Toothpaste? For The Dog Who Hates Bones.....

[Winterpaws]

Anyone ever had a dog who hates bones?

Charlie hates bones and will not eat them. I mean he might eat the occasional chicken wing but not a big thick bone that will give his teeth a clean.

A friend who works for a pet store gave us some Advance dental bickies to try with him. Well that didn't work - he vomited them all up at midnight last night

His teeth are a bit rank and smelly so I was thinking of some doggy toothpaste?? Has anyone used any with success?

I'll take him to the vet for a scale and clean also but looking for options for ongoing care as it is becoming a pain the more he refuses to eat the stuff that will help clean his chompers

[puggy_puggy]

How about big lumps of meat or offal? They clean their teeth whilst ripping things like this apart.

Just a thought. But perhaps he doesn't want to eat bones because he has some rotten teeth that hurt when he tries to crunch down on them.

[benny123]

I haven't personally had any experience with dog toothpaste but my sister has. She has always cleaned her dog's teeth with doggy toothpaste and either a finger brush (rubber thing with rubber bristles that fits on a human finger) or a soft human toothbrush. Mind you, she started doing this when they were pups, so it was just part of life as far as they were concerned.

Her current dog has some sort of health issue where he can only eat prescription low protien diet and no bones or meat of any sort. He's now 13 but from when he was diagnosed at around two, she has taught him to clean his teath with the toothbrush. She buys chicken flavoured toothpaste (not sure where, perhaps from the vet) and uses a soft human toothbrush (with a largish handle). She puts the toothpaste on the brush and gives it to the dog and he holds it like a bone and chews away....always under supervision.

[Dogsfevr]

I brush my show dogs teeth daily ,

I use the finger one for the front & a three headed toothbrush for the back.

Toothpaste there is varying ones

[Gayle.]

What about a chicken frame? They don't need big bones to clean their teeth, they just need to rip into the bones. Because a chicken frame is bigger, but has small, thin, edible bones, might he eat one instead of a big chunky piece of bone?

[Nekhbet]

mums pom refuses to chew anything and has just had a dental. She will keep up the brushing and its about the only thing that will keep that dogs teeth in his head. Just a baby toothbrush, the dental specialist recommended electric for the back ones

[greytdog]

mums pom refuses to chew anything and has just had a dental. She will keep up the brushing and its about the only thing that will keep that dogs teeth in his head. Just a baby toothbrush, the dental specialist recommended electric for the back ones

Oo, that's an idea. I wonder if Bianca will put up with the noise tho.

[Vehs]

I have used bicarb on Jibs teeth with a human toothbrush and a ckn flavoured one

was grooming an older lab that had WONDERFUL teeth, and he only got dry food biscuits!!

[shmoo]

I clean my dogs teeth irregularly but I will have to start doing my diabetic dogs teeth more regularly since he can no longer have bones.

When he was sick in the specialist hospital the vet could not believe his good his teeth were for his age.

[cashew]

I brush my dog's teeth almost everynight. We use a tiny bit of bi-carb each time. I don't really like the poultry-flavoured pastes and frankly I feel that bi-carb is generally safer since I also use it for baking and cooking

[minicooper]

My Rover will not chew anything, he gulps everything and obviously finds chewing anything a waste of time.

He is only 7 and has already lost quite a few teeth.

My vet recommended MaxiGuard Oral Cleansing Gel. It can be used with or without brushing. I put it on his gums every night before bed, (he doesn't like me brushing) and his breath is much sweeter and his teeth have remained white :D

I have been using it for about 6 months, and I will continue to do so.

[Mim]

I brush my dog's teeth almost everynight. We use a tiny bit of bi-carb each time. I don't really like the poultry-flavoured pastes and frankly I feel that bi-carb is generally safer since I also use it for baking and cooking :D

Slightly off topic - For school photos my mum used to make us use a bit of bi-carb so our teeth were extra nice but then the school dental nurse told her that bi-carb strips the enamel off the tooth? Anybody know if there's truth to that?

I occasionally brush the dogs' teeth if their breath is a bit smelly (after eating something disgusting). I just use a tiny bit of colgate on an old soft brush

Edited September 17, 2009 by Mim

[westiemum]

Yep I find this teeth cleaning a bit of a vexed issue - three westies - her teeth are brilliant at age 8, former dog farm dogs - 4 year old's are OK and 10 year olds are really iffy with some missing. And they all get an identical diet, including bones and frames.

Vet believes that some dogs chew differently and this is what makes the difference. So I've started with the DentiPet chicken flavour paste from the vet. First I've put it on my finger for them to lick off just for a few days then I smeared it on both lips so they had to lick it off, again for a few days. Then I put it on my finger and rubbed it over their front teeth and then moved to rubbing it around in their mouths over their front and back teeth (some movement as when I clean my own teeth). Then next week we'll move to one of those dog tooth brushes which fit over your finger - has all worked like a charm - no problems at all - and I hope it arrests the dental probs with the two boys.

Anyone got any other ideas?

Cheers,

Westiemum

[Tru Borders]

Good thread guys thanks for all the replies. Am starting my kids on brusha brusha brusha soon and the advice so far has been great.