Brushing teeth

Lately, our Shih Tzu has had horrible dog breath. We took her to get groomed yesterday and that helped a little, but it's still there. What is the best way to brush her teeth at home?

 

One thing: Do not use human toothpaste. Many of them have ingredients that are harmful to dogs. Xylitol is toxic to dogs and they can die with ingesting a very small amount.

Having said that, there are two ways to go about this. First, you can use a special toothbrush and paste. I was taught to sit behind my dog, bring the brush to her mouth, lift the gums, and brush. If you are lucky, your dog won't be terrified of the toothbrush. I can't do Misha, but Sierra used to love the toothpaste.

There is a second way to do it. They make these rubber things that look like thimbles but have small rubber bristles or spikes on one side. You put the toothpaste on that, put it on a finger, then gently rub it on your dog's teeth.

Personally, I think the finger thing is easier. It is difficult getting the brush past the tongue.

 

Besides gum and teeth problems dogs can develop lung and gastric problems that can cause bad breath. If cleaning teeth and gums don't alleviate the problem and it persists consult your vet.

 

I never brush my Homer's teeth... I didn't know that maybe I should? I just buy for him from time to time those doggy mints, he loves chewing it and playing with it. The veterinarian said that Homer has healthy teeth so I guess it works.

 

Have you heard of that new spray on the market that is suppose to help clean a dogs teeth and freshen their breath. I have never used it personally myself, but you might want to check it out, and read what others have had to say about it online to see if it really does work effectively. I have never personally brushed a dogs teeth myself. We have always used dog biscuits as a way to keep our dogs teeth clean and healthy.

 

We use Greenies.



They're super hard, so the dog has to chew on them for quite a while to make it through the treat....but they taste good, so they keep at it anyway.

The idea is that to chew on them like that is going to help remove tartar, plaque buildup, etc, that is causing the bad breath in the first place.

 

Thanks for all of the posts, guys. This has really helped me a lot. I'll look into the greenies and the dog toothpaste.