Cleaning Your Dog's Teeth
©Photo Courtesy of Leandro Quartiermeister Just as it is for humans, poor canine dental care can cause problems such as dog bad breath, gum inflammation, tooth loss, and more serious health issues. Dogs can get periodontal disease, and the resulting bacteria and infection gets carried through their bloodstream which can lead to heart and kidney problems. Cleaning your dog’s teeth is not hard to do, and can be done quickly once you get the hang of it. It is easiest to teach your young Golden to accept this, especially during his puppy teething stage. Although, if you have adopted an older dog, he will also allow you to do this, as long as you take it in steps.
©Photo Courtesy of Amber Aanensen There are many products available that will make your job easy and effective. Regular “people” toothbrushes may be used, or there are also many toothbrushes made just for dogs. Gauze pads, teeth cleansing pads, or finger brushes are also options. Dogs do not spit and therefore will be swallowing any toothpaste they are given, so make sure that you only use a toothpaste that is made for dogs. Drs. Foster and Smith is a company that I have used for many years. They make and sell high quality dog care items and have many various items for cleaning teeth. Feed your Golden dry dog food as his main diet, as dry food is best for his dental health. Always have many chew toys available to him, such as rope toys, (self-flossers!) cow hooves, rawhide, and toys with various shapes and ridges on them. Hard dog biscuits, greenies, and nutra-dent chews are also very beneficial in helping to remove plaque from his teeth.
©Photo Courtesy of dai-chan To accustom your Golden Retriever to getting his teeth brushed, start slowly and build up in small steps. To brush dog’s teeth, you do not need to hold his mouth open, nor do you have to worry about the insides of his teeth. Dogs do a good job of using their tongue and own saliva in keeping the inside of their teeth clean and plague free. This makes your job even easier! Start with allowing your Golden to lick a tasty treat off of your finger. While he is doing this, gently touch his front teeth by moving your finger around his mouth as he is licking his treat from your finger. Then progress to putting dog toothpaste on your finger and allowing him to taste it. To reach his teeth, simply pull up on the top and sides of his lip to expose his teeth. Proceed to touch his teeth, but this time, reaching more of his back teeth, not just the front ones. ©Photo Courtesy of twm1340 After he has accepted this, you can then proceed to using a piece of gauze that has his toothpaste on it. While holding his lip out of the way, take the piece of gauze and rub the tooth in a circular motion all around the tooth and especially the gum line. Once you are comfortable with this, you can either stay with the gauze, or switch to a toothbrush or finger brush, which ever is most comfortable for you. After you are done cleaning your dog’s teeth, give him a doggie treat, such as a hard dog biscuit to help finish off the brushing process. Once you get into a routine, you will find that maintaining your dog’s dental care is quick, and something that your Golden actually looks forward to!
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