Teeth Cleaning

I am one for letting things happen naturally so I have never brushed my dogs' teeth and consider it to be yet another way for the pet industry to make me spend money unnecessarily. (Similar views on human dentistry and I still have all my own at 49 but that's another thread!).
Having said that, they do go in to have plaque removed and a general clean-up every few years and as we now have a couple of weeks before the next round of shows, Polly and Polo have just been booked in at the vets to have theirs done tomorrow. Now I know I am in rural Ireland but..... they didn't know what I was asking for! Maybe it's just the receptionist...
I just hope my two come back tomorrow with nice white teeth and nothing else tampered with!!!!!
Poor Polly and Polo will have to go without breakfast and no doubt milk the situation like mad when I get them home. Taylor will of course grin at them with his shiny, pure white puppy teeth!

Does anyone else take this route or do you all scrub their teeth regularly?

ours get there teeth cleaned by brush every now and then, although our Polly has had it done at the vets beforer as she has a phobia about people touching her mouth so, it is easier all round.
So we have and do, do both options Gill
Best wishes

my vet advised us to brush diesels teeth and they are done at least every other day,the vet says she won't need her teeth cleaning for at least 2 years and she's nearly 5.my friends dog is 2 and has the most disgusting teeth i have ever seen!i don't mind brushing the dogs teeth and the dogs don't seem to mind having it done,as for it being another way for the pet industry to make money the toothpaste and brushes cost next to nothing or you can use bicarbonate of soda on a soft cloth(does the job just as well!)

Well I brush both my two dogs teeth regular...I wouldn't want them to have to go under anesthetic more than they absolutly have too, so I wouldn't want to rely on them having their teeth cleaned and descaled at the vets...

I don't want my dogs teeth to ever get to where they needs descaling in the first place, I love them nice and white and clean...

Some dogs can get bad teeth before they are two years old...alot also depends on what they are fed...If the food is full of artificial colours and sugars etc, then that is not going to help...I have seen many that start to get tartar before they are even 1...So personally I have cleaned my dogs teeth since they were done teething and it got them used to it also, so now they are good and it is quick and easy.

I think there are many areas that could be considered money spinners before teeth cleaning could be considered as such...

and just a thought, you pay for there teeth to be descaled right??

i clean mine if there is any plaque i get it off as tob is more comfortable with me doing it than a stranger and i use the vet toothpaste on both of mine now and again they love it.

Well, Polly and Polo are back, a little subdued, didn't have a general, just sedation, and I stayed with Polo until he was zonked then let the vet get on with it. Polo is nearly 6 and this is the first time he has had his done, and they were not toooooo bad!
Apparently, Polly has cavities and I was asked if I fed her sweets. She doesn't get sweets or any human food as a rule so the comment about sugars in commercial dog food must be true I will check the ingredients....... but it's not only her main food, it's the dog treats and dog biscuits I will need to check out, too.
There is no way to "fill" dog's teeth (at least, not over here) so I will have to keep an eye on things and if any give her discomfort they will need to come out. As she is nine, perhaps that is to be expected?
(Taylor, he of the marvellously white puppy teeth, didn't escape as he has a bad ear infection so spent an undignified ten minutes having the inner part examined and drops being forced down there.)
Anyway, now they are clean I will give the bicarb-on-a-soft-cloth a go, to keep them that way.

Yes do check the food and treats they have...

Even if you never cleaned their teeth ever, a dog fed on food with nothing artificial added, no colours, sugars, etc is going to fair far better than a dog fed on food with all this stuff...

You have to be careful as some treats that I have seen that say they are 'good for teeth and gums' are actually loaded with sugar!...

I remember getting one of mine a well know brand of 'long lasting bone' said it would last ages and was good for teeth and sugar was high on the list of ingrediants, not to mention it's artificial colour, which of course can stain the teeth over time.

So anyway, no more of that kind of thing for mine!...Now they get fed the most natural kibble I can find and raw bones to chew on and healthy treats, along with having their teeth cleaned

You could start with the bi-carb on a cloth, but do make sure you don't use too much bicarb because it gets frothy and the dogs don't like it, plus I used it with mine once and my dog swallowed too much and spent the night being sick afterwards. I know people used to use bicarb all the time back in the days but I do prefer to just use a doggy toothpaste, they like it better because it's flavour and it doesn't froth or make them sick. I know it's putting money into the industry, but if the dogs like it better then that is what I will use.

You can get toothpaste from £2 or so a tube to £4.50...the cheaper ones are fine for starting out with and getting them used to brushing but the better ones are the ones with the enzyme action, you will see it listed on the tube. Also you can use Logic Oral Gel and you can rub this on the dogs teeth and gums and that is suppossed to be for when you can't use a toothbrush etc and is better than nothing.

But the best would be to try getting them used to regular brushing

Do they get to gnaw on a nice big raw knuckle bone or something??...You could also feed raw chicken wings and raw lamb bones that help clean the teeth naturally (must be RAW though, cooked will splinter) and Raw whole carrots and things for them to munch on and on the odd occassion but not to often a rawhide

Sorry if I have told you stuff you already knew!

They get raw carrots, raw chicken wings, rawhides from time to time, but difficult to get raw bones due to the good old EEC regs.
Their staple diet is James Wellbeloved which is pretty good as far as purity goes, maybe it's the treats..........
Dog toothpaste may be relatively cheap in the UK but I would have to import it I think (never seen it here and if you ask, people look at you as if you are mad) which will double the price. I will have a look around the stands at the Belfast show next month and see if anyone has it.

Don't worry, rather have too much info than not enough!

Hi you can also use diluted hydrogen peroxide 10% vol. You can buy a bottle from you chemist and its not expensive. Dilute it 50/50 with water and rub on the teeth will help whiten them and remove stains, no good for plaque though. Only really to whiten clean teeth.

Thanks, Louie, I actually have some of that so I'll give it a go sometime!