February is National Pet Dental Health Month. . .so I'm devoting this post to doggie dental health. Your pet's dental health can affect their overall health and well-being as well as their behavior. For example, the infection and inflammation often associated with periodontal disease may cause damage to other organs like their heart, liver and kidneys. Some signs of oral disease and dental issues to look out for are: bad breath, a change in eating or chewing habits, pawing at their mouth/face and/or depression. I'm sure that most of us have heard this information before, but it never hurts to hear it again.
So my one of my New Year's Resolutions was to start taking better care of Maggie and Abbie's teeth. I feel that taking care of their teeth is one area where I'm really slacking. I've tried two different dental sprays, but my two aren't really fans of the spray especially lil Miss Maggie. It is hard to make having their teeth sprayed a positive experience when you can't give them a treat afterward because they aren't suppose to have any food or water for a half before and after spraying their teeth. I should add that it is very strange for Maggie to be that bothered by a dental spray because she will let me do just about anything to her. She is my easy child because she is a dream to groom and doesn't even flinch when I find a matt. When Maggie would see my pick up their water bowls, she would avoid me because she knew the dental spray was next. So we gave up on the dental sprays.
I'm back to brushing their teeth. I'm girls aren't crazy about having their teeth brushed, but they tolerate it. What has made a world of difference for us is finding the right toothbrush. Most doggie toothbrushes on the market are just too big for Maggie and Abbie's petite mouths. I know some of our friends have had success with baby/toddler toothbrushes, but I found those still to be too big for my two. I have found that the C.E.T. Mini-Toothbrush is the perfect size for Maggie and Abbie's little mouths. The bristles might be a little hard, but otherwise this is the perfect little toothbrush for us. The C.E.T. Mini-Toothbrush comes with a sample of C.E.T toothpaste, which is what we are using. I'm very optimistic about brushing as we have good friends with Maltese and Yorkies who have been able to avoid dental cleanings. I would really like to avoid dental cleanings as they require our little ones to be put under with anesthesia, which is relatively safe. . .but I still would like to avoid it if possible. I haven't tried non-anesthesia dental cleanings for Maggie and Abbie, but am going to ask our Vet about them because he offers them. If you have had a non-anesthesia dental cleaning done on your pup, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on them.
Something that I have done and will continue to do is provide Maggie and Abbie with chews. Unlike dry dog food, I believe that dental chews and chews like bully sticks promote good dental health. Still they are no substitute for brushing. Our veterinarian recommends
C.E.T. HEXtra Premium Oral Hygiene Chews. Maggie and Abbie get very excited when they see me grab the
C.E.T. HEXtra Chews from on top of their crates. . .so I would say that they like them. I usually break one in half and give Abbie the smaller half. In addition helping promote good dental health, providing your dogs with chews helps them release energy and stress. I would never give any kind of chew without supervision.
I figure the best gift that I can give Maggie and Abbie is to really care for their teeth and gums. So now before we go to bed, I brush Maggie and Abbie's teeth no matter how late it is or how tired am or if they are already sleeping. One of the problems that I have had in past is that I'm too hard on myself, so if I would miss a night I would just give up. Now if I miss a night it is ok because Maggie and Abbie will get their teeth brushed the next night. So far so good. . .I'm hoping that it will become our before bed ritual soom.
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