keeping Cairn teeth clean

[grillywarren]

Help! My husband and I are trying to keep our three year old

Cairn's teeth clean...but the tartar is driving me crazy...it isn't

terrible, but I don't want it to get out of hand. I brush his teeth

3 times a week...(is that enough?) he eats dry food, but I wet it

for him ( should I stop wetting it?) he sees the vet regularly,

they scraped his fronth teeth once, but never a cleaning (should

I ask for a cleaning?) I don't give him rawhides/greenies ,

afraid of choking,..Can anyone give some tried and true advice. I

would truly appreciate it. Oh yeah, and I use dental swabs about

twice a week, but I don't think they do much...just freshen that

sweet breath. Thanks for any help!

[chubbypup]

Hi Grillywarren

I have always been advised to clean teeth atleast once a day, even if little brushing goes on, just getting the enzymatic paste into thier mouth is a great help. The dental chewing bones are good if you can get them interested in them. It might be an idea to stop wetting the food as the hardness of the food does help to remove tartar and plaque build up.

good luck

[MikeC]

Hi Grillywarren!

What you are doing for your guy's teeth is fine, but you may want to have them cleaned professionaly by your Vet. It requires the dog being sedated, but if he is in good health, the risks are minimal to non-existant. My current little guy is eight months old, so a Vet cleaning is not necessary at this point, but I have been a dog owner of various breeds for the last 30 years and all of my dogs (as long as they were able to) had annual cleanings with their Vet. I think you will be happy with the end results. Good Luck!

MikeC

[Eliz222]

Be careful of the dental bones. Dogs have choked to death on these, or have eaten too much and have gotten sick. I brush Scout's teeth with a regular, soft, human toothbrush. I found the doggie toothbrushes to be too big for her mouth. I use the toothpaste from the pet store. She HATES to have her teeth brushed, but she doesn't fight me. I think this is the best way to keep their teeth and gums heathy. Can you imagine not brushing your teeth?? My neighbor thinks I'm silly for brushing my dogs teeth. Her dog is 6 years old and has already lost several teeth...go figure!