3 Ways To Keep Your Dog's Teeth Healthy
Many people don't think about dental health care for their pets. The assumption is that the animal will take care of it's teeth naturally by chewing a bone or some kind of toy but this is often not the case. Also, as dogs will often live longer now than before, the issue of teeth and gum diseases becomes more important. Here are a few things to be aware of when looking after your dogs teeth and 3 ways to keep them healthy.
Identifying The Problem
You should check your dogs teeth and gums regularly. This can be done naturally whenever you play with your pet. If you have a strong bound, your pet will be quite happy for you to have a look. Lift up the folds of skin so that you can have a good look, not only at the teeth, but at the gums. During this inspection, you should look for any signs of inflammation around the gums, tartar build up and bleeding. You should also look for teeth that are in poor condition or may be loose. During the inspection, you may also get a brief whiff of your pet's breath too. If it is particularly “on the nose”, this could be a sign of dental health problems.
If you identify any serious problems like bleeding gums, loose teeth and excessive tartar then you should take your pet to the vet. The vet will give you a proper diagnosis and set out a course of action to rectify the problem. But ideally you never want it to get this bad. Preventing problems occurring is far better than having to cure or treat problems.
So this means brushing your dogs teeth every once in a while, once a week ideally. Again, this is something that your dog will get used to over time. And if they trust you, it's shouldn't be a problem after a while. They may even get to like having their gums and teeth brushed.
You can brush your dogs teeth with a finger toothbrush. This is an implement that you place over a finger, much like a thimble. It has soft, plastic bristles that can be run across the gums and teeth. It helps to massage the gums and remove tartar and other detritus from the teeth. You should use it in conjunction with a specially made dog toothpaste. Don't use human toothpaste.
Other Ways To Look After Your Dogs Teeth
Dog treats, tyres and any chewing toy can help your pet with dental hygiene. In fact, toys like the tyre are specifically made to help your dog look after it's teeth naturally. The chewing action dislodges food matter and tartar. It also stimulated the gums, keeping them healthy.
You can also get sprays that can be used from time to time on your dogs teeth. Sprays often make the animals breather “fresher” but can also help the gums and prevent conditions like gingivitis. You can create your own natural spray by combining Grapefruit Seed Extract with a bit of water.
Other than that, you should think about the diet you give you pet. Think about getting a more balanced diet for your pet. This will lower the chances of periodontal diseases occurring. You should also refrain from giving your pets human treats like chocolate biscuits and things like that. You even want to think about adding foodstuffs, vitamins and supplements that have antioxidants and anti inflammatory qualities. These are things that you find in many health conscious human foods - Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, Quinou and other high fibre grains.
Posted By mick
Updated : 16th May 2020 | Words : 605 | Views : 8859
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