brushing my dog's teeth

Philippines
March 25, 2007 8:10am CST
My dog's breath is an annoyance! And I read an article that sys, I must brush my dog's teeth. Do dogs have a special toothbrush and a toothpaste that I must use on them? Or could I use a toothbrush and a toothpaste that could be bought in a grocery store such as Colgate?
1 person likes this
9 responses
• Kuwait
26 Mar 07
i think you can give your dog a bone which he can play and bite so he can release that bad breath that he has, our dog play a big bone now he doesnt smell stinks.
• Philippines
2 Apr 07
I went to a vet...she doesn't know a bone for my dog's breath. It sucks...wish we had it in our country too. Anyway, thanks!
• United States
26 Mar 07
Go to a pet store and get a dental bone. It will clean their teeth and freshen breath without the issues of brusing their teeth lol. I wouldent use regular toothpaste on them, that sounds scarry to me. If you want to use smething mix a table spoon of baking soda into a half cup of water and make a thin liquid, it wont hurt if swollowed like toothpaste and get rid of the smell. But a dental bone is much easier.
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@supremegod (1018)
• India
25 Mar 07
i dont know why my dog is never willing to brush his teeth.. its a big problem his breath, and i have complaints from family too.. i have tried many times brushing his teeth but couldnt... so what i do is take some big serving of the paste and put it in his mouth forcefully.. he eats it and i hope the chemical action of the toothpaste would do some good....
@Galena (9110)
25 Mar 07
if your dog has bad breath, have the vet check their teeth. unless they have bad teeth, it's usually dietary, and if the breath is bad, it's better to look into different food.
@seamonkey (1976)
• Ireland
25 Mar 07
I went through a period when I thought my dog had really bad breath. I was abthing him once a week and it didn't help so I decided it was his breath. I used baking soda and a soft child's toothbrush. He didn't like it but it seemed to work. The problem was, it didn't get rid of his nasty breath. I finally figured out he had an EAR infection. He wasn't scratching at them so it took me ages to cop on. He had awful black gunk in his ears and that was the cause of the bad breath. Don't forget to care for your doggy's ears as well as his teeth!
• India
25 Mar 07
yes, dogs have a special toothpaste. pls do not use colgate or any other toothpaste used by humans.it is better u consult with a doctor.
1 person likes this
@vstorm (65)
• United States
25 Mar 07
A dogs teeth do need to be brushed. They get bad breath and it can cause infection in their mouth as well as s lot of internal problems. They do have doggie toothpaste and toothbrushes at the vet, and probably even at like PetSmart. The best kind to buy is the fingerbrush, it makes it so much easier on you and the dog. Hope this helps.
@Galena (9110)
25 Mar 07
there are special toothbrushes for dogs, some are like a little thimble you put on your fingertip and they have bristles on them. but there's nothing wrong with using a normal, soft bristled toothbrush on a dog. there are special toothpastes for dogs, but you don't have to use them. I definitely wouldn't recommend human toothpaste for a dog, as it is quite strong and may put them off. the toothpastes can be useful if a dog doesn't much like brushing, as they often have meaty or fishy flavours to encourage the dog to allow brushing. I brush my dogs teeth without toothpaste, it's just to remove placque from the teeth so that they don't get gum disease. you'll probably find that brushing doesn't make much difference to their breath, as that's usually more related to their diet, but it will help keep their teeth and gums healthy.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
25 Mar 07
I brush my dogs's teeth sometimes. But they do not like it very much! I got a special dog toothpaste from my local vet. It is chicken flavour to they like the taste. However they hate the brushing action. My older dog is 2 and a half years old. he had lots of plaque on his back teeth. It is very challenging to remove. I have a special dog toothbrush but I guess any type of toothbrush will do.
• Philippines
25 Mar 07
Once in a while, i get to brush my dog's teeth. I don't use any special toothpaste. I just use for him a small ordinary toothbrush and whatever toothpaste we have available. I think you do not have to brush your dog's teeth everyday like we humans do. Maybe once in a while, every week will do.