# Brushing teeth made easy



## SharonW (May 4, 2014)

I was never able to successfully brush the teeth of my last two dogs. They had dental problems like most little dogs and I am determined that I can do better with my new Havanese puppy. I am starting early and she doesn't seem to mind it. In fact, she loves the toothpaste and gets excited when I bring it out. I got it from my vet and it is called Virbac. It is an enzymatic toothpaste and must taste wonderful to her. I think it is poultry flavored. I Put a little paste on it and she will tolerate anything I want to do in her mouth. I moved to the toothbrush this AM and it went fine. Hope we can keep this up am not have so many dental problems.


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## Cody010414 (Mar 23, 2014)

That is a great tip! I must admit that I do not brush Cody's teeth enough. Our vet technician told us that we only need to brush the outside of his teeth because his tongue is abrasive and it cleans the inside of his teeth. Do you just brush the outside?


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## SharonW (May 4, 2014)

I have been trying to bush inside and out. She is pretty tolerant of the procedure and I hope to improve my technique as I learn. Thanks for the information about brushing the inside of the teeth,


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

oral health is VITAL , I can't agree more than brushing, yes concentrate on the outside of the teeth.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Zoey had to have about 3/4 of her teeth pulled about a month ago. The vet said to come back and he would give a free lesson . Zoey let him just get right in their. It took two people to hold Maddie and she still was not willing.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I brush my Scout and Truffles teeth daily. I use an electric brush on Scout which makes it very easy. I have to brush Truffles teeth because she was not at all happy with the electric brush!


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

These are pretty handy.


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## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

Anyone here tried the anesthesia free cleanings?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

a thorough cleaning can't be done without anaesthesia


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/10/16/pet-anesthesia.aspx


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Deacon Blues said:


> These are pretty handy.


they are good , just make sure you clean them well.


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

davetgabby said:


> they are good , just make sure you clean them well.


And your puppy doesn't swallow them!!!


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## Nicm (Feb 28, 2014)

Wow awesome I have those finger brushes the poster posted above, but Im gonna order the paste you mentioned for sure! My neighbor has 3 dogs and she gives her dogs the water additive by virbac and the dental chews these dogs teeth are brilliantly white and beautiful.She swears by virbac!! Ok off to order this toothpaste! Thanks Sharon how is your little Lucy doing?

Nic & Darla 

PS... Im so into her brushing and grooming and combs brushes, bows I need to get my butt in gear about her brushing her teeth better Ive done a few times she doesn't mind a bit.. she will be 14 weeks Tues and vet/shot visit eekkkk


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## Marbel (May 20, 2014)

Have you tried the C.E.T. Chews? I'm ordering me some of this toothpaste.


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## Nicm (Feb 28, 2014)

Hey Marbel my neighbor actually gave Darla one of the small chews and she loved it! Darla chewed and chewed for about 2 weeks on it then I threw it out. Neighbors dogs eats on them and swallows after about an hr or so, her vet recommended the chews and water additive, and all 3 of her dogs (2 large 1 small)have nice gums and teeth. I was blown away so yes Im definitely ordering the chews and the toothpaste . The paste I have now is by nylabone its flavored peanut butter she likes it a lot, when this tube is gone I will order the one Sharon has for Lucy.. Then will order the chews and additive as well when her baby teeth are gone. My oldest daughter has a soon to be 4 yr old havanese and gives her the chews and water additive as well so far so good..I know brushing is important and my daughter wishes she would have done that for her when a pup but the chews and additive seem to work for them both vet said teeth n gums look nice so she said she cool with that!

Take care

Nic & Darla


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## Marbel (May 20, 2014)

Nicm said:


> Hey Marbel my neighbor actually gave Darla one of the small chews and she loved it! Darla chewed and chewed for about 2 weeks on it then I threw it out. Neighbors dogs eats on them and swallows after about an hr or so, her vet recommended the chews and water additive, and all 3 of her dogs (2 large 1 small)have nice gums and teeth. I was blown away so yes Im definitely ordering the chews and the toothpaste . The paste I have now is by nylabone its flavored peanut butter she likes it a lot, when this tube is gone I will order the one Sharon has for Lucy.. Then will order the chews and additive as well when her baby teeth are gone. My oldest daughter has a soon to be 4 yr old havanese and gives her the chews and water additive as well so far so good..I know brushing is important and my daughter wishes she would have done that for her when a pup but the chews and additive seem to work for them both vet said teeth n gums look nice so she said she cool with that!
> 
> Take care
> 
> Nic & Darla


Hey you have the same toothpaste I have now. I haven't looked at the water additive - I'll check in to that as well. Might as well order all three together - free shipping.


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## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

davetgabby said:


> http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/10/16/pet-anesthesia.aspx


That is interesting. In my area all of the holistic shops are pushing the anesthesia free cleanings. I am a little nervous about putting my hav under especially after watching that real estate show in which the agent's yorkie died during a routine dental. Has your dog had this done and if so how often? My conventional vet didnt think my hav needed it on his last check up, but one does hear that small dogs are at such a high risk for dental problems.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I would stay away from dental chews (Greenies, Nylabone...) as they can lead to serious problems, such as gastrointestinal obstruction and gastroenteritis. There are some forum members' dogs that required emergency surgery to remove them from their intestines. Better options for good oral hygiene are tooth brushing, water additive, cleaning under anesthesia, and raw food diet.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

SJ1998 said:


> That is interesting. In my area all of the holistic shops are pushing the anesthesia free cleanings. I am a little nervous about putting my hav under especially after watching that real estate show in which the agent's yorkie died during a routine dental. Has your dog had this done and if so how often? My conventional vet didnt think my hav needed it on his last check up, but one does hear that small dogs are at such a high risk for dental problems.


 show the article to these shops. It is illegal for a person to perform these procedures unless they are a vet. It is very safe in general. , that's why pre blood work is done to spot any potential problems. Yes there are stories like you mentioned, but we fly in airplanes too. Molly has had it done twice and I hope never again. She is 9 and a half years. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Be safe and brush often and thorough.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

http://www.avdc.org/dentalscaling.html


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

http://blooranimalhospital.ca/2014/02/25/anesthetic-free-dental-what-it-really-means-for-your-pet/

ignore your pets teeth and you risk their lives. Not to mention thousands of dollars in vet bills later possible. 80 percent of pets have dental issues by age three.


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## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

good info, thanks


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