How often do you brush your dog(s)' teeth?

[Laura Corin]

I've been pretty remiss about this and our dog just had a tooth extracted.  The vet said that the latest research says that you need to brush every day - if you brush less often, the brush will just make grooves in the plaque which allow more plaque to adhere.  So I've started brushing every night before bed.

 

What do you do?

 

ETA: Update in post 37

 

L

[I talk to the trees]

I try to get to it two or three times a week, minimum. Sometimes I will have a three or four day streak of every night, but every other night is more common.

[UncleEJ]

I have never brushed my dogs teeth. I do know that you are supposed to but she has never really needed it. She is a big dog though and I believe that has something to do with it. Little dogs seem to have much more trouble with their teeth and if I had a small dog I would brush its teeth. My dog is 10 years old and has little to no tarter build up. On the few occasions that I have noticed some build up, I buy a bag of special food. It is made by Science Diet, their Prescription Diet line.

 

http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-canine-td-canine-dental-health-dry.html

 

It is a large dry kibble that does an amazing job of cleaning teeth. It is expensive and you can only get it a vets office. What I do is buy a bag and just supplement about 25% of her diet with it. After the bag is gone, her teeth are perfect again. I cannot recommend this enough. It really works!

[Slache]

You're supposed to every day. You should also be giving them carrots and other food that will clean their teeth.

[*Alyssa*]

Give them a raw, meaty bone and you won't need to brush their teeth.  Let them brush their own on the bone.   ;) 

[Joker]

I've never brushed my dog's teeth. The vet always says his teeth and mouth look healthy, though. Someone above mentioned carrots helping so maybe that's why as he has carrot sticks throughout the day.

[Pawz4me]

I had never brushed any of my dogs' teeth up until we got a Shih Tzu.  All our previous dogs were medium/large breeds and their teeth were kept very healthy by keeping them supplied with appropriate chew toys and bones.  Our Brittany is 13.5 years old and has never needed to have his teeth cleaned by the vet, nor has he ever lost a tooth.

 

But when we got the Shih Tzu I knew chew things likely wouldn't be enough, given all the teeth issues that are so common in small breeds.  So I try to brush every night.  Which means I actually do it about five times a week.  He was just seen by the vet last week, who was very pleased with how great his teeth look.

[QuirkyKapers]

Only occasionally.   I know it should be more, but it is a hassle.

[gingersmom]

I have a big dog who would eat the toothbrush.

 

I give her hard bones to gnaw on and her teeth are sparkly white.

[beezus]

I try to brush my dog's teeth every night.  When I forget I give his teeth a good brushing the next morning.  My last three dogs have been greyhounds and they seem to be more prone to bad teeth than other breeds I've had.  One of my greyhounds had truly rotten teeth no matter how often I tried to brush them.  She was not a fan of chewy toys though either, so maybe that was the difference.  My current dog has never loved getting his teeth brushed, but so far they continue to look pretty good and his gums are not red, so I think it is helping to make that daily effort.

[Laurie4b]

I've had two dogs who lived to age 15  (and they were large breeds) with a full healthy set of teeth in their mouth. They both got fed dry kibble. I do not brush dogs' teeth. (I had a hard enough time getting 4 kids to brush their teeth at certain times when they were younger!)

 

If you have a dog with bad enamel, then I guess you'll need to do something different.

 

Honestly, I've wondered if the  focus on getting dog's teeth cleaned at the vet is a money maker.  It certainly wasn't done when I was a kid. It may be based on new research. I don't really know. I do know that it's not necessary for every dog to have it done because I've had two that did just fine without it.

[Pawz4me]

If you have a dog with bad enamel, then I guess you'll need to do something different.

 

Honestly, I've wondered if the  focus on getting dog's teeth cleaned at the vet is a money maker.  It certainly wasn't done when I was a kid. It may be based on new research. I don't really know. I do know that it's not necessary for every dog to have it done because I've had two that did just fine without it.

 

With small dogs it's the fact that they have the same number of teeth as a large dog, crammed into a *much* smaller space.  Of course the teeth are smaller, too, but it still tends to be an over-crowding issue.

 

And yes, a lot has been learned in recent years about the relationship of good dental health to overall health (heart issues, etc.).  That applies to dogs as well as people.

[Sandragood1]

My 10 year old golden doodle had horrible looking yellow teeth. My dd brushed them once in a while.

 

I began to give him raw bones and his teeth were sparkly white before he finished the second one.

 

I give him soup bones which are 1" thick slices of bone with the marrow in the middle. I'm very pleased with the result. Much cheaper than a vet cleaning.

[alisoncooks]

I have never brushed my dog's teeth.  Puh-leeze.

Our last vet check-up (this past summer) the vet said our dog had amazingly clean teeth & gums.

 

I think it probably depends on the breed.

ETA:  ours is a Chihuahua

[Kathryn]

Don't have dogs anymore, but when we did--never. They ate dry food and had bones and other things to chew on. They never had teeth issues.

[Dory]

I don't brush the medium to large dogs teeth. I give them meaty bones and the vet has complimented their teeth a couple times. We brush the Jack Russels teeth as he is pretty small and has a poor bite. He gets brushed about once a week by my son. He also gets bones to chew on though.

