Tips for Keeping Your Dog's Mouth Clean

We're often told that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's mouth. Needless to say, this leads many people to wrongfully believe that they can forgo worrying about things like Fido's doggie dental care. Recent studies, however, have shown that maintaining good oral care for dogs is not only essential to the well-being of your pets, but it can also lessen the risk of heart, liver and kidney disease, as well as save your best friend the agonizing pain of tooth decay, pain and breaking or tooth loss.

Providing your pet with good dental care is surprisingly easy. In addition to helping prevent the onset of life-threatening conditions, it will help to reduce the chances of tartar buildup, excessive drooling and even help to cure your dog's bad breath. Here are some helpful tips for keeping your dog's mouth clean and happy:

5 Easy Tips for Keeping You Dog's Mouth Clean

Brushing Your Dog's Teeth: Perhaps one of the most simple and efficient means of cleaning your dog's teeth and helping to keep your dog's mouth clean is the simple act of brushing his teeth. Whether you use a specially-designed dog tooth brush and poultry-flavored paste or a little baking soda and water on a soft cloth, the key is to go slow, be gently and gently clean away the plaque from your dog's teeth. Backing it up with lots of praise and positive reinforcement can help to make this a positive experience for your pet.

Watching Your Dog's Diet: We are what we eat and dogs are no exception. In addition to a good diet being essential to the overall health of your pet, it can also help promote good digestion and a cleaner mouth.

Biscuits vs. Chew Toys: Interesting to note is that many different brands of dog kibble and dog treats advertise that they are plaque or tartar reducing, or that they clean your dog's teeth, while very few toys actually promote the fact. Yet, oddly enough, letting your dog chew on a nylon chew toy or rubber chew toy, will actually do more to stimulate his gums, clean his teeth and promote a cleaner mouth than any kind of canine cookie on the market. Keep the treats to a minimum and engage in play to help promote better oral hygiene in dogs.

Plan An Annual Doggie Dental Checkup: Scheduling a dental visit once a year will help to promote good oral hygiene for your dog as well as helping to keep your dog's mouth cleaner. By cleaning away tartar and plaque, your veterinarian will be able to reduce decay-causing bacteria and promote better dental hygiene for your pet.

Provide Fresh Water: While we can brush our teeth after every meal, our canine companions don't have this kind of luxury. By providing our pets with lots of fresh, clean water, we promote them to drink more and thereby cut down on some of the food particles that might otherwise be deposited on and amongst your dog's teeth.

Caring for your dog's teeth is a snap once you know how. By following these simple easy steps, you will be able to help keep your dog's mouth cleaner, protect his health and promote good doggie breath. That's a lot better than trying to market new doggie breath mints!

Sources:

Personal experience as a long-time owner and breeder