Is it necessary to brush a dog's teeth?

I have never brushed my other dog's teeth in the past, but I was reading that it is recommended to brush their teeth.





Is this so?


Do I buy a dog toothbrush, or do the human ones work fine?


How often do you brush?


Do things like milkbones and nylabones work in place of brushing?


What are the, if any, health risks associated with not brushing their teeth?

Is it necessary to brush a dog's teeth?
Brushing your dog's teeth is important to the overall health of your dog, but if you notice any tarter build-up you should actually make a dental appointment with your vet.





Doggy toothbrush's and toothpaste work best.





Keep in mind that dental health is important in the overall health of the pet. Poor dental care can lead to other medical problems including, but not limited to kidney disease, cardiac disease and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.
Reply:well if you get your dog groomed than ask the groomer if they brush his teeth because the groomer brushes my dogs teeth but if you dont get him groomed then use a human toothbrush and brush his teeth about every two days
Reply:well this is how i brush my dogs teeth i buy a milk kind of bone and it is made for brushing ur dogs teeth but u just give the bone to ur dog and it cleans ,their teeth thats what i did to my dog i bought this spesial bone u can ask for them at any store so yea i think this is the best answer
Reply:If you feed your dog kibble or canned food I would highly recommend brushing your dogs teeth. This should be done as often as possible (preferably daily). The toothbrush is up to you, but you must use a dog toothpaste.





By brushing your dogs teeth you greatly reduce the occurrence of loose teeth, abscesses, bad breath, periodontal disease, and other problems.





Periodontal disease is severe and is irreversible. It may require advanced therapy and thorough plaque control to prevent progression of the disease. Periodontal disease causes red, swollen, tender gums, receding gums, bleeding gums, oral pain and dysfunction, and bad breath.





Regretfully, the problem does not limit itself to the dog's mouth. Irritated and weakened gums allow bacteria to cross into the bloodstream and be carried through the body, potentially infecting internal organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys. Oral disease may also affect your pet’s behavior and sociability with others.





So you can see that caring for your dogs teeth is just as important as caring for your own!





I would not give a dog nylabones or milkbones, but if you would like to do your dog a favor feed it natural bones. Actually, feeding raw bones that you can buy form your local butcher is best and feeding a raw diet is even better than feeding kibble! When a dog spends time chewing on raw meat and bones it is in a sense brushing its teeth. By feeding a raw diet you rarely have to worry about tooth and gum disease...the teeth are always pearly white and the breath is fresh!
Reply:I admit, I only had brushed my border collies teeth once or twice in her 10 year lifetime. But anyway, when we take her to the vet he says that her teeth are in great condition! I think that as long as you feed dry food, give it bones and things to rub the plaque and tartar off on then your dogs teeth will be in perfect shape. 20 years ago did you ever see a hippy brushing their dogs teeth? and dogs have lived very weell without the humanization of brushing their dogs teeth. Even though my collie has never had any teeth problems, I do admit that there are dogs that need to have their teeth brushed on a regular basis. My vet (just asked him) said that most dogs teeth need to be brushed about once/twice a month. He says that too often will damage the gum and the natural coat over the teeth. If you dont brush your dogs teeth or give them something to clean them, then they can easily develop gum disease, their breath stinks, and their teeth become yellow.


You can use a SOFT human toothbrush por a special doggy one. You should also use toothpaste made especially for dogs (flouride in human toothpaste will kill them) and brush their teeth like you would with a human. Also look in the digs mouth to see if there are any bits of bone, food etc, and remove it.


Usually if the dog isnt used to their teeth being brushed, they HATE it.


Best to start as a puppy.





Good luck,


Charlotte
Reply:You don't need to brush dogs teeth, but it is a good idea...but do you know what works better? Raw bones...dogs can fight off the bacteria but chewing on them is not only safe, but helps scrub tartar and plaque off their teeth, too.





Both toothbrushes will work, but dog ones work better.





