"Dental Disease - Brush Your Dog's Teeth"

When humans' began brushing their teeth, they added 20 years to their life expectancy. Research seems to indicate that we could add 2 to 6 years to our pet's life by practicing good daily oral hygiene. Nona Neeseth, member of the American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians and territory manager for Virbac, maker of C.E.T. dental products reports that daily dental care for pets is on the rise.

"Pets are becoming a member of the family. We want them to live the healthiest life possible. Without good dental care, our pets suffer from bad breath, oral pain and discomfort, difficulty chewing and eating, receding and infected gums, tooth loss, slobbering and even depression. Dogs accumulate plaque and calculus 5 times faster than humans. Imagine going 5 days without brushing your teeth. That is what is happening in your pet's mouth on a daily basis. Bad breath is a sign of poor oral hygiene. Having a professional dental cleaning from your veterinarian is a good start. Then good home care is essential. With a bit of enthusiasm and repetition, your pet will not only accept but BEG for tooth brushing!"

How to begin brushing your pet's teeth:

Day 1. Begin gradually. All you need to do is get your puppy/dog to taste the toothpaste. Use an excited voice and "pump them up" for their tooth brushing experience. It should be FUN and yummy! After they have tasted the toothpaste (if they don't voluntarily lick the toothpaste off your finger--tape the outside of their mouth with dentifrice). 99% of them like the taste once they have experienced it. After they lick the toothpaste, PRAISE them. Remember, it needs to be a positive experience.

Day 2. Start to rub the incisors with your finger coated with dentifrice. Each day massage more of the teeth and gums. Don't forget to get them excited for their dental care and praise them afterward. Once they allow your finger in their mouth, you can graduate to the fingerbrush. And praise them!

Day 3. Finally they can graduate to the toothbrushes. The fingerbrush is a good beginner tool--but they should step up to the regular toothbrush as it has a more abrasive surface.

Choose the same time each day (like in the evening when you brush your own teeth). It should become part of your pet's daily habit. Many pets come running when they know it's time for their dental "treat".

Dogs accumulate calculus 5 times faster than humans--imagine going 5 days without brushing your teeth!!!!!!!!!! That is what is happening inside your pet's mouth on a daily basis!

1 mg of dental plaque contains over 1 trillion bacteria!

Many people think they don't need to brush their pet's teeth because they have regular dentals done on their pets--imagine going to your own dentist and having your teeth cleaned--then not brushing for the next 6 months--because you'll just get them cleaned again!!!!!!

Always use toothpaste and a toothbrush designed for pets. Human dentifrice is too foamy, too detergent, has too high a level of fluoride (can cause stomach upset and can even be toxic to pets) and we are not meant to ingest our toothpaste. Just try to teach your dog to spit!

FEBRUARY is "Dental Awareness Month"-- start NOW.