Dog’s Oral Hygiene Called Into Question

Is Fido suffering from bad breath? When he greets you, panting profusely, eagerly wagging his tail are you beginning to wish that you where really being greeted by his the end with the tail attached? Are his teeth a dark shade of brown rather than a sparkling white? What all this may indicate is that Fido may issues with his oral hygiene.

Just as a human should keep his teeth and gums clean so should Fido. Dogs can have bits of food and other debris trapped in between their gnashers. This will lead to plaque and tartar causing a brown discolouration. It will also lead to bad breath, gingivitis, pus, and infections, which can subsequently enter the blood stream and infect other major organs such as the heart liver and lungs.

In some respects, the correct diet goes along way in helping preventing the troubles of tartar: the dry, kibble style of food, as opposed to the soft, canned sort, will help prevent the formation of plaque and tartar. As will chewing on a nice, meaty bone. Unfortunately, bone chewing may only really help the back teeth, and be of no real help to the front teeth. Fido may also decide, as would be his wont, to keep said meaty bone some where useful for later, such as under the blankets of his bed. Smaller breeds of dog are not always inclined to chew on something that may be of the same size as themselves in any case. Therefore the owner who cares would resort to paste and brush!

Dogs can be sensitive about their mouths, and Fido may be resistant. It can also be intimidating for the wielder of the toothbrush when confronted by something which might remove a finger. If you manage to get Fido used to having his mouth handled at an early age it will be less traumatic for you both. Do not be tempted to use toothpaste formulated for human use: it foams and dogs have a tendency to swallow rather than spit. This could be troublesome in two ways: for a start if Fido swallows it will not be good for his gut; if on the other hand Fido escapes with a foamy it might cause widespread panic in the neighbourhood. Fortunately there are doggy friendly pastes available from the vet, which come in a variety of meaty flavours. As for the brushes, any soft standard toothbrush should do the trick.