[Tammi K]

Our dog (little silky/maltese mix) is 13 years old. I've never brushed his teeth. The vet always says, "His teeth look good. Keep doing what you're doing."  And what I'm doing is.....?????? Got me. I haven't a clue. He's just lucky, i guess.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Never have I brushed a dogs teeth.  I have handed out bones and biscuits.  Brushing never ever.

[Melissa in Australia]

other I give our dogs raw bones. they clean the teeth even better than brushing.

[Flowing Brook]

 I gave deer antlers. They are harder than bones and do a better job of cleaning the teeth. I can't imagine Rowan sitting still enough to let me brush his teeth. He probably would have moaned for an hour afterwards.  He did not like being groomed. Just blow drying him was akin to torture. Anytime I did something he did not like he'd throw himself on the floor like he was dying and just moan a deep moan. It was plain adorable. 

 

Serious question how do you get a dog to let you brush his teeth?  What do you brush them with?

[ScoutTN]

Never. 

Deer antler to chew on keeps their teeth white and healthy. 

 

[Mom-ninja.]

Um, I can barely get my kids' teeth brushed and flossed daily. Then there's my teeth to deal with. There's only so much dental care a mama can do!

[Jann in TX]

Never-- big dog owner here. 

I feed raw meaty bones-- all of my dogs have had excellent teeth-- even in old age.

[Snow]

I never did before but we just got back from the vet and yes, our current dog is going to need it. Not on my list of favorite things to do, that's for sure.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Raw bones here.  This is after the vet said that he had to put one of my dogs under to do dental scaling etc.  I gave him raw bones and saved tons of money.  The vet now says that the dog miraculously no longer needs dental care or the very expensive anesthesia.  

[JustEm]

Raw bones here.  This is after the vet said that he had to put one of my dogs under to do dental scaling etc.  I gave him raw bones and saved tons of money.  The vet now says that the dog miraculously no longer needs dental care or the very expensive anesthesia.  

That type of vet is the reason I chose to quit pre-vet and just get a BS in animal science and biology instead.  i worked for a vet in college who pulled that type of stuff ALL THE TIME!! It drove me insane.  Dental work in dogs can be necessary but rarely is.  I decided I didn't want to rack up so much debt in veterinary school that I may one day feel forced to deceive clients(not that I think I could have deceived them but it just didn't seem worth it to me to test those waters.)  Many of the vets in my area push a lot of unnecessary things to make a buck.

[Laura Corin]

 Dental work in dogs can be necessary but rarely is.  I decided I didn't want to rack up so much debt in veterinary school that I may one day feel forced to deceive clients(not that I think I could have deceived them but it just didn't seem worth it to me to test those waters.)  Many of the vets in my area push a lot of unnecessary things to make a buck.

 

My dog is a poodle cross - they are apparently very prone to dental problems.  I saw (in advance) the tooth that was a concern.  It was not a pretty picture.  And the smell coming off it.....

 

I'm brushing and giving her teeth-cleaning chews daily.  She's on a special medical diet, so I don't have a choice over that.

 

L

[Laura Corin]

Serious question how do you get a dog to let you brush his teeth?  What do you brush them with?

 

She's about the size of a small cocker spaniel, so she's fairly easy to handle.  She twists her head away, but can't get far.  I brush them with the small end of a dog toothbrush and with dog toothpaste.

 

L

[Pawz4me]

Serious question how do you get a dog to let you brush his teeth?  What do you brush them with?

 

Like almost everything else, it's just a matter of some training and patience.  It took my Shih Tzu all of a week or so to get used to it.  That doesn't mean he's perfect, but he tolerates it well.  Any pet store should have a variety of dog toothbrushes and toothpastes (poultry flavor seems to be the most  popular) to choose from.  Most grocery stores here stock a few dental supplies in the pet aisle.

[Laurie4b]

Looks like you've got a lot of people in the dog house with you with regard to doggy dental hygiene, Laura! Hope the survey was encouraging in that regard! As for myself, I was happy to see my slouchiness confirmed as a majority approach!

[Lizzie in Ma]

Never.  I've always given my large dogs marrow bones and their teeth have been healthy through old age.

[Hikin' Mama]

Never have and my dogs get regular vet care in which he checks their teeth. They have hard bones to chew. I guess that helps? Our past two dogs were old when they were put down and they never had tooth problems. They got the same regular vet care and he never said anything about their teeth either.

[Only me]

That type of vet is the reason I chose to quit pre-vet and just get a BS in animal science and biology instead. i worked for a vet in college who pulled that type of stuff ALL THE TIME!! It drove me insane. Dental work in dogs can be necessary but rarely is. I decided I didn't want to rack up so much debt in veterinary school that I may one day feel forced to deceive clients(not that I think I could have deceived them but it just didn't seem worth it to me to test those waters.) Many of the vets in my area push a lot of unnecessary things to make a buck.

Sorry to go ot on this post but what did you do with your degree? My dd wants to do something with animals but doesn't want to be a vet.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

greenies or something similar.....tried brushing when we first got Tinkie about 5 yrs ago.....did it once or twice....now that we have Jezzie too I know it ain't gonna happen LOL she's jumpier than Tinkie and wouldn't have anything to do with us brushing her teeth....

[Laura Corin]

Update: bizarrely, our dog has decided she likes having her teeth brushed.  Every night before bed, I sit down with her brush and she willingly jumps onto my lap.  Meanwhile, if she twigs that I am about to brush her coat, she runs and hides.

 

L