How Often to Brush Dog’s Teeth?
We just adopted a 6 year old maltese chihuahua mix and his teeth and breath are disgusting. The vet said they could clean them for about.. for as it’s to expensive!
Is there anything else we could do? I’ve been brushing his teeth everyday now and looks like they do getting a bit better. I also heard that feeding them raw bones could make dogs teeth white and healthy. Also I hear that some pet remedies does help.
And what type of dog kibble would you recommend? Thanks!
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I never brush my dogs teeth, they are raw fed and the diet takes care of that for me.
Kibble has no teeth cleaning benefits, if it did our pets dental health wouldn’t be as bad as it is.
If you want to feed kibble feed a high quality one, Innova, Solid Gold, and Wellness are a few.
Raw meaty bones can be given a few times a week, or daily even if your dogs main diet is kibble. For a dog your size turkey necks, chicken thighs, chicken feet, things along those lines would be good. You can find them in the meats section at your local grocery store. Avoid products with added solutions though, it’ll say on the label. Also don’t feed raw and kibble in the same meal. They should be fed a few hours apart as they digest at different rates and this can lead to tummy upset.
Bones to avoid include anything cooked, and the large weight bearing bones of mammals such as cows, pigs etc.
Rawhides also do nothing for dental health. They leave a nasty film on the teeth. Not only that they are a risk for intestinal blockage as they are not digestable. Many brands of rawhides are also treated with nasty chemicals.
*Also wanted to say Bindi the dog in my avatar had teeth as brown as her coat when she was started on raw. The vet was recommending yearly dentals for her. A week into raw there was a huge improvement, now months later her teeth are as white as this page.
Dogs should have their teeth brushed daily. If you can’t manage that, a few times a week is still better than nothing. I know it’s a lot, but it really is worth it to have his teeth cleaned at the vet now and then brush to maintain his dental health.
I recommend doing a bit of research on BARF diets. You need to know not just about what kinds of products to give but how to store them and what to consider when purchasing.
I fed my dog Blue Buffalo, Ultra Holistic, and Natural Balance before I started cooking for her.
I’ve also heard that raw bones are good for dogs’ teeth. My trainer actually suggested that i replace a meal a week with a chicken drumstick. I know that dry food is always better than wet food for teeth; I don’t think brand really matters as far as that goes though. Just keep doin what you’re doing and have fun with your new dog
get a nylabone from a pet store to knock off the plaque. they also sell dog a toothpaste and toothbrush combination. also there are dog treats that will help with the bad breath issue. all together, no where near $450. i have raised and bred dogs for 30 + years and have never had issues, but i use the above methods
also, as for dog food, Purina or Pedigree
i give greenies once a week (wed) and brush teeth on the weekend one day. I would recommend eagle pack holistic for small breeds- my dog likes the duck flavor in the green bag.
just give it a couple Pisces of an apple a day, apples keep you dogs teeth clean i give my dog 2 slices a day (make sre it is not a whole apple
If your dog has a heavy accumulation of tartar on his teeth, no amount of tooth brushing will get rid of it – it needs to removed by the vet with an ultrasonic scaler. There is probably also some degree of gingival infection, which needs to be treated with antibiotics after the tartar is removed from under the gums. The dental cleanings are expensive because they require anesthesia (dogs don’t hold still), and after the tartar is removed, some of your dog’s teeth may need to be extracted if they have deep pockets or exposed roots.
After the dental, when your dog has nice shiny teeth again, brushing them will keep them that way, and it’s one of the best things you can do for your dog’s health. Generally, if you can shoot for doing it once or twice a week, it will greatly reduce the rate at which the tartar re-accumulates – doing it every day would be even better.
As far as dog food goes, the larger the kibble the better, because it requires the dog to chew their food, helping to "scrub" the teeth. Dogs don’t need to chew their food – their digestive processes start in their stomachs.
Since my dogs were a puppy i brush there teeth about 2 times a week . I also give my dogs pure bones that I get at Kings soopers.As for there food I get it at petsmart and it is natural farms it has dried fruit and vegetables in it and they do great on it. Hope this helps you out. You just may have to have the Dr. do his teeth if he is an older dog and never had his teeth cleaned. I also got this tooth brush that has a double side so when you brush the teeth it goes around the front and back at one time, its much easier and they like it better, I also got dog tooth past. You can get them both at petmart.
Once a day.If you need to brush their teeth,buy a raw hide bone.That cleans their teeth.
Brushing his teeth at home is probably the best solution, so keep it up! Try giving him dental treats as well – Bright Bites are a really good one to try because they are 100% soluble and have the VOHC seal of approval.
There are so many helpful comments on this site. I just wanted to thank everyone for their insightful comments.