neighborhood of $350+ dollars per dog. And given that they must be anesthetized to perform the cleaning it can be dangerous. Wow. Much money for a fixed income family of retirees.
We bought teeth scraping tools from Amazon with the intention of trying to scraping our beloved dog's teeth but have not gained the courage to attempt it yet. We expect it will be a struggle.
Other dog owners here may have suggestions. Are there any truly effective teeth cleaning treats, toys or methods we may be missing? My daughter says she occasionally let's her dogs have rawhide bones but tries to minimize them due to chemicals and bacteria she learned the rawhide contains.
Just wondering if the broad base of knowledge here might have answers.
Thanks. Don

 

[TBear77]

Don,

What we did was get a 5/8" piece of soft poly rope at the hardware big box store. Tied a knot on each end, and toss it to the dogs. They use daily for games of tug-o-war and keep away; and it helps to floss their teeth in between vet visits. We can tell by the difference in their "dog breath" that it does help. If you are going to try this trick, get the rope where there isn't a foam core...it shreds too quickly. It quickly became their favorite toy.

Ted

 

[hittman]

Ask your veterinarian or someone at Pet Smart (or similar store) for a doggie tooth brush and tooth paste.

My son has a 6 year old Belgian Malinios named Junior and he loves getting his teeth brushed.

The head of the tooth brush has a "V" shape to it so you brush inside and out at the same time. I think you put some tooth paste on the brush and let them lick it and then re-load the tooth brush and begin your work.

 

[Kevin]

We brush our dog's teeth from time to time at home. We just get a toothbrush and I get blizzard in a headlock and go to town. He doesn't mind too much really. Rainy doesn't like it very much though.

No people toothpaste, just a soft toothbrush and water.

They still, however, go to the vet for a teeth cleaning once a year.

 

[Tallbald]

Hmm. Taking notes and thanks. Don

 

[Kanook]

The wife.was a vet tech, for daily maintenance we use milk bones twice a day. My dog (past dogs also) get deer antlers for a chew. The antler works great at scrubbing and scraping the teeth clean.

Nothing will work as good as a true dental, but we can slow down the need for it.

As for trying dental work at home, no way. My dog is my friend and I will make sure that she gets the proper care. A simple slip can cause an infection and possibly death.

 

[gramps]

I use Brazilian beef rawhide daily. Milkbones in the evening. My dogs teeth are spotless. More dangerous to anesthetize than the few chemicals in the rawhide. Don't get them from CHINA!!! Good luck!
gramps

 

[roashooter]

Hittman...that's a great pic of a great dog.....thanks for posting

 

[kmoore]

I brush the dogs teeth with dog toothpaste and dog toothbrush about monthly. It's not that difficult. I have 110 lb Lab.

 

[bearman49709]

My vet recommended Milk Bone Brushing chews back in 2012 or 13. We give them one each day and the dog it was recommended for has not needed his teeth cleaned yet, and the other one had to have his cleaned last year.

 

[arfmel]

Dry "kibble" does a fairly good job of keeping my Ridgeback's teef clean.

 

[Uncle Howie]

My local meat market smokes bones when their smoker is running. I select pieces of what must be beef leg bones (femurs?). They have marrow, but virtually no fat on the outside.

These are much better than the similar-looking ones available from the big-box pet retailers, or even other meat markets in the area. The come refrigerated and wrapped in plastic. When you unwrap one, it smells absolutely delicious. The dogs seem to agree!

My Vet is in the same town, and she endorses them wholeheartedly as a treat which also provides dental care. She jokes that she's responsible in part for their popularity, and she should get a commission! Downside is that the prices have increased over the last 15-20 years, as the public "discovered" them.

Dry kibble and chewing the occasional smoke bone keep our dogs' teeth very clean. When I lost my yellow Labrador "Barley" at 13.5 years, he had almost no tartar on his teeth.

 

[vito]

The simplest and best solution is really quite basic and EASY. Start when a dog is a puppy. The dog will become used to, and allow without issue, you to put your fingers in their mouth and clean their teeth and gums. We use dog toothpaste that our dog loves the taste of. She thinks getting her teeth cleaned is a treat. We use a rubber finger thing (made for this purpose and often sold with the canine toothpaste) as the brush. Doing this regularly will keep their teeth healthy, especially when combined with making sure your dog gets the right food and treats. There are many "denta chews" and the like that can be used as "treats" that help maintain oral health. And I have never had a dog that did not allow us to clean their teeth as long as we took the time and effort to start doing this when they were very, very young.

However, while I am not a vet, the reality is that bad oral hygiene for a dog can lead to chronic gun infections that can actually cause or exacerbate heart disease and lead to a premature death of your pet, not to mention having to live with a dog with really bad breath and loss of teeth that affects the dog's ability to eat properly.

 

[Mokwaw]

I use dog treat called "Dentalife" got them at Walmart. They are a flavored hard chew and have a center ingredient for bad breath. My beagle "Puppy Girl" loves them and she is very picky, one per day keeps her mouth clean and fresh.

 

[WAYNO]

Beautiful Dog.

 

[powder smoke]

Had dogs my entire life Buster is a 13 Year old chocolate Lab. Max was prior to him and Boss was before max etc. Mans Best friend is the absolute truth! No I do not brush my
dogs teeth, he won't do mine why should I do his? He gets a good supply of bones and biscuits. Vet never complained or commented on any of my dogs teeth. ps

 

[ronto]

Are you searching for a heart of gold? Well, here it is.

 

[Poco Oso]

Ask your veterinarian or someone at Pet Smart (or similar store) for a doggie tooth brush and tooth paste.

My son has a 6 year old Belgian Malinios named Junior and he loves getting his teeth brushed.

The head of the tooth brush has a "V" shape to it so you brush inside and out at the same time. I think you put some tooth paste on the brush and let them lick it and then re-load the tooth brush and begin your work.

Beautiful dog! I'm a big fan of the Malinois breed. We also used the dog toothbrush/toothpaste on all four of our dogs. They'd come and sit in front of whomever had them as soon as they saw them. The vet recommended the brush and toothpaste after the first and only required cleaning. We also provided pig ears chews and dental dog biscuits.

 

[Taterman]

Beautiful dog! I'm a big fan of the Malinois breed. We also used the dog toothbrush/toothpaste on all four of our dogs. They'd come and sit in front of whomever had them as soon as they saw them. The vet recommended the brush and toothpaste after the first and only required cleaning. We also provided pig ears chews and dental dog biscuits.

Stupid question, but is the toothpaste edible? I've never brushed our dogs teeth (had her 2+ years). They can't rinse afterward like we do.

 

[Poco Oso]

Yes, it's edible. Same as human toothpaste. Some dogs like it, some don't. Tasted pretty bland to me. :mrgreen: