How Does Food Affect Your Dog’s Teeth?

Just like people,  without proper dental hygiene, dogs also experience problems as they get older due to the build-up of bacterial plaque. Proper cleaning of your dog’s teeth is essential to avoid bad breath problems, inflammation of the gums and pain or difficulty in eating.

The importance of your dog’s oral health

Poor oral hygiene in dogs can also lead to serious illnesses, which will affect organs such as the kidneys, heart and liver. Prevention is the ideal tool to ensure that the animal reaches old age with healthy teeth and gums.

As with people, the health of your pet dog’s teeth is of great importance and is the responsibility of the owner. It is necessary to consider that  each stage of the dog’s life requires certain specific attention for its mouth. Hygiene should start as soon as the dog is a puppy, i.e. when he is two or three weeks old, as by that time he will already have 28 baby teeth.

By the time your friend reaches 6 months, he will have 42 baby teeth that will accompany him throughout his life. Without proper dental hygiene, dental problems are likely to arise as early as the age of three. One of the first symptoms is tartar, caused by a buildup of salts on dental plaque.

The best thing is to educate the dog from an early age, so that brushing his teeth is part of the games,  the caresses and the affection that the animal will receive from us.

To eliminate the encrusted tartar, however, the intervention of the veterinarian will be necessary. In some cases, with the tartar completely encrusted, it will be necessary to anesthetize the animal. This is why it is important that our pet has good dental health. It would be interesting to check him out every week ourselves, and take him to the vet once every six months.

Your dog’s toothbrush

The toothbrush we will use for the dog must have soft bristles, with rounded ends, straight and very close together. As for the size of the toothbrush head, it will depend on the size of your dog.

It is not recommended to use human toothpastes, as they can cause digestive problems due to the excessive presence of fluoride. Fluoride, which brings so many benefits to people, can be very toxic to the dog and cause too much salivation, but also abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.

A proper diet

The best diet is that of dry dog ​​food. The rubbing of the kibble against the teeth while the dog is chewing helps prevent the formation of tartar and bacterial plaque. It is very useful, although it does not have to be a substitute for proper dental hygiene. In addition to this, the owner can give the dog other types of specific products for proper dental hygiene.

There are many options, many snacks and other things to bite into in the shape of a bone or toys made of natural rubber or nylon, perfect for cleaning the dog’s teeth and which, at the same time, massage the pet’s gums while releasing a pleasant taste. . These items can also be used as treats ,  so we will eliminate other treats that help create tartar in our pets’ teeth.

There are also some dry dog ​​foods designed specifically to help eliminate tartar from their mouth. These products are composed of ingredients that can capture calcium from saliva and also contain polyphenols and other non-stick substances that help reduce the formation of tartar.

Dry dog ​​food has a specific size, surface and shape to make the pet chew for longer  before ingesting. The effect of these is effective for the elimination of dental plaque and tartar.

There are a number of edible products, biscuits, bones, sticks and bars  that can help complete the cleaning of your dog’s teeth. In addition, there are other types of specific snacks to treat canine teeth. All of these products can also be used as a treat for your best friend.