| |
| |
|
Pets Information |
|
|
|
Is Dog Dental Care Necessary?
Caring for your dogs teeth is a vital part of his overall health and maintenance. Sure, you may feel funny brushing Fido's pearly whites every night before bed, but good dental care for dogs is much more than just having white teeth and good breath. Dental disease in dogs can cause serious health issues as the bacteria from infected gums and teeth can "spread" to other parts of the body and affect vital organs such as the heart, kidneys and intestines. Tarter or dental calculus starts off soft but can harden on the dogs teeth. Once hardened, it cannot be brushed away but requires a dental scaling just like you get in the dentist chair! If the teeth are left untreated, the buildup can cause the gums to become inflamed and can also cause serious infections. Does Your Dog Have Bad Teeth? To tell if your dog has bad teeth, lift up his lips and check his teeth at the gumline - can you see tarter? Are the teeth white or discolored? Does his breath smell? Are there broken teeth? All of these can indicate the need for better dog tooth care. Your veterinarian will probably do a dental check as part of they yearly checkup and can advise you as to the extent of the problem, if any. Providing Better Dog Tooth Care Bones Chewing on raw bones can be a good way for your dog to remove built up tarter. I would advise against cooked bones as they can splinter and cause damage to the gums or intestine if swallowed. There are also some manufactured bones that are specially formulated for dental care. Brushing Your Dogs Teeth Brushing is a vital part of dog tooth care and should be done at least once a week. There are plenty of flavored toothpastes formulated for dogs that your pet will love the taste of. You can use a finger brush (a rubber piece that fits on the end of your finger with bristles), a hand held brush that looks much like a human tooth brush, or a little brush that fits on the end of a "ring" which you put on your finger. I have a tiny dog with a small mouth and I find the "ring" brush works best for me. Scaling This procedure is done by your veterinarian and is pretty much the same thing as the scaling you get at the dentist. The teeth are scraped and polished and any loose or badly damaged teeth are removed. Your dog is put under anesthesia for this procedure and it is quite costly. Proper brushing will limit the need for this to be done. Getting Your Dog Used To Brushing While it's best to start when he is a puppy, it's not too late for your older dog to get good dental care! Start off slowly, maybe with just a dab of the toothpaste on your finger so he can lick it off (my dog loves the taste!). Be sure to use a special paste for dogs and not human toothpaste - get a paste from your vet that has enzymes that will help fight the bacteria. Also, you'll want a soft brush so you do not damage the gums. Take it one day at a time and gradually get the dog used to you touching his head and opening the mouth. Each day try to go one step further - open the mouth, then touch his teeth, then his gums. Use your finger at first and introduce the brush later. This can be a a bonding time for you and your dog - eventually your pet may even look forward to his nightly brushing! You should try to brush your dogs teeth every day or at least every other day so that the plaque will not have a chance to harden. While this may seem like a chore, think of it as an important medical need for your pet. Frequent brushing and proper dental care can add years to your pets life! Lee Dobbins is a pet lover and webmaster of ePet Pet Center where you can find out more about the care of pets. Be sure to check out the new dog breed guide.
MORE RESOURCES:
pets - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Puppy Crate Training -- Fast Track to a Contented Dog Puppy crate training is one of the most effective ways to housebreak your new puppy.Puppy crate training takes a little patience, but it's a good way to set your puppy on the right path. Cat Arthritis Cat arthritis is not a very common ailment among healthy cats. Most arthritis found in cats is from an accident that has made the bones or joints weak. Cat Scratching Solutions For a cat, scratching is a natural, necessary act. Besides keeping her claws in top shape, the stretching involved in a good scratch keeps her upper body strong and loose. Are Your Fish Sick? Keeping a fish tank is a wonderful and relaxing hobby, but it can turn stressful if your fish start to die off. The most common cause of fish disease is poor water quality so it is vital that you perform regular maintenance on the tank, making sure you do a partial water change periodically and clean out any waste or uneaten food so it does not decay and poison the water. Housetraining Tips for Your Dog or Puppy Puppies need to go to the bathroom after they play, chew, drink, eat or sleep. Start by putting them on a leash and tethering them to you. Buying a Custom Bird Cage Many of us dream of having a beautiful, exotic bird perched on our shoulder, accompanying us around town. At the end of the day, though, our feathered friend must return to its cage. A Healthy Cat Knows What Tastes Good... As all cat owners know, a feline can be a wonderful addition to any family. One of the most basic aspects of cat ownership is proper health care for the cat. Who Let The Dogs Out? Pointers For In Home Dog Training Who let the dogs out?Remember this song which gave birth to a rather popular phrase some years back? Perhaps, its fame can be traced to how it struck a cord on our collective subconscious. After all, not a few of us fear the warpath of dogs gone wild. Westies for Sale - Avoiding the Perils of Purebred Puppy Purchases In the purebred West Highland Terrier puppy market, there are few rules or laws governing who may breed dogs, and then advertise Westies for sale. Both ancestry and the breeding environment will affect the quality of the Westies offered for sale, and some breeders are a lot less careful about these details than others. Alarm Clock Kitty, How to Stop Early Morning Meowing Meow! Meow! Meow! I bury my head underneath my pillow. Meow! Meow! Meoooooow! The high pitched meowing persists and penetrates through my feather stuffed shield. Westie Pups - Tips for Success in Housetraining Perhaps the best way to train your westie pups not to relieve themselves in your house is to never let the behavior start in the first place. Learning to anticipate your westie puppies need to 'go' takes time, and extra attention to your pups when they are small, but it should make the learning process less stressful for everyone. Canine Distemper What is Canine Distemper?Canine distemper is a highly contagios disease caused by a virus (paramyxovirus) which attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervus systems of dogs. Although dogs are the most commonly affected, Canine Distemper is also seen in foxes, ferrets, mink and many other carnivores. The Wire Fox Terrier Of the thirty-three terrier breeds (most of which were first used for hunting of some sort and so came up as aggressive and lively), the Wire Fox Terrier has a reputation for scampishness. That is, the breed with the challenging personality that has been identified throughout its history as being as foxy as the fox it was once used to hunt. The Benefits of Large Birdcages We've all heard the phrase, "Free as a bird." In the wild, birds are free, flying from tree to tree in effortless abandon. How To Keep Your Cat Healthy - Cat Feeding Explained Cats have a reputation for being finicky eaters, but that is usually a distortion of the truth. Cats have a very keen sense of taste and smell, and they know what they like. Responsible Dog Ownership Owning a dog is a serious responsibility, one that should not be taken lightly. But what exactly does being a responsible dog owner mean? Well, when broken down, it is easy, but it does involve a few different elements. Reuniting Lost Pets With Their Owners Losing a family pet can be a traumatic experience, especially on children who are close to the lost pet. But, one in three pet owners fail to take the steps needed to ensure that this tragedy does not occur in their home. Dog Training For Beginners Training a dog is a fairly difficult task. Some find it to be very frustrating and simply send there dog or puppy to a professional trainer. Three Important Safety Products for Your Dog this Summer Keeping your dog safe is similar to keeping a child safe, you need to constantly be on alert. There are certain dangers a dog faces, especially in urban and suburban settings where the risk of running away and getting hit by a car poses a serious threat. Canine Infectious Hepatitis What is Canine Infectious Hepatitis?The word hepatitis refers to an inflamation of the liver. First reported in 1947, Canine Infectious Hepatitis (CIH), is a caused by canine adenovirus.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
