Get in a comfortable position
Most dogs will squirm and try to get away when you attempt to brush their teeth. 38 percent of pet parents who don’t brush their pet’s teeth say it’s because their dogs won’t sit still for the time needed to brush. Lommer recommends positioning your dog in a way that it’s easier for you to hold them in place.
“For small dogs, either wrap them in a towel like a burrito or sit next to them on a couch. Then wrap your elbow around their body and bring them close to your side to help keep them still while you are working with their head,” Lommer says. When brushing a larger dog’s teeth, sit next to them and wrap your arm around their head, supporting their chin. In this position, you can use your hand to help move their mouth to best brush their teeth.
Never force a dog to stay if they are visibly upset or uncomfortable, because this can lead to negative associations with brushing, Lommer says. Instead, if your dog starts fidgeting too much, let them go and try again later. Lommer says that it’s crucial to be careful with how you restrain or hold your dog. “…Proper restraint is important, as their attempts to evade often involve tossing the head around, and neck injury could result,” she says.
How often should I brush my dog’s teeth?
While daily brushing is ideal, Dr. Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM and Head of Veterinary Medicine at Petco, recognizes the difficulty this may present when you’re busy. While you should aim to brush your dog’s teeth at least 1–2 times per week, you can also supplement with other dental care measures. “Pets, just like people, should have some form of a daily dental routine,” says Miller. “While brushing daily is ideal, you cansimplify it by giving a dental treat, water additive or using a dental wipe on days you can’t get to brushing.”
Regular Dental Care Will Freshen Your Dogs Breath
We all love puppy breath, but when it comes to adult dogs — well that’s another story. Some dogs have pretty bad breath, and that’s often caused by dental or gum disease in dogs. By brushing your dog’s teeth everyday you can help prevent buildup on your dog’s teeth, and you’ll also be able to keep their breath smelling fresh.
If your dog has really bad breath, or if there’s any sudden changes in smell consult your veterinarian. In some instances bad breath in dogs can be a sign of medical issues such as diabetes and kidney issues.
Easy way to brush a dog’s teeth
Many of us can remember our parents telling us that we should brush our teeth twice a day and go to the dentist. We probably didn’t know it as little kids, but taking care of our oral health was an important part of taking care of our overall health.
Just like people, dogs and cats need to have healthy gums and teeth. Proper oral care for our pets includes brushing their teeth at home and taking them in for professional dental cleanings. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many pet owners do not brush their pets’ teeth.
Poor dental care can cause many health problems. For example, many pets have dental disease by 2-3 years of age. Dental disease can lead to painful and swollen gums and even tooth loss.
To prevent serious dental disease, it is recommended to brush your pet’s teeth at home at least two to three times per week and take your pet for a professional dental cleaning once a year.
If you’ve never brushed your pet’s teeth, this article will help you learn the proper teeth-brushing technique.
Your pet probably isn’t going to willingly let you brush his teeth the first time you stick a toothbrush in his mouth. Take some time to acclimate your pet to the process first by following these steps:
Once your pet has gotten acclimated, you can move forward with actually brushing his teeth. The process for brushing dog and cat teeth is largely the same, so you can use these steps with either a dog or cat.
In total, it should take about 30 seconds to 1 minute to brush your pet’s teeth. Remember to keep the teeth-brushing session light and fun.
Some pets, no matter what you do, will not let you brush their teeth. Fortunately, there are other dental care products that help keep a pet’s mouth healthy. For example, you could try a food and water additive like Pets Are Kids Too dental spray and water additive. You could also try dental chews for dogs and cats. Talk to your veterinarian if you are unsure which teeth-brushing alternative to try.
In summary, do your best to make brushing your pet’s teeth an enjoyable experience, but don’t hesitate to reach out to your veterinarian if you’re having trouble with it. Remember that the better care you take of your pet’s teeth at home, the healthier your pet will be.
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