A dog’s dental health can easily deteriorate if you simply leave it. When a dog is a puppy, they have the benefit of youth which makes many pet owners think that dental hygiene will take of itself. It is only as a dog gets older that the impact of this oversight becomes apparent. Starting earlier in life is a great tip, and thankfully we have lots of dental care products for puppies and adult dogs. These products make it a lot easier to take care of your dog’s teeth and eliminate any possible bacteria before problems might appear. With that in mind, here are some things to consider.
Regular teeth cleaning
Unfortunately, far too few dogs receive regular teeth cleaning, yet this is mandatory because it helps eliminate any bacteria from your dog’s teeth. It might not seem like much at first, but this type of care is crucial and it has the potential to help your pet immensely in the long run. With the right dental care your pet will be able to eliminate issues like tartar, gingivitis and so on. Yes, it might take a while for you to instill this type of habit for your dog. However it will be worthwhile in the end.
Bone chewing
Bone chewing is a very popular dental health habit for pets, in fact it is natures dentists and mimics what a dog would have done in the wild. That doesn’t mean it’s extremely healthy, in fact most of the time it can be quite the opposite as too many bones, the wrong type of bones and choking hazards can outweigh quite a few of the benefits. But it’s definitely something that you should encourage your pet to do more often than not. Bones also provide a mental stimulation in helping to keep your dog busy, and it also eliminates bacteria naturally. Plus, most pets are happy to chew bones and other dental hygiene products. We recommend bone chewing to be supervised until you are confident your dog wont be injured or choke on bone fragments.
Raw diets and soft foods
With the growing number of dogs eating a raw ancestral or prey model diet its important to know how to keep you dogs dental hygiene the best it can be. These raw diets are amazing from a nutrition perspective as they reflect what was naturally intended for dogs, however the lack of hard bones means the hard and rough chewing is missing. Simply adding a few meaty bones, or some good chew toys easily solves the problem.
Early detection of dental issues is key, and even if you miss something a good vet should be taking a look at dental health during standard checkups and vaccination visits.
Key symptoms that your dog may have a dental issue include, bad breath, swollen gums, any appetite changes, excessive saliva or missing teeth. Some of these could also be indicating other major health issues, so if you are unsure, talk to your vet.
