Did you know that dental care
is just as important
for your
dog as it
is for us human beings? Just like with our
teeth, your dogs teeth
can gather plaque during
eating. This plaque can then build up
and harden which then becomes
known as
a brown substance called tartar.
Then as
this tartar accumulates it will work its way
beneath the dogs gums and become
the reason behind
painful infections and gum disease. This process occurs
in the mouths
of dogs, and
is no different
to what occurs in
people. You no doubt
brush your teeth on a regular
basis, but think about your poor dog for a moment. What can he/she do?
The Veterinary world says that dog owners should brush their
dogs teeth twice a week to stop the accumulation
of tartar. Well, I honestly
dont know any owners who take the trouble to do this. Hopefully you do. A lot
of pet shops stock toothbrushes and toothpaste especially for dogs. You need to know that a dogs sense of taste is a lot more sensitive than that of us humans and the minty, tingly, sort of toothpastes that we use will be pretty unpleasant to a dog. So just
make sure you use the proper doggie toothpaste.
It is fortunate that dogs
have a natural tendency to chew and this acts as a dental care mechanism. Dogs crunch biscuits
into small pieces when chewing and these
rub against their teeth, providing a cleaning function. This is no
substitute for brushing, but if you cant manage that, just try to ensure he/she regularly gets
some type of crunchy dog biscuit.
Any dogs that do
not get the correct dental care and do not have access to good teeth cleaning foods
run the risk of different types of mouth disease. These can be mild like gingivitis or a rather more
serious type of infection that can get
into the dogs bloodstream and damage vital organs.
Dental services are
readily available for dogs. A dogs teeth can be capped, filled, and
extracted if required, just like a human
beings. Of course the best way is to avoid the need for these services by
looking after your dogs teeth.
Preventative dental care for your dog can save you money as well. Dog dental care can unfortunately be quite costly, but then its
less painful than toothache.
James Hunaban is the owner of
- http://dog-health.jims-info.com/ and
http://dogs-care.jims-info.com/ - sites
dedicated to Dogs.