Cleaning your dogs teeth is VERY important and should be done as often as possible.  Once a day is ideal... once a week is good... once a month is better than nothing.

My little rescue dog didn't have very good teeth when I adopted him at 8 years old.  His last owners never cleaned them.  Shortly thereafter one of his teeth abscessed (infectious collection of pus that built up, swelled and then burst) all due to their poor condition.  He was in quite a bit of pain for a long time because of his teeth and what's worse... poor oral health leads to a lot of other ailments (and a lot of pain for the pup).

Giving them things to chew on is great, but definitely not a replacement for brushing their teeth.
 

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Stephanie
www.PinkPuppyDesigns.com

Thinking about getting a pet? Try PetFinder.com!

Four Paws makes a toothpaste and a variety of tooth brushes.  The paste is Pet Dental Natural toothpaste for dogs.  It has a peanut butter flavor.  We also use their brush that fits right on your finger.  It is much easier to use than the traditional style brush.

I also heard that you can just use peanut butter and the brush alone.

Good Luck!

Once a day - really!!!!???

Is this a service that can be done by a groomer or a vet too?  Do you know how much that might cost?

This is like cutting grass, raking leaves, and shoveling snow = I hate to do it and I'd rather pay somebody else an arm and a leg than do it myself!

How about trimming nails?  What's the timeframe on doing that?  Every month?

I'd suggest contacting your veterinarian to see if they have suggestions of places to go, but most groomers I know do offer a teeth cleaning.

I suggest reading this little page about dog dental care.  It's for a Sheltie Rescue, but it truly relates to all dogs and has some "lovely" tooth pictures to show good and bad teeth.

http://www.illinoissheltierescue.com/teeth.html
 

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Stephanie
www.PinkPuppyDesigns.com

Thinking about getting a pet? Try PetFinder.com!

oh my! that picture is awful!

Dental health is one of the most important things you can do for your dog.

Besides the right food, and healthy treats, daily brushing and a once a year dental from your vet are reccommended.

Many dogs have gotten seriously ill from infections in their teeth which can lead to heart problems and a whole host of other things.

The average dog owner won't tell you this as they just didn't grow up in an environment where their dogs health was ever preventative care. They would just go to the vet when the dog is sick and not try to do all to avoid the need for the vet beyond routine visits.

I am involved in rescue breed specific for Japanese Chin but help out many other rescues as well with home visits etc. All serious dog owners take care of their dogs teeth so you are doing something so good by starting out right.

Bravo to you!!!

If you are interested in a whole line of healthy products for your dog go to http://nancyshealthnet.com for a great holistic line of products.

Dogs are meant to live much longer than we ever used to think and for those of us who love them we want them in our lives as long as possible.

Enjoy your fur-baby.

Nancy

Hey I work for Cain & Abel Collection, and we make a really good 3-headed toothbrush and tea-tree oil toothpaste. We usually recommend brushing once a week, which seems to be a good balance between not driving your dog nuts, and still keeping the dental health in order! You can check out our local retailers at www.cainandablecollection.com . Feel free to message with any questions!

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I don't brush my grey's much, although I know I should. I have been giving the CET Rawhide Chews from the vet a couple of times each week; and they are working wonders!!!!

cool.  I'll check this product out.  I love your Lavender Conditioning Shampoo.  I like that it has no strong lingering smell a day or so later.  We use to use the Hartz Living Puppy Shampoo even thought our dog is nearly 3.  She came with it and we just continued to use it.  But I have to say I'm really fond of the Lavender Cain & Able shampoo after we tried it.