Tips for Brushing Your Dogs Teeth

The Vet Care Pet Hospital staff would like to welcome everyone, pets and owners alike into 2014. Over the next year we would like to help all the owners out there to care for and make their pets happier and healthier!

Tips for brushing your dogs teeth:

1. Start by gently handling the muzzle area for a few seconds many times a day.  The best time of day to do this is when your pet is sleepy. Each session should end on a very positive note.  You want to make this a good experience.

2. Now you can introduce the toothpaste, apply some on your finger and start to rub the k9 (fang teeth) and gradually go around to the entire mouth rubbing all areas. It is important to include the gums as well as the teeth.

3.Next step is the toothbrush! The least invasive one is the finger brush. Wet the brush and put some toothpaste on the bristles. You can now start with the k9 teeth and brush in a circular motion, but be gentle.

4. Now start to work along the top teeth from the k9 teeth to the back of the teeth in a circular motion. You have to gradually build up the amount of time and pressure used on the teeth. Don’t worry about the inside of the teeth.  Most pets do not get a lot of build- up on those surfaces.

5. The final step is the front teeth. Gently take a hold of the muzzle and lift the upper lip, for these teeth use an up and down motion.

Try to brush your pet’s teeth every day. Make sure to use pet friendly toothpaste and not human toothpaste. Starting at a young age makes everything much easier in the future.

Some products to keep your pets mouth healthy are:

Enzadent Enzymatic toothpaste – use this along with your finger brush toothbrush

C.E.T Enzymatic toothpaste – use this along with your finger brush toothbrush

BreathaLyser Gel – This will clean your pet’s mouth and keep it smelling good. All you have to do is apply a bit of gel onto a cotton ball and massage into the gums and teeth

Medi-Chews – This is a good treat to give your dog every day, it is good to help clean the teeth and keep them busy as the chew.

Enzadent Oral Care Chews – This is a good treat to give your dog every day, it is good to help clean the teeth and keep them busy as the chew.