Do you brush your dog's teeth? (shepherd, shih tzu, poodles, yorkies)

[no kudzu]

Whever I try their gums bleed and then I don't do it anymore. I know there are products which we can spray. Do they really work? Wish I could train my dogs to brush their own teeth like this little guy.

[straw71]

not sure about the sprays , I wonder that myself, I brush my dogs teeth, try to do it atleast once a week. Have you tried using the small brush that fits on your finger tip ? It might help seems to be gentler. Not positive but maybe if you don't do it that often their gums are just sensitive and bleed, kinda like a persons gums that are neglected ? I also use denta stix as a supplement to brushing.

[SocalPitgal]

I use to try to brush my dogs teeth, what a pain. It's easy to do the front teeth, but the back ones, well the dogs are most not willing to help.

I go to the butcher at the grocery store and buy some bones. They clean my dogs teeth and keep their gums healthy. Better then anything you could spray in their mouth or with a finger brush.

My dogs teeth at 11 years old.

[SoHoVe]

No, my dogs get compressed rawhides for supervised chewing which for them seems to do the trick and they enjoy it. This won't work as well on dogs with certain jaw structures though.

I don't really advocate dentals for mild tartar either...its a dog and they aren't socially impaired by a mild staining of their teeth nor is it a real health concern at that point.

[Niftybergin]

I wish I had brushed my dog's teeth when he was a youngster. Instead, I was hyper-concerned with every little thing he picked up and would reach into his mouth to retrieve it. This made him a little unwilling to docilely allow me to mess with his mouth. (He's good about taking his pills twice a day, but that's it.) I've always been scared of bones because my brother's dog's have ground down their teeth so badly. Rawhides triggered seizures in my guy. (He's epileptic.) And I was afraid of Greenies because of the reports of dogs with bowel obstructions.

I DO add an oral hygiene additive to his water. But no...his teeth aren't lovely.

[foxywench]

HA...brushmy dogs teeth! your funny! theres no way theyd stay still for that.

like socalpit i head out to the grocery and pick up meaty bones or i take them from hunter frineds, ill either give "rec bnes" hard bones usually sold as "soup" bones, (usually the femur ect) however you do have ot be carefull with these bones as theyare rock hard (broken teeth) and when cut up as soup bones they can be a choke hazard so they are supervised only...
my favorites are good ole meaty bones like turkey necks, for the little guys chicken wings work well and for dozer chicken backs (most of the meat already removed) RAW...

Even my vet couldnt guestimate my 6 yr olds age by teeth

[SocalPitgal]

Originally Posted by SoHoVe

No, my dogs get compressed rawhides for supervised chewing which for them seems to do the trick and they enjoy it. This won't work as well on dogs with certain jaw structures though.

I don't really advocate dentals for mild tartar either...its a dog and they aren't socially impaired by a mild staining of their teeth nor is it a real health concern at that point.

I supervise everything my dogs chew on. They can and will break teeth on raw bones and my dogs will make the rawhide so soft they will swallow it.

What do you mean by certain jaw structures? You mean overbite, under bite, normal? is that what you mean?

[KayAnn246]

I give them dental bones every day.

[SoHoVe]

Dogs with less depth to their muzzles, pugs, shih tzu, ect. Also some smaller breeds just seem prone to develop dental disease...poodles and yorkies come to mind. Perhaps they lack the jaw strength to provide enough abrasive action or some may
have more bacteria in their mouths.

I had a shar pei years ago with a severe parrot mouth...he NEEDED a dental every six months...his teeth looked horrid even after 3.

[LynnKK]

Cockapoo....vet brushes his teeth and it isn't any cheap walk in the park. English Shepherd...chewing rawhides and dental toys does the trick for her. Me, brush their teeth.....never happening.