Are you worried about your dog's teeth and dental health? Does plaque and tartar build up on your dog's teeth?
Statistics suggest that more than 80% of dogs have some degree of dental disease by the time they turn 3 years old. Taking a look at your dog's teeth and doing a regular veterinary check-up is just one way to keep track of his dental health. But it is also essential to take measures to keep your teeth clean between vet visits. This will be much cheaper than if the veterinarian thinks that your dog may need teeth cleaning.
When to start taking care of your dogs teeth
At 8 weeks of age, your puppy should have a complete set of small sharp teeth of milk. You don't really need to worry about your teeth, but you could start getting used to harden your teeth and gums. This will help you clean them later.
These teeth will begin to fall around 4 months of age and at 7 months you will have all your permanent teeth. Be careful with these teeth since your dog will have them forever, hopefully.
Signs of dental problems in dogs
Your dog can't tell you if he has a tooth ache, so look for signs of dental problems. If your dog may be showing any of the following signs, you have to take him to the vet for a dental checkup:
- Bad breath
- Changes in dog or food chewing habits
- Kick in the face or mouth
- Depression
- Excessive drooling
- Misaligned or missing teeth
- Teeth discolored, broken, missing or crooked
- Red, swollen, painful or bleeding gums
- Yellowish brown jar shell along the gum line
- Lumps or growths inside the mouth
- Humans are more likely to have cavities than our dogs, but they can also develop problems such as tartar, plaque buildup and gum disease.
How to prevent plaque and tartar buildup in dogs
Poor dental health can lead to other more serious health problems, including heart, liver or kidney disease. Good teeth and dental care will ensure that your dog remains happy and healthy. Here are several ways that can maintain your dog's dental health.
1. Dry foods are better for your Border Collie's teeth
Wet dog food is more likely to adhere to teeth than dry food. You may want to try a dry food if your dog won't let you brush his teeth. This, of course, will depend on what type of food you prefer to use to feed your dog for its overall health. If you choose a wet food diet, then there are other methods you can use to take care of your teeth.
2. Healthy tooth additives
Water additives can be added to your pet's water and work to reduce the tartar that forms on your dog's teeth. Additives work best as a prevention, so they should be used before your dog starts to develop tartar.
3. Dental snacks dogs
Canine Dental Snacks such as Greenies have been proven to clean dogs' teeth by fighting plaque and tartar buildup, cooling their breath and keeping teeth and gums healthy. They are designed for daily treatment, these dental chews are low in fat and nutritionally complete for adult dogs.
Some, such as GREENIES, have the Seal of Acceptance for plaque and tartar control of the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC).
How to remove tartar from dogs teeth
When to start taking care of your dogs teeth
At 8 weeks of age, your puppy should have a complete set of small sharp teeth of milk. You don't really need to worry about your teeth, but you could start getting used to harden your teeth and gums. This will help you clean them later.
These teeth will begin to fall around 4 months of age and at 7 months you will have all your permanent teeth. Be careful with these teeth since your dog will have them forever, hopefully.
Signs of dental problems in dogs
Your dog can't tell you if he has a tooth ache, so look for signs of dental problems. If your dog may be showing any of the following signs, you have to take him to the vet for a dental checkup:
- Bad breath
- Changes in dog or food chewing habits
- Kick in the face or mouth
- Depression
- Excessive drooling
- Misaligned or missing teeth
- Teeth discolored, broken, missing or crooked
- Red, swollen, painful or bleeding gums
- Yellowish brown jar shell along the gum line
- Lumps or growths inside the mouth
- Humans are more likely to have cavities than our dogs, but they can also develop problems such as tartar, plaque buildup and gum disease.
How to prevent plaque and tartar buildup in dogs
Poor dental health can lead to other more serious health problems, including heart, liver or kidney disease. Good teeth and dental care will ensure that your dog remains happy and healthy. Here are several ways that can maintain your dog's dental health.
