How to Clean Your Dog's Teeth

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By knewf
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Good teeth are important to a dog!

Keeping your dog's teeth clean will prevent abscesses and peridontal disease later on. A healthy mouth is as important for a dog as it is for a human.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

soft washcloth
dog's toothpaste any brand
a cup of cold tapwater

Step 1

wrap one piece of the washcloth around your index finger
Step 2

squeeze out some doggy toothpaste onto the washcloth
Step 3

rub the toothpaste on the dog's teeth all around each tooth, taking special care to get into the very back of the mouth and to do both sides
Step 4

take another piece of the washcloth and dip it into the tapwater
Step 5

rub the water over the dog's teeth to rinse
Step 6

repeat the last two steps again

Tips & Warnings

a toothbrush may also be used, but my dogs just happen to behave better when I use a washcloth! Maybe your dogs won't care!
If your dog is not trained to tolerate handling of his mouth, you could get bitten.
Do not do this is your dog is a dog that is touchy around his mouth
If your dog won't tolerate handling around his mouth, you need to take him to a vet periodically to have his teeth cleaned

Resources

Comments

showpup said

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on 3/24/2008 Good advice. Anyone can, and should do this for their dogs. Start as a puppy. Don't wait until you have a buildup to offer proper dental hygiene for your dog.

on 11/27/2007 Dogs will keep their own teeth clean and bright if you'll just give them what they really want; a nice raw cow femur or rib bone to gnaw on. Make sure it's fresh from the butcher with lots of nice marrow in it. My terrier has been gnawing on bones for over five years since she was weaned and has never required a teeth cleaning, i.e. no tartar present.