Do you brush your dog's teeth?

@Zinkle (23)
United States
June 8, 2008 1:04pm CST
If so, how often do you normally do it? We brush our dog's teeth about once a week. I use a finger brush and poultry flavored toothpaste and he doesn't seem to mind it at all. Some people think it's silly that we do this, but I think it cuts down on the number of dental treatments he'll have to have in the future so it's worth it from a financial perspective and also from a health risk perpective.
1 person likes this
4 responses
rrdj71
@rrdj71 (696)
• United States
8 Jun 08
I too brush my dog's teeth once a week and right after his bath. He is very good about it and the vet says he has AWESOME teeth
1 person likes this
rrdj71
@rrdj71 (696)
• United States
9 Jun 08
No he is actually a 3rd Generation Brusells Griffon PURE BRED CHAMP!! He is the BEST!!
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Zinkle
@Zinkle (23)
• United States
9 Jun 08
Sorry! It was hard for me to tell from his profile :) He is a cutie!
Zinkle
@Zinkle (23)
• United States
8 Jun 08
That's fantastic! Is that your dog in your avatar? I have to ask because I adore pugs and our dog is actually a pug/terrier mix.
slyvixen42
@slyvixen42 (926)
• United States
9 Jun 08
Oh goodness, no. If I tried to I might lose a few fingers. haha My dog is a little high strung. She's a Chihuahua Terrier mix: enough said. ;)
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Zinkle
@Zinkle (23)
• United States
9 Jun 08
Yep, some dogs just aren't that receptive to it...the vet has told me that if they eat dry kibble and chew on something (Kong, chewies, etc.) that it helps their teeth as well. I don't think fingers count...too soft lol!
emma412
@emma412 (1156)
• United States
8 Jun 08
No, I do not brush my dog's teeth. I never really thought about it until we got our new puppy and the vet told me we should be doing it. I keep meaning to buy some stuff for their teeth but everytime I am out, I forget. The vet said their teeth are just like ours and need regular cleaning too. Otherwise you end up having to knock them out to get them cleaned as they age and it is really expensive.
1 person likes this
Zinkle
@Zinkle (23)
• United States
8 Jun 08
Dogs seem to do better with the whole brushing the teeth thing the younger you start them on it. I have to laugh at the number of toothpaste flavors that are currently out there. Last time I was at Petsmart they had: malt, beef, poultry, and vanilla-mint toothpaste!
snowy
@snowy22315 (170599)
• United States
8 Jun 08
I try to brush my dogs teeths frequently. He eats soft food so he needs his teeth brushed frequently. It is not his favorite thing, but he doesn't try to run the other way either. I think he likes it better than taking a bath.
1 person likes this
Zinkle
@Zinkle (23)
• United States
8 Jun 08
Yep, soft food can cause their teeth to need more attention. Luckily, our current dog eats dry kibble and chews his rawhides so the weekly teeth brushing is keeping his tartar under control. Our little terrier mix (RIP) could only eat soft food because his teeth were so bad when we adopted him. He would bite us when we tried to brush his teeth so we had to rely on the traditional veterinary dental to keep his mouth healthy.