1. Dry foods are better for your Border Collie's teeth
Wet dog food is more likely to adhere to teeth than dry food. You may want to try a dry food if your dog won't let you brush his teeth. This, of course, will depend on what type of food you prefer to use to feed your dog for its overall health. If you choose a wet food diet, then there are other methods you can use to take care of your teeth.
2. Healthy tooth additives
Water additives can be added to your pet's water and work to reduce the tartar that forms on your dog's teeth. Additives work best as a prevention, so they should be used before your dog starts to develop tartar.
3. Dental snacks dogs
Canine Dental Snacks such as Greenies have been proven to clean dogs' teeth by fighting plaque and tartar buildup, cooling their breath and keeping teeth and gums healthy. They are designed for daily treatment, these dental chews are low in fat and nutritionally complete for adult dogs.
Some, such as GREENIES, have the Seal of Acceptance for plaque and tartar control of the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC).
How to remove tartar from dogs teeth
Chewing is ideal for both the mental health and how dental of your dogs. It helps keep it busy, as well as eliminate the build-up of teeth and massage your gums.
You may need to find the most appropriate chew toy for your dog depending on its size and strength of the bite. Some bones and chew toys are specially designed to clean teeth and gums. Make sure toys are safe for your dog and cannot drown your dog.
1. Dental chew toys
Are dental chewing toys designed to provide dental stimulation while helping to satisfy a dog's natural need to chew? Toys help clean teeth, control plaque and tartar buildup and massage your dog's gums for general oral health.
2. Brushing your dog's teeth
It is not as easy as it seems ... in reality for some dogs this will be quite difficult. But, it is worth trying to keep your dog's teeth healthy and prevent serious dental work later in life. You will need to:
- A toothbrush for dogs
- Toothpaste for dogs
- A lot of patience and luck planning
This might need some practice, but here are some suggestions to try to make it a little easier:
Try this after exercise when your dog is calm and tired - and hopefully he doesn't growl!
- Start with short brushes until your dog gets used to it. Maybe only the front teeth at the beginning.
- Speak slowly and in a friendly tone.
- Reward your dog with a treat, praise or a walk. ** DO NOT use toothpaste from people for your dog. Most human dentifrices include fluoride, which is extremely poisonous to dogs. You can find toothpaste for dogs in pet stores or here.
Dental starter kit for dogs
If you are starting with brushing your dog's teeth, you may want to buy a combo kit like this.
If you see that your dog loves a good tooth brushing and you are going to continue brushing them make sure you get a toothpaste and a specific toothbrush.
Dental checkup at the veterinarian
Dental care at the veterinarian can be very expensive, especially if dogs need surgery. If you can maintain your dog's dental health with good maintenance, regular you can potentially save a lot of money in the long run.
Here you have a great video about your dog's dental care that also shows how to brush your hairy teeth.
Does your Border Collie have tartar? What do you do to eliminate it? If you want to share your experience tell us on our Facebook page, surely you help our community. To share is to live! 😄
Discover more tips to take care of your Border Collie in our section dedicated to them.
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What is tartar and what types of dogs are more prone?
In the mouth of dogs it happens as in the mouth of people and every day the teeth are filled with plaque-forming bacteria. In addition to this plate are added various remains of food that are decomposing and mineral salts daily. Throughout the life of the animal, all the above is accumulated and together it ends up forming calculi known as tartar. Tartar accumulates mainly in the space between the gum and the tooth. From there it spreads and affects the rest of the oral structures, which can lead to infections and secondary diseases.
When our dog already has tartar, it is impossible to eliminate it with diet and brushing the teeth, so It is preferableact preventively avoiding reaching tartar formation. The only really effective way to offer a thorough solution to the problem is oral cleaning, like the one we do at the dentist, done by a professional veterinarian.
All dogs may have tartar, but some types of dogs are more prone:
- In the small and toy breeds, the tooth enamel is from a lime>
What consequences does tartar have on dogs?
