Keep your canine’s teeth as strong as them

When you think about giving your canine the best care you can a lot of things can come to your mind. Making sure they have a healthy amount of daily exercise, keeping them well-groomed, and even taking them for regular checkups just in case. But in a lot of cases, pet parents often overlook the basic ‘dental care’ that when provided, can benefit them in the long run.

Why is dental hygiene for dogs so crucial?

According to a study conducted by the American Veterinary Dental College, canines can start to show signs of periodontal diseases by as early as 3 years old. These signs left untreated can grow to become greater menaces in the dogs later years and even be a fundamental cause for permanent jaw damage and heart diseases. So what are these signs?

Indications to look for:

• Bad breath: Pet parents often ignore their dog’s bad breath by passing it off as something that is normal. While they aren’t expected to have a minty fresh breath, if the odor from their mouths is nasty you should probably get that checked.
• Excessive drooling: The common notion is that dogs, just like humans, drool when they set their eyes on ‘Mouthwatering’ food and are hungry. While that is situationally true, if the drooling continues in excessive amounts it could be a cry for help caused because of an injury, infection, or some foreign object lodged in their mouths.
• Pawing at their mouth: This sign is primarily obvious but very easy to overlook. When dogs feel pain in their first instinct is to start to paw or rub their mouth in an effort to ease the pain. If you see them doing this, rush them to the vet as soon as possible.

 Steps to prevent dental disasters:

• Chew toys: There are many types of chewy toys.  What you may not know is that the majority of chew toys share teeth-cleaning properties and nibbling on them can benefit your dog’s overall dental health.
• Tooth wipes: If you can’t get your dog to co-operate while trying to brush their teeth, tooth wipes are a great substitute. They may not be able to get into the nooks and crannies that a brush reaches but nevertheless, rubbing them against your dog’s teeth can be of great assistance in getting rid of plagues.
• Crunchy over soft: When choosing the perfect food for your dog going for something crunchy over any softer chewy option is a better decision. The reason being, softer foods can stick to their teeth, or the spaces in between and begin to decay.

Dogs are more likely to follow a routine if you make it a point to introduce them to these concepts at a young age. It could be a struggle, in the beginning, to get them to listen to you but at the end of the day, their bright smiles make it worth the trouble.