How Does Food Affect Your Dog’s Teeth?
As with people, if there is not proper dental hygiene, as the dog ages, bacterial plaque will appear. The correct cleaning of your dog’s teeth is essential to avoid bad breath problems, gum inflammation and pain or difficulties when eating.
The Importance of Your Dog’s Teeth Health
Poor oral hygiene in the dog can even cause serious illnesses that affect organs such as the kidneys, heart and liver. Prevention is the ideal tool for the animal to reach old age with healthy teeth and gums.
As with people, the health of your dog’s teeth is also of great importance, and the owner’s responsibility. It is necessary to take into account that each stage of the dog’s life needs certain specific care for its mouth. Hygiene should start from the time the animal is a puppy, at two or three weeks old, as it already has 28 baby teeth.
When your pet is about 6 months old, it will have 42 baby teeth that will accompany it throughout its life. If there was no proper oral hygiene, it is likely that dental problems arise from the age of three. One of the first symptoms is tartar, an accumulation of salts on the dental plaque. The concentration of these substances accumulates bacteria, which end up causing tartar.
The most useful is the education of the dog from a very early age, so that brushing teeth is part of the games, caresses and caresses that the animal will receive.
The removal of this encrusted tartar requires the intervention of the veterinarian. In some cases, with the tartar completely encrusted, it would be necessary to anesthetize the animal. That is why it is essential that our pet has good oral health. Some interesting steps for this would be a weekly review by the owners, and a biannual review by the veterinarian.
Your dog’s toothbrush
The brush that we will use for dental cleaning needs to have soft bristles, with rounded, straight and well-grouped ends. Regarding the head size of this item, it will depend on the size of the dog.
Using human toothpastes is not advisable, as they can cause digestive problems due to the excess fluoride they contain. Fluoride, with so many benefits for people, can be very toxic for the animal and cause excessive salivation, as well as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
a correct diet
The best diet comes from dog food. The friction that the food produces against the teeth when our dog chews it helps to prevent the formation of tartar and bacterial plaque. It is very useful, although it cannot replace good oral hygiene. In addition, the owner can allow the dog to use other specific products for correct oral hygiene.
There are lots of options, lots of bone-shaped snacks and bites, or toys made from natural rubber or nylon, perfect for cleaning the dog’s teeth and at the same time massaging the dog’s gums while giving off a pleasant taste to the dog. . These items can also be used as prizes, and so we could eliminate other goodies that contribute to creating tartar on our faithful friend’s teeth.
Some dry rations also have properties when it comes to eliminating tartar from the mouth of dogs. This type of product has ingredients in its composition that can capture calcium from saliva and include polyphenols and other non-stick substances that help reduce the formation of tartar in dogs.
Dog food croquettes are manufactured with a specific size, texture and shape so that the animal has to chew longer to be able to ingest. The abrasive effect on the dog’s teeth will be effective in removing dental plaque and tartar.
There are a multitude of products, biscuits, bones, toothpicks and edible bars, etc., that can complement dog teeth brushing. In addition, there are other specific treats for taking care of canine dentures. All of these products can also be used as rewards for your dog when he does something that deserves to be celebrated.
