It’s never too early to make dental care an essential part of your dog’s daily health routine. If you get in the habit when your dog is young, it can be an enjoyable aspect of their daily routine. Teaching dogs good habits is usually much easier than breaking ones that have already been established. Gentle Earth Pets is a big proponent of overseeing your dog’s dental health, with the help of some holistic products. We are proud to offer products like vegan dog toothpaste, to aid in optimizing the efforts of overseeing your pet’s health and wellness. Today we’re going to be discussing how beginners can learn how to properly brush their dog’s teeth.
Why Do I Need To Brush My Dog’s Teeth?
Before we deep dive into the step-by-step process of brushing your dog’s teeth–we can’t do so without addressing the elephant in the room. Why do I need to brush my dog’s teeth? Well, if the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t neglect your own oral hygiene, would you? Anyone with a basic understanding of dental science understands the ramifications that come from neglecting your dental hygiene (think tooth decay, gum disease, or even losing your teeth altogether).
The same goes for your pup. It’s estimated that ⅔ of dogs over the age of three have periodontal disease, which is inflammation or infection of the tissues surrounding the teeth. If left untreated, periodontal disease can affect their immune system, cause tooth infection, and as mentioned in previous posts, periodontal disease can have a strong correlation with heart disease. Thankfully, if you go the extra mile as a pet owner and use products like our vegan dog toothpaste to care for their teeth, you can mitigate many of these issues before they even start!
Steps For Brushing Your Dog’s Teeth
Once you’ve garnered a general understanding of the importance of managing your dog’s dental care, you are now ready to build out a routine for regularly brushing their teeth. In order to make this successful, you need to make it an enjoyable occasion for both you and your pet. Make your dog feel at ease throughout the whole process. For achieving the best results, follow these essential steps:
- Choose a quiet time and area to brush their teeth.
- If your dog is smaller, hold them securely in your lap and face their head away from you. On the other hand, if you’re dealing with a larger breed, it is probably best to sit on a chair and have them sit beside you, making it easier to handle their mouth and teeth.
- Begin by rubbing your fingers or using a cloth, over the outer surface of your dog’s teeth. Use a back and forth motion and hone in on the areas where the gums are touching the tooth’s surface. Exercise much caution when handling their teeth. Stay on the outside surfaces of the teeth on the off chance that you are accidentally bitten by your pet. For newbies, it’s recommended that you rub a cloth along a few teeth as opposed to their entire mouth, as a means to ease them into the process. This is paramount, especially if your pet is stressed out from the process.
- When your pet becomes comfortable enough to trust you, let them taste a little bit of the vegan dog toothpaste from your finger. Once your dog has grown accustomed to the taste, apply a small amount of it on a cloth and rub it over the teeth.
- After they’ve had time to get used to the cloth maneuver, start using a dog toothbrush. Gentle Earth Pets offers a vegan bamboo dog toothbrush. You can read more about that here.
Using Vegan Dog Toothpaste For Enhancing Your Pet’s Routine
Gentle Earth Pets is always continuing to educate our consumers on the fundamentals of your pet’s oral hygiene. We understand that with the proper care, you can make it so that your pet doesn’t suffer from any debilitating ailments like periodontal disease. Dogs may not be the biggest fans of having their teeth brushed, which is why we went above and beyond in creating a holistic approach so that your furry friend can tolerate the process, as opposed to seeing it as a chore. For more information on our process, contact Gentle Earth Pets today!