There are many consequences that the accumulation of tartar has on the health of our dog. Below we cite the most direct and important:
- The first problem that arises is the bad breath or halitosis: It produces a bad smell in the mouth of the dog that can sometimes be detected at a certain distance and usually bothers a lot, but above all we have to think that it is a symptom of the formation of tartar and other possible diseases. Therefore, we should consult with the veterinarian and offer our furry friend some way to eliminate bad breath and prevent tartar.
- The gingivitis It is another problem derived from the formation of tartar in the mouth of our pets: The gums become red, swollen and gradually retract and leave the root of the tooth in the air. The fact that the root of the tooth is uncovered causes the bone of the tooth to deteriorate and reabsorb, thereby weakening the union of the dental piece with the jaw or jaw and facilitating loss>
Can we prevent tartar in dogs?
As in the case of people, in our canine companions we can also prevent tartar and its consequences. How? Well, very similar to how we do it with our own mouth, following oral hygiene guidelines.
It is very important that we try to prevent it, so we can avoid a period of pain, inflammation and bleeding of the gums, bad breath and difficulty to eat and play with your favorite toys.
We can prevent tartar with:
- Adaily brushing of our dog's teeth. It is very important to accustom them from puppies to facilitate the process and choose a type of toothbrush and toothpaste suitable for each dog.
- Sometoys, bones, cookies and special feed They can chew and keep their mouths clean for longer. These awards in the form of bones, feed, cookies, sticks, strips and toys, are composed of abrasive elements for the bacterial plaque that help remove tartar from the surface of the teeth.
- Agood physical health It will always help you prevent possible infections. We will achieve this good physical health based on proper nutrition and physical exercise.
In case of not being able to prevent tartar and that it also appears, we can still prevent periodontal disease. When we detect that there is accumulation of tartar that is impossible to remove with normal brushing, we must go to our veterinarian to perform a Mouth cleaning To our pet. In case of suffering from periodontal disease, our pet must also go through this oral cleaning process to solve this disease.
This cleaning in animals should always be done under general anesthesia with an anesthetist, a veterinary assistant and a veterinarian who performs professional mouth cleaning. With this process the tartar will be removed with special instruments such as ultrasound, which fractionates the tartar without damaging the tooth enamel.
In cases of advanced periodontal disease, dental pieces are often lost with the process of dental cleaning, but not because of the action of cleaning teeth, but because they are usually pieces that had already detached from the jaw or jaw, but due to the excess tartar have remained attached instead of falling. As these pieces are no longer functional and are retained, they can cause abscesses and infections.
Also, it is very important as prevention that if we observe any of the following signs in our furry partner let's take it to the vet:
- He scratches his face or mouth and at first glance nothing can be disturbed.
- Excessive bad breath It is important to know that halitosis is not only caused by tartar and periodontal disease. It will be vital that you go to the veterinarian to rule out other possible diseases such as parasitosis, diabetes or kidney problems among others.
- Stop eating or change your habits when eating and chewing.
- Abundant salivation
- Loss>
Tips to prevent and eliminate tartar from your dog's teeth
Finally, from ExpertAnimal we want to give you some tips to help your dog's oral hygiene, prevent and remove tartar:
- Correct bad eating habits of your dog that can favor the formation of tartar. The main cause of tartar formation is the excess of homemade food and soft food such as pates. This type of food stays very easily in the teeth and gums. Therefore, the best thing to take care of the mouth is dry food or I think it scratches the surface of the tooth in each bite helping to clean it and leaves much less residue.
- Help your dog toget used to daily brushing of teeth from puppy. Much better if we do it every day, but it is shown that with a minimum of three times a week most dogs have enough to prevent tartar.
Next we tell you the easiest process to get your dog used to tooth brushing:
Every day, pass a sterile gauze wrapped around your finger on the surface of your teeth with a little water every day. Later he begins to show him the brush so that he becomes familiar with it. Then you can start using the brush instead of sterile gauze and you can use special toothpaste for dogs. Since they swallow it, it must be special for them and never the one that people use (especially we must avoid the fluoride that is toxic to them), so we will avoid many problems including stomach ulcers.
