Yea, your pet isn’t either. I hope you’ve scheduled your dog’s or cat’s dental with Liberty Veterinary Hospital already. If not, go ahead and give them a call now. I’ll wait…

All set? Great! No home remedy replaces the need for regular dental cleanings. Most humans brush multiple times a day, and STILL need to go to the dentist twice a year for cleanings. Imagine if you never brushed your teeth all year! But there are things you can do at home in between dental cleanings to make sure your pet’s teeth stay clean and healthy.

 

  1. Brush their teeth regularly. The veterinary dental motto is “treats are good, rinsing is better, but brushing is best!” If you can’t brush every day, try at least once a week.
    1. Use dog or cat toothpaste, never use human toothpaste. The ingredients are different. Human toothpaste has too much fluoride and can harm pets.
    2. Get your pet used to the taste of the toothpaste and feel of the brush before trying to brush the teeth.
  2. If your pet refuses to have their teeth brushed (like me… yes, I admit it, I give my mom a hard time with that), there are many other products available at LVH that might be easier…
    1. Clenz-a-Dent Water Additive & Dentahex Oral Rinse bond to the teeth to provide a barrier to plaque and tartar for dogs and cats.
    2. Oravet Chews are a tasty treat your dog that provide an even stronger barrier against plaque.
    3. Enzymatic rawhide chews scrape plaque off physically while being chewed. They also have ingredients to help prevent tartar buildup.
    4. Veggie Dents are a similar tartar prevention treat that is safe for dogs with food allergies.
    5. Tartar control food removes calcium from the saliva, making it unavailable to form tartar on the teeth.

If you need home dental supplies, stop by Liberty Vet to check out all the products they sell. It’s a great place to start. I’ll be back next week with one more blog about dental health. Hope you’ve paid attention, there may be a quiz. But as always, if you need a refresher or want more information, go to www.libertyvet.net for past blogs & newsletters. Check out this “how to” video while you wait…