Yes and yes Carolyn. It's an essential part of his health routine as bad teeth can cause so many problems.
When we had our boys I brushed their teeth on the advice of our vet. I used a mix of baking soda and salt and a large, soft toothbrush intended for humans (I was careful not to mix it up with our toothbrushes!). It turned into a love fest. I'd show our boys the brush and small dish of brushing powder, and they'd sit down and let me give their teeth a good going-over. I sweet-talked them during the brushing, then took a damp washcloth and wiped off as much of the powdery residue as I could. They enjoyed it; I didn't mind being a dental technician to a canine; and afterwards they got a chewy treat. And before you ask, NO, we did not spoil our dogs.
My husband brushes our dogs teeth...he has what you call a finger brush that you slip over your fingers. I would advise against these if your dog likes to bite down. They do not protect your finger at all and are soft.
I have two teeny tiny dogs and yes, I brush their teeth. I have a children's electric toothbrush that I use for them...it has a tiny head befitting their tiny mouths and it enables me to do a better job with the vibrating, rotating head. I brush with a chlorhexidine gel, (plaque and tartar killing properties.) Chihuahuas are known for dental issues...tiny mouths so teeth tend to be crowded, so I also get them dentals every couple years. Tango's almost 9 and still has all but one of his teeth, which is a really good track record in the chihuahua world. Jazz is two years younger and still has all of hers so I'm patting myself on the back for that.
I was going to look for a children's electric today and I forgot when we were in Walmart....who told you about the chlorhexidine gel Ronni? I keep learning more and more things about Chihuahuas from you. Thank you.
Sherry you're welcome! So glad I can share the knowledge I've amassed over the years. My Vet told me about the chlorhexidine gel, and at the time I bought it (my dogs are tiny and it's a huge container so I still have stuff left ) you could only get it through the vet's. They had special chews too, treaded with the chlorhexidine, that my dogs love. Hang on, let me me see if I can link you to an Amazon source.......... OK, here we go....neither of these is the actual gel that I have. But they both have a .12% chlorhexidine solution, which is what mine does. http://www.amazon.com/Top-Performan...=1459692984&sr=1-5&keywords=chlorhexidine+gel http://www.amazon.com/ClearQuest-Or...xgy_199_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=14TMV4WH77029P980TNA And then here are the chews...note that they come in different sizes. I got the small the first time I got them, but my dogs loved them so much that they worked their way through the small ones pretty fast. I've since gotten the medium sized ones which are about the size and shape of pig ears (if you know what I'm talking bout) and though they're almost the size of my dogs' heads, they are light and last much longer, and the shape is better too. http://www.amazon.com/Virbac-C-E-T-...&sr=8-2&keywords=virbac+dental+chews+for+dogs Anyway, hope that helps. Happy to answer questions you have . We chi lovers have to stick together!
Yes I also brush my little dogs teeth, and use a child's soft tooth brush. But not as often as I should. We just had her teeth cleaned several weeks ago and the bill was 500.00 as they pulled a small tooth that was cracked. I wish Tootsie liked to chew on chew-bones. Even when she was a pup she did not like to chew on stuff. So at the vet I bought an additive for her drinking water. It is an enzyme based oral solution. It helps to remove plaque and inhibits bacteria growth in he mouth. One more tool to help keep her healthy.
Have a dog but don't brush his teeth. He is a labrador, what chance do I have? If it goes near his gob, it's gotta be food as far as he is concerned. However, I did discuss it with our vet and she had a good look at his teeth and at the moment, he has lovely white clean teeth. He does have raw bones, carrots and apples and a daily dental chew so the vet told us to just keep doing what we are doing.
We've always given our past dogs bones and what not and haven't had a problem with teeth. Though I have had friends with dogs that had teeth issues and they have used brushes. There are a vast variety of methods for brushing. I worked with a friends dog getting her to accept a brush. It can take some time and effort if they're particularly mouthy. But being calm and firm works out. Just don't let them give you any lip and let them know that no matter what they think about it, it's going to happen.
We just had Isabella in for her rabies shot and the vet recommended using pieces of gauze and using your fingers to wipe over the teeth. We had just done Isabella's teeth before we left with the electric brush and the vet just used the dry gauze and got stuff off of her teeth. She said to just put a little toothpaste on it at home. My husband said that the gauze is easier for him and the dogs didn't mind it as much. Whatever works for everyone is better than not doing anything if your pet has bad teeth...
I have never brushed any of my dogs teeth,..i do give Molly a Pedigree Dental Chew Stick every day,..so far she has had no dental issues,..she is now just over 12,..my last dog was given the same Dental Chews and she lived to just over 18 with all her teeth,..i can not say the same for myself