In addition, there are various flavors of special toothpastes for them, which will facilitate the cleaning of the mouth offering a taste that you like. Instead of toothpaste you can use Chlorhexidine that is sold in veterinary clinics and in some specialty stores. Chlorhexidine is the equivalent of our mouthwash that cleans, disinfects and softens the beginning of calculus tartar and so we can remove them more easily with the brush. At the beginning, brushing your dog's teeth will not be too funny and cost, but patience will eventually get used to it. At the beginning you can make the brushings shorter and gradually lengthen them.
- Buy or create toys and special prizes that in addition to entertaining your pet help you maintain the health of your mouth. For example, in the case of toys, those made with strings are very practical. Dogs bite them clean their teeth in the same way as when we floss. In addition, cookies and other types of prizes that carry special products for the cu>
If you want to read more articles similar to Tips to remove tartar in dogs, we recommend that you enter our Dental Hygiene section.
What consequences does it have on dogs?
Unless we don't take good care of our dog's mouth, tartar can become a very important health problem. The most common problems are:
- Loss> What is the treatment for tartar in dogs?
If the dog has a lot of tartar, or if we have reached the point where we have said that "my dog has a bad breath" or has difficulty chewing, then the ideal will be take it to the veterinarian for oral cleaning or hygiene. If necessary, it will prescribe some medication to prevent inflammations and infections.
But, If the matter has not yet worsened, or if what we want is to prevent tartar, what we will do is brush your teeth with a brush and a toothpaste specific to dogs. We will put some toothpaste on the brush and we will clean the teeth making circular movements.
Also, we can also give you raw bones from time to time. These should be larger than the length of your mouth, otherwise you may have problems. Other options are rope or cloth toys, or bone-shaped treats.
With these tips, your dog will have a healthy mouth 😉.
What is tartar?
According to the well-known Wikipedia, tartar is the accumulation of mineralized bacterial plaque on the denture.
We know tartar how that yellowish-brown plaque or spots, which forms on the teeth of our dogs, starting near the gums and progressing progressively.
How is tartar formed?
The lack of dental hygiene causes the accumulation of food debris in the teeth, which will be the perfect breeding ground for bacteria that will eventually form tartar.
The main cause of tartar in healthy dogs is food, dog food originates a hundred times more tartar than natural food. Even "cookies" or "prizes" for dogs are the cause of tartar.
Can tartar be removed naturally?
As long as the condition of our dog's mouth is good and the tartar has not caused any infection, you can try to eliminate it naturally with a series of good practices:
- Use fleshy bones how the chicken carcass in its feeding. Always raw (without cooking), they will clean our dog's teeth naturally.
- Clean teeth of our dog with a brush and toothpaste special for dogs, after each meal.
- Use natural teethers based on bone like the "deer antlers", which are obtained when deer shed their horns naturally.
All these products will clean the tartar of our dog's teeth in a few weeks, little by little and without the need for veterinary treatments.
Try to avoid the typical "bars" to clean tartar that are so publicized, in reality those bars also cause tartar. The same with miraculous anti tartar pills, do not waste your money on them.
How to remove tartar in dogs quickly?
If Sarro has already affected our dog's mouth causing an infection or is simply so widespread that his teeth are barely visible, the best option is to put ourselves in the hands of a veterinarian.
The veterinarian will sedate our dog so that he is asleep and in the meantime he will do a professional cleaning in his mouth, like the one that dentists do to humans.
When the dog wakes up, his mouth will be clean and free of tartar. So put the above tips into practice and don't let tartar damage your dog's health again.
Advice on prevention
The only healthy way to prevent tartar in a dog is either by cleaning his teeth regularly or feeding him with natural dog food, colloquially known as Barf Diet.
Bite bites such as deer antler and some fleshy bones from time to time, will keep your teeth white and clean of bacterial plaque.
Remember that excess tartar can cause significant infections in a dog's mouth and much, much pain. Do not let your dog suffer for something as insignificant as tartar.
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