Dog Dental Care - What's in your dental care kit?

Posted by Clare Bristow

dogs-toothbrush There is a huge array of products to put in your dog dental care kit, and it's easy to buy more than you need. What I've done today is summarize the different products available and when you could consider using them.

Dog dental care products are relatively inexpensive so it's worth trying a few of them to see what you find the easiest to use and your dog is most comfortable with.

Here's a summary of the products available:

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Keywords: care dog tooth, chlorhexidine, dog bad breath, dog dental care, Dog dental care products, dog teeth, dog tooth care, plaque, tartar

Filed Under Eyes, Ears, Paws and Teeth, Blog

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Are Your Dog's White Teeth a Ticking Time Bomb?

Posted by Clare Bristow

dogs-white-teeth Anesthesia-free dental cleaning is increasingly being offered to dog owners as reliable treatment for dog dental disease - unfortunately this is not case.

Although awareness of the importance of cleaning dog teeth is increasing, many owners are put off arranging a [tag]prophylaxis[/tag] (cleaning and polishing of a dog's teeth by a vet) for their dog because the procedure requires anesthesia.

The people offering anesthesia-free dental cleaning are playing on this fear of anesthesia to promote their service, but what they offer is purely cosmetic and does not prevent dental disease - a prophylaxis as part of a dental care program does.

Anesthesia-free dental cleaning only involves removing plaque and tartar from the visible part of your dog's teeth - it doesn't touch the tartar that is below the gum line which, if it's not removed, will develop into periodontal disease.

As discussed in an earlier post, dental disease is progressive, if it goes untreated for period of time you could be looking at multiple teeth extractions, abscesses, possible internal organ damage not to mention extreme discomfort for your dog.

This is why I call anethesia-free dental cleaning a time bomb - you are given a false sense of security that your dog's teeth are healthy because they look nice and white, and his breath smells good; however, periodontal disease is quietly advancing below the gum line.

Anesthesia for pets does carry some risk, but it is a great deal safer than it was ten to twenty years ago, when stories about pets dying under anesthesia were sadly quite common.

Christine Keith has written an excellent article on why we should be wary of anesthesia-free dental cleaning as a way to treat dog dental disease and why procedures requiring anesthesia are now much less of a risk for our pets.

I recommend you read it.

Keywords: cleaning dog teeth, dog dental disease, dog losing tooth, dog teeth, Eyes, Ears, Paws and Teeth, periodontal disease, prophylaxis

Filed Under Eyes, Ears, Paws and Teeth, Blog