You can brush as often as you want, but as I have said before, Raw (RAW only, cooked bones splinter) bones work better.
Reply:Yes it's recommended to brush a dogs teeth





human tooth brushes work fine, but if it irritates your dogs gums, consider getting a softer brush.





TRY to brush roughly twice a month to help with breath


and not hurt their mouth.





Some bones help with breath, not sure about teeth though.





Health risks are basically yellow teeth, bad breath, and things that are like humans teeth, gums, and mouth.





You can also ask your groomer (if you have one) to brush their teeth.





Hope I helped!
Reply:It isn't a big problem if you don't brush your dogs teeth, but if you do decide to brush your dogs teeth, you have to be 100% commited, you can ruin your dogs teeth if you don't brush them regularly. I'd say once a day, or every other day at the least. Whatever you do, it's your decision. If your still confused, ask your vet for advice.
Reply:It really depends on the dog.... things like breed of dog %26amp; diet greatly dictate the oral health care needs.





I have had dogs that had to have hands-on help with their teeth %26amp; others that never needed anything but the things we already always do





So.. the list of things our family already always does:


++ give dogs high quality cruchy food unless there is a health reason to provide a soft-food diet


++ keep supply of rawhides and encourage chewing on them


++ keep supply of raw carrots, raw green been, raw brocoli stems and other raw vegatables with some substance... encourage eating these... we usually start them at @ 6 weeks old presenting these items as treats... if you offer these as treats instead of other commercial options, you not only save money, the dog has better teeth, better nutrition, and better gastro-intenstinal health..... I have yet to see a dog who has been brought up on those items take a Milkbone over a "Carrot Bone" when given the chose of either as a treat for good behavior (a "Carrot Bone" is simply a large whole carrot)


++ I have seen dogs have very bad experiences with both Greenies %26amp; Nylabones... I don't use either... but it is up to you if you want to use these


++ Ropes... cotton rope toys that you buy at the dog store are like doggie dental floss.... both of you have fun at tug of war %26amp; doggie gets good gum and between teeth cleaning at the same time


++ depending on the size of the dog %26amp; the type of chewer... sometimes BBQ pork or beef ribs (never, ever chicken or other fowl) are appropriate. Not for small dogs %26amp; not for the kind of dog that swallows in large bites %26amp; not chews.... these are great for dogs that like to hold onto a bone %26amp; simply knaw/chew... like a teething baby


++ at least once a month check your entire dog, this includes the dogs mouth %26amp; teeth.... always watch for any changes... anything of concern, talk to your vet


++ for doggie breath problems always check with your vet for healoth problems... if no health problems, try adding dried parsley or dried mint to beeth broth %26amp; pour a little over your dog's food.





For dogs with oral health problems... yes, just like humans this can (1) indicate other health issues %26amp; (2) if untreated, cause other health issues





If you choose to brush.... try the finger glove type of brushes. We had a dog before the advent of "doggie tooth brushes" that needed help. We used course ground yellow cornmeal wet down with a little beef broth %26amp; used our finger to rub it in tiny circles over his gumline... it worked then %26amp; I bet it would still work today :)
Reply:Yes it is necessary to brush your pets teeth. There are certain diseases that are caused by tooth decay in animals and humans, heart disease being one of them. Preventative medicine is keeping your animals teeth at their best always. Buy a doggie tooth brush because they are shaped better for the dogs mouth you can get them at any pet store and you can get many flavors of doggie tooth paste, they actually will enjoy it. Brush your dogs teeth twice a day like you do. Make it a part of your time with your dog. You will be glad you did it. You can buy treats at the vet now that have enzymes in them that help break down tarter but nothing beats brushing. Greenies help, but brushing is the best. Also the vet sells a product that you can add a few drops to their drinking water, a bit like flouride to our water (but it is not flouride) and it helps with breaking down of tarter also. ask your vet for options.
Reply:Yes it is I've been brushing my dogs teeth since she was a pup and now she's 8, she doesn't mind getting it done either.
Reply:I use human brush and and brush once a week my dogs do not mind when I'm doing this it even seems that they like it



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