On the instruction from Coco's vet yesterday, I have started cleaning his teeth. To be honest, I was dreading it. I'd bought some Logic gel a while back, but never got around to using it. The vet showed me how easy it was to rub a finger around and suggested a finger brush - it came with the gel anyway, so we tried that yesterday & this morning. It didn't feel particularly easy or effective and Coco was trying to avoid it. This evening I brushed again but this time I tried a normal adult toothbrush. It was so much easier. Coco was much more comfortable with it, and it's easier to manipulate. The brush has a much better reach than my finger! I feel happy I can continue this new (and very necessary) regime. I feel I ought to give him a treat afterwards, but it goes against the grain - I've just cleaned his teeth! I wouldn't eat straight after cleaning my own!
Does Coco bite the brush? I feel like I'm not doing anything except on the front teeth. Quinn views it as a treat and bites/licks the toothpaste off the brush, but I can't get it into the back teeth....I guess it's better than nothing!?
No, he didn't bite the brush - I thought he would. I was able to "scrub" his back teeth. It doesn't feel like it's enough - it's not like doing all the surfaces of your own teeth.
I have been brushing Hattie & Charlie's teeth for about 3 years now and it really makes a big difference. My vet always compliments me on how lovely their teeth are, actually she said Charlie's are fab! @edzbird I always give them a fish skin cube after brushing as a treat, I feel OK about it because it's a 100% natural treat @QuinnM15 I use a toothbrush similar to these on my dogs so that you can reach right to the back teeth. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Fou...r=1-43&keywords=dog+toothbrush+and+toothpaste It's not only a very important thing to do for your dogs health but it really helps your dog become used to having their mouth touched which can be most useful at the vets and it's a great bonding, trust exercise too. I call "teeth" every night and my two come legging it to me no matter what they are doing, sitting ready for action xx
hmm, mine is similar. Will have to work on getting her to stop biting down because I would like a similar compliment at the vet
I did clicker train Charlie but I started very slowly and giving a tiny fish treat after each brush until I reached the back which stopped the biting of the brush. Now they only get one treat after I have cleaned all of their teeth. Don't forget my dogs are 9 years and 6 years so not young x
If I give Coco a fish cube & add the cue "teeth", I'm fairly certain he'll do as Hattie & Charlie do. Are you able to brush even the inside surfaces too Helen?
Teeth cleaning is SUCH a big deal and so helpful. When Brogan was five years old, he had his one and only under anaesthetic tooth cleaning at the vet and I was such a basket case that I thought "never again". The vet told me after, "Well, you could just use a little spoon and scrape off the tartar occasionally - that will keep the teeth cleaner than just brushing." So instead I bought a tooth scaler (human dental tool) and became a doggie dental hygienist about once a month after that. It worked great - Brogan never had tartar and I never had to worry about him not coming out of anaesthetic for just a teeth cleaning. And as a side benefit, it probably also saved a lot on vet costs.
Lucky has awful teeth because he had canine distemper as a puppy so is missing a lot of the enamel on them - it happens if they have distemper while their teeth are forming - and plaque builds up really easily. I've started cleaning them recently, because he is getting a lot of plaque and his gums are getting a bit red. I started with just pulling his lips back and touching his teeth with my finger - using a clicker and treats. I tried an actual toothbrush but he didn't like it, so am using one that goes on your finger. I've been saying teeth, brushing them for a few seconds, then letting him lick the brush as a reward, which he likes. Is the Logic gel you are using good? I just have a toothpaste I bought in the pet shop, but I'm not sure if it's making a difference.
I haven't managed to do the inside surfaces, it's a little invasive but I read somewhere not to worry about that as the rough tongue helps keep them clean. Coco is a very clever boy so I'm sure you can get him to do anything for a fish cube @lucky_dog I use Logic Gel which I find pretty good. I have tried a few others but didn't fine them as effective. Poor Lucky how horrible for him You are taking it easy which is exactly how I proceded with my rescue dog Charlie, there's no hurry and now he can be fast asleep when I say "teeth" he's with me like a shot xx
I started out with just the paste on my fingers, and after each touch it was a c&t. Now after about 6months we clean with a tooth brush. Getting to that point was a lot of c&t. Now she will get a treat after her clean. Our vet told us not to bother with the inside, as due to dogs tongues etc. Same as what @charlie has read. Our vet plus other people comment on her teeth. But then again she is only 15months. Apperantly most dogs dont get problems until about 3years old and depending on what they eat.
I was using a Beaphar toothpaste previously, and it didn't seem to do a lot. When I switched to Logic gel, I could see a difference in the amount of build-up within a week or so. Shadow and Willow eat exactly the same, but Shadow's teeth get more tartar and staining than Willow's.
I feel blessed to have had such success with just diving on in with the brush Good to hear the bit about the tongue on the inside surfaces from 2 different sources - including a vet. We will concentrate on keeping those pearly whites, well, pearly white.
Our vet suggested using gold Listerine and just rubbing it around the outside of her teeth at gum level every couple of weeks. Has anyone tried this? (I hate Listerine myself so can't imagine it, but need to get something going for her teeth).
Hmm, I definitely wouldn't want to try this. No idea what the gold Listerine is like, but the others are all pretty uncomfortable and very strong. The dog toothpastes are specially designed for dogs' dental needs and to be palatable. I'd definitely be more inclined to stick with a product designed for purpose. I read a study some time back that raised doubts about the efficacy of many mouthwashes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21903531 "The only antiplaque agents to demonstrate a statistically significant difference from the control were cetylpyridinium chloride in combination with sodium fluoride, and chlorhexidine gluconate. Increasing the fluoride concentration had no impact on antiplaque activity." Listerine does not appear to have any of the active ingredients listed.
Both of ours get a brushing with Logic , but only about once a week . Both also get the fish4dogs pure fish skin cubes , bit big for Nelly but she manages it if I bash it into two ! I do think they help x
Well done Coco. It does seem an odd thing to do, clean teeth give treat but I feel I have to reward them for allowing such an intrusive procedure x
