Are your pet’s teeth a regular part of routine care?  They should be.  Did you know that oral hygiene can also affect  internal organs?  We had a Chocolate Lab client who had to postpone training because he got sick from what was initially thought of as a stomach problem.  Turned out it was the bacteria in his mouth he was swallowing that was making him so sick.  A trip to the vet for a professional cleaning was all he needed to make a full recovery.

When you take your pet for a dental cleaning, the vet has to anesthetize him.  Don’t get me wrong, I know loads of people who take their pet in once a year for a professional dental cleaning and all goes well.  Usually everything is fine, and in all my years of working with animals I have only known one person to lose their cat to a routine dental, due to complications with the anesthesia.  And for me, one is enough.  My personal opinion is if there’s a way to prevent it, then prevent it.  Why put your pet under if you don’t have to?  And when you think about this, older pets are the ones who usually have dental problems – and older pets have the highest risk under anesthesia.  Why take the chance?

Thankfully oral hygiene for dogs and cats has become more popular.  These days there are products out there to  combat tarter and gum disease with enzymatic toothpaste, pet toothbrushes, finger brush, dental chews, dental rinses, toys, treats, and starter dental kits. (All these links pertain to dog dental care.  There are also a ton of products out there for cats as well.)  My dog’s favorite dental toy is the Nylabone Double Action Chew. I put his doggie poultry flavored toothpaste in the groves and he goes to town!  He also loves to get his teeth brushed.

There is a very easy way to introduce your dog or cat to teeth brushing which has worked for every single person I have ever met.  (The video is at the bottom of this post for your viewing pleasure.)  Here is a brief re-cap for you.

Step #1.  Get a species appropriate  flavored toothpaste your pet likes.  (Use dog toothpaste for your dog, and cat toothpaste for your cat.)  Most brands have poultry, beef, malt, and even seafood

Step #2.  Put the toothpaste into the bristles all the way down to the base of the toothbrush

Step #3.  Hold out toothbrush in front of your pet as still as possible.  You want to be non-invasive.  Let the pet come to the toothbrush, don’t charge it down his throat.

Step #4.  Let your pet really get chewing and feel comfortable before you manipulate it around his mouth and start actual brushing.

One last piece of dental advice I will leave you with is be careful about what type of food you feed your dog.  If you give your dog pizza crust, make sure the bread isn’t stuck rotting in the back of your dog’s mouth.  Avoid sugar sweets, and always check with your vet if you have any questions.

If you are having trouble playing the video, go straight to You Tube HERE.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4bKGfZGf08[/youtube]

Chewing on a favorite stuffed squeaker toy

Chewing is a natural dog thing to do.  It’s an all around favorite pastime for just about every dog I have ever met.  Cassie is no exception.  She gets herself into this memorized methodical chewing rhythm and closes her eyes.  (I’m sure it’s doggie bliss.)  And she can do this with any toy, she’s not picky.  Typically she is not offered stuffed toys.  This is simply because she surgically de-squeaks them and the inner fluff guts are shared throughout my parent’s entire home.  Don’t get me wrong, she has plenty of other toys to play with at her home and is in no way toy deprived.  Fluff toys that squeak however, are a delicacy when she visits my house.

Some dogs are simply not OK with stuffed, fluff toys.  Instead of leaving a giant stuffing mess, they prefer to eat it.  Which means a possible blockage and possible surgery in your dog’s horoscope.  Thankfully there are a zillion toys out there right now you can choose from for your dog’s chewing pleasure.  Some are safer than others, however there is no such thing as a 100% “safe toy! I can not stress that enough.  Especially when you’re talking about puppies chewing.  Those wonderful little monsters will chew anything and everything to try and pacify painful teething, explore the world, and get energy out.

My favorite are interactive toys like the Buster Cube, the Kibble Nibble, or the Kong.  But that’s just because I am a behavior dork and like toys that require some brain power.  My personal opinion is the Buster Cube is the toughest, while the Kibble Nibble is the easiest to clean.  And if you don’t know what a Kong is, you need to buy one right now.  The Kong is one of the best toys out there.  There are “Kong stuffing recipes,” but you can use your imagination.  Just use common sense too.  Don’t fill it with chocolate covered raisins, or anything else “doggie toxic.”  My dog’s favorite is to put the leftover mac-n-cheese in his Kong and throw it in a bag in the freezer.  The other thing I love about the Kong toy (and no, I’m not getting paid for this blog post from Kong), is you can throw them into the dishwasher!  Presto!  Cleano!  However, I do still give my dog credit for the pre-wash, because he’ll work on it until it’s empty.

Regardless of what toy you want your dog to play with, remember that the dog’s opinion counts too.  Just because the toy is $20 at the fancy hoity-toity store doesn’t mean the dog will like that over your empty bottled water bottle.  Just make sure he doesn’t eat the shiny new empty plastic bottled water bottle.

One more trick I will leave you with is to rotate toys.  Usually people keep 1/3 on the ground, and 2/3 hidden away.  Each week just rotate them.  It’s funny how toys seem new, fun, and exciting this way.