What dentists do for humans, veterinarians can do for pets. Veterinarians are specially trained in caring for and cleaning pets’ teeth. Removing plaque, pulling teeth, drilling, grinding, polishing and cleaning – it’s all part of the job. But ideally, pets will never have to worry about these kinds of treatments: Provided pet owners regularly clean their pets’ teeth and make sure they get a check-up once a year.
Signs of poor dental hygiene in dogs
There are some signs that could indicate a problem with your dog’s dental health. These include:
- Bad breath
- Bleeding gums
- Discolouration of teeth
- Difficulty or reluctance to eat
- Pus and abscesses
- Broken teeth
- Excess salivation
It is important that these problems are dealt with as soon as possible to prevent further health issues.
Feed Good Food
Feeding your dog a good food helps your dog in many ways, including keeping his teeth healthier.
Offer Vegetables and Fruits for Snacks
Dogs love snacks and owners love giving them. But many snacks are horrible for your dog’s dental health; especially those that contain sugar, fats, and cereal grains. However, carrots or carrot slices, apple slices, or a chunk of squash or pumpkin are good snacks that most dogs enjoy
Dried Meat Treats Are Good Chew Treats
There are a wide variety of dried meat treats available that provide excellent chewing action that will help keep the teeth clean. Dried beef ears or snouts, dried tendons, esophagus, and similar pieces are eagerly accepted by most dogs, even those who are finicky about their snacks.
Chew Toys Can Help
If your dog will chew on hard rubber or nylon chew toys, these are excellent for scraping and cleaning teeth. Offer the toy after each meal and encourage your dog to chew on it for a bit.
Raw Bones Can Scrape Teeth Clean
Just like a good toy, bones will clean off teeth, too. The best bones are uncooked and large, preferably from a cow. A small bone (or a cooked one) will break or splinter, may get stuck in your dog’s mouth, or your dog may try to swallow it whole. Always supervise your dog when he’s chewing on a bone to make sure he doesn’t break off pieces of the bone. Some veterinarians argue against the bone-chewing idea, so if you want a second opinion, go ask yours to see what they say.
Avoid Chew Bones Made of Starches
The commercial chews or bones made from starches (usually potato, corn, or rice flours) tend to be more sticky than vegetables or dried meat chews. When your dog’s teeth scrapes up against this sort of stuff, it normally has the opposite effect as chewing on a cow bone. Plus, if you read the ingredients labels of these treats, you may find you don’t want your dog to eat the treats anyway.