Keep it Clean

Here on the keep it clean post we will be talking about all things teeth.  Now I know that the thought of taking care of your little ones teeth at night might not be the most thrilling thing in the world, but it really should be!  Making sure that your babies teeth care clean and plaque free is one thing that you can do to help your babe live a longer and healthier life.  Think of your own dental visits throughout the years, your dentist always tells you that talking better care of your teeth will help you reduce the risk of heart disease, and not to mention, allow you consume your own food without needing a blender!  Well, I know this might come as a shock, but, the same is true for your pet!  So here's the thing, before you go to bed try to help your puppy out with a little teeth cleansing.  There are many different ways you can accomplish this task, I'm going to show you three of my favorites.


So the first thing that everyone thinks of when they think of getting teeth clean is...BRUSHING!  Depending on your toothpaste choice, your dog might actually enjoy this.  Baby Gurl loves the taste of the toothpaste and it is actually her preferred method of cleansing.  There are a lot of toothpastes out there and usually I end up buying the same one at my vet's when I run out at home (you can also get all of these products online).  They sell CET toothpaste at my vet's and usually we get poultry flavor, but my guys also enjoy some vanilla mint!  Everyone gets a smear of toothpaste and then some teeth love every other day.

Baby Gurl getting some brushing on.

Now I know what you're thinking, "You said to take care of their teeth every night!"  Don't worry!  I like to alternate our methods.  Next up we have the teeth goo night.  I like to use two products, PetzLife and new one I'm going to try out called Fresh Dental.

These products are applied directly to the teeth (I use my finger).

Just a little dab will take care of their whole mouth.  There are directions on the bottles.

Then last my vet gave me a free sample of some teeth wipes to try out.  I really like them, except they smell a little like cloves.

You take the wipe and, yes you guessed it, wipe it around on their teeth!

Then of course after everyone has had their teeth cleaned they get a Senior Greenie treat.  This continues the teeth cleaning and also gives them some glucosamine.

So the last thing that you should know about teeth is that you should have routine dentals at your vets office. This way your vet can get up and close with your pets teeth and can check for breaks and abscesses.  Your dog is knocked out for this procedure so it is pricey.  I try to alternate someone every two years.  Since they all were adopted at different times this schedule works for us.  Figure out what you can afford and talk to your vet to see what their thoughts are.  The plus is, if you keep up with your pets teeth nightly at home you'll most likely have less teeth pulled from Fido when he does go in for the dental.

Thanks all!

Good night and white teef-ers!

-Hilary Chan