Your Dog's Pearly Whites!

Recently, I posted a picture on Facebook of a dog having his teeth brushed.  What spurred me to make that post was the fact that I had just brushed teeth for three dogs, my two collies, and a visiting Cavalier!  While all three dogs are pretty good about having their teeth brushed (they are not afraid, they don't try to escape, bite, or clench so hard that you can't actually brush their teeth), I wouldn't say that it is their favorite thing.  I have met dogs who love having their teeth brushed. Years ago, I house-sat for a client whose Golden Retriever would run to the bathroom and grab his toothbrush off the counter and wait for you to brush his teeth when you did your own! His owner had made it fun as a puppy by brushing her teeth and his at the same time of day. I have to say, her dog had the best teeth I've ever seen; brushing twice a day really works!  For my dogs, brushing their teeth is hit or miss. Meaning, if I remember to do it, it gets done. If I forget, it won't happen. And I know that there are plenty of dogs out there who hate having their teeth brushed, some going so far as to bite their owners if they even try it.  I am always asked if there are viable alternatives to brushing.  There are indeed, but how you use these products makes all the difference in the world with regard to how successful they will be in maintaining your dog's oral health.  The take home message is this: Anything you do to help prevent plaque and tartar accumulating on your dog's teeth is beneficial. The key factor is doing whatever it is that you do consistently and daily to reap those long term benefits.  And combining more than one method will help you to get the best results.

According to the American Veterinary Dental College, brushing your dog's teeth with toothpaste formulated specifically for dogs is the single best way to maintain your dog's oral health.  This does make sense even in humans; when you brush your teeth, the scrubbing action in combination with the abrasive texture of the toothpaste helps to knock tartar off of teeth and cut through plaque on the surface. The key is to brush the teeth daily, ideally twice daily, following meals. For dogs, there are multiple styles of toothbrush available, most are slanted so that you can reach a dog's back teeth.  However, there are also finger brushes that you can slide on one of your fingers to reach into a smaller mouth.  It is also fine to use a pediatric tooth brush.  Just remember you need to use dog toothpaste. Human toothpaste isn't designed to be swallowed and is therefore dangerous to dogs. If you have never brushed your dog's teeth before, or you are teaching your puppy, take it slow.  Let them sniff the wet brush.  Add the toothpaste and let them simply lick it off. Begin tipping the brush sideways and try to gently rub those front teeth (incisors).  If they are accepting of this, begin working on the cheek teeth.  Once you can do this, you are ready to open your dog's mouth so you can get to the inside surfaces of their teeth closest to their tongue. Take it slow.  Benefits can even be gained by using a finger to rub dog toothpaste on the tooth surfaces you can easily reach. While I know that dogs can be trained to allow you to use an electric toothbrush on their teeth, this isn't where you start the process!  Take it easy and build up to being more invasive in your cleaning.

For dogs who just won't let you use a brush, think about trying dental wipes, dental gels, or oral rinses. These products usually contain something called "Chlorhexidine"which is an effective anti-plaque antiseptic.  It tastes icky, however, so you will want to choose a product that is flavored to mask that bitter taste. Dental wipes and dental gels are pretty self explanatory; you rub them on the teeth, hoping to reach them all.  The oral rinses come in two types, one that you squeeze into your pet's mouth and it will get swished around and then drooled out or swallowed (definitely do this outside!) or a type that can be added to their water bowl.  If your dog is picky about his water bowl, however, don't use the type that is added to water as you would never want to discourage your dog from drinking water regularly. These products, except for the water additive, require that you be able to get into your dog's mouth successfully. What can you use if you can't get your dog to let you into his mouth?

There are several dental diets on the market. Some have the food shaped to help provide an abrasive surface on the teeth while others are diets coated in cleaning agents to scrub your dog's teeth as they eat.  There are also quite a few different types of chews out there that also combine an odd surface and treated coating to tackle plaque on the teeth. I have always been a fan of real bones too, but many veterinary dentists discourage the use of real bones as they can chip or fracture teeth.  Any chew or bone given to your dogs should be given when you can observe them to keep things safe.

It can be difficult, however, to decide which of these products will really do what they claim to do.  Your best bet is to choose products with the "VOHC Accepted Product" label.  The VOHC is the Veterinary Oral Health Counsel. Basically, the equivalent of the "American Dental Association" for our pets.  You can visit their website at www.VOHC.org and click on the link for accepted products for dogs. They also have a list of accepted products for cats. This list also provides you with information on where the product can be purchased as some are only available through your veterinarian. Here is the direct link to that list:

http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf

Finally, some of you asked what I give to my dogs since, obviously, I am not brushing their teeth every day. I don't give real bones any more as they aren't good for Desi who has some teeth issues. I do give the collies Nutri Dent Dental Chew Treats daily.  These look like "Greenies," but I've found they don't upset my dogs' stomachs like Greenies do and they only contain 8 ingredients total. Ozzie and Desi like the filet mignon flavor, in case you were wondering!  Nutri dent chews come in several sizes so there is one for ever sized dog. My dogs also enjoy CET Chews from the Virbac company.  CET chews come in several varieties including flips, sticks, and rawhide-like chews. These products are all coated in Chlorhexidine, so they provide an enzymatic cleaning action.

Finally, regularly playing with hard-surfaced toys like Nylabones or ones made of braided rope ("flossies") *may* help with oral health maintenance. However, your dogs need to play with these toys regularly and vigorously to gain any traction with plaque and tartar build up. And some dogs have been known to lose teeth playing with these toys, or chip teeth, so you will still need to supervise them.