Is it necessary to brush my dog's teeth?

Question

My dog is turning 9 this yr and I've never ever brushed his teeth. His teeth are brown at the tip, and cracked, kind of looking like cavities.

Is it super important to brush my dog's teeth?

Oh ya! I've got a mixed terrier. Medium size. Brown and fluffy =) Thanks guys!!

Answer 1

It is necessary for your dog to have dental work by this stage, yes. It will mean an anaesthetic and a scale and clean and the vets, the same as you would have at the dentist. He may need extractions too. It's very common in older cats and dogs. It is necessary to get this sorted, as bad teeth can cause further health problems including kidney failure, as well as being painful for the animal.

After the dental, you can take steps to avoid further deterioration of the teeth, including brushing. Dog toothbrushes and special pastes are available, but if your dog won't tolerate this, special hard kibble is available to help clean teeth - this is not a diet that has to be feed exclusively.

If you can get a puppy/kitten used to having it's teeth cleaned you can avoid the almost inevitable need for dental work when older, tho I don't know anyone who actually does this. I haven't any dogs or cats at the moment, but the next I get I will train to be used to having their teeth cleaned - well dogs anyway, cats I might just feed lots of Hills t/d! I've seen too many HIDEOUSLY yucky animal mouths - including my own 16 year old cat's! I've learned my lesson!

Chalice

Answer 2

Brushing the teeth is actually quite important. Bacteria doesn't just sit in the mouth - it can travel into other parts of the body. This bacteria can lead to heart, liver, and other problems. A dental cleaning at the vet's is expensive. Most dogs eventually need it but it can be prolonged by weekly (at least) brushing at home.

I agree with the post above - have a cleaning done at the vet, then try to brush your dog's teeth at home. Better late than never!

Answer 3

After you've had your canine friend's teeth checked by a vet there are products you can sprinkle on his food that will make the tartar and plaque much easier to clean off with light brushing. check with your pet store. The stuff I buy is a white powder that contains a driend cheese product. I buy it at PetValu.

Also, feeding you dog a dry food and/or dried biscuits and giving them a "dentabone" a few times a week will keep your dogs gums and teeth healthy as well.

I wanted to add - that there are also these rubber things that look like thimbles (I bought mine at Wal-Mart in the pet section) that you can put on your fingers and sort of let your pup chew on it (don't let him swallow it) and it works like a tooth brush - its not as invasive and makes the process more fun. My dogs do this almost every evening for just a few minutes.

Answer 4

Eww..at this point, brushing won't do much...I never really found brushing effective...

BUT I love using raw meaty bones to clean teeth! These things seriously work 100 times better than brushing!!! Ask a butcher by you if you can have the cow bones and freeze them until you want to give them to your dog! I have a nine year old who still looks 3 ish because of her teeth!

Are you afraid of the germs? Remember that wolves eat the exact same thing. Dogs are hardy, especially when It comes to digesting food with bacteria. Plus Japanese people eat raw steak anyway...

SERIOUSLY best thing you can do for his teeth.

Answer 5

At this point brushing his teeth wouldnt really do much good. Schedule him for a dental cleaning at the vet, and once thats done you can start brushing his teeth several times a week. If youve never done this to him before, he may not even allow it to be done, but if he does, it will help out alot with bad breath, and prevent them from having all that gunk on his teeth from coming back.

Answer 6

Some dogs don't need their teeth brushed if they eat dry kibble and are in good health, but some dogs do need a yearly cleaning by a vet. It also depends on the breed.

Answer 7

Dental care in dogs/cats is just as important as it is in us. He should have a full dental scaling/polishing under general anesthesia, and continued brushing at home. Just because they eat dry food only doesnt mean he doesnt need brushing. That's kinda like saying if you only ate hard food you wouldnt need to brush ... I think your dentist would have something to say about that.

Answer 8

Gum disease is common amoung older dogs. If the gums are red , discolored and bad breath it might be a good idea to take it to the vet first and see what he recomends.We brush our dogs teeth for she has gum disease. Brushing is not mandatory though.

Answer 9

Yes, it is very important to brush your dogs teeth! their teeth are just like ours and need a daily cleaning.
Talk to your vet, he/she may have recommendations on what to do.

Answer 10

well you can brush them but you can also use the white bones or brown ones to clean there teeth I use it on my dog.