Did you know that February is Pet Dental Health month?
Do you know how important it is to be consistent with cleaning your pet’s teeth? – well, we didn’t!
We spoke to Clinical Pet Nutritionist, Johnna Devereaux, who is an expert in the field when it comes to dental hygiene for your pets!
First, let’s talk about why it’s important to brush your dogs (& cats!) teeth.
Through normal breathing, your pets can ingest a variety of different bacteria (some bacteria are good, but others can be harmful). These bacteria come from the food they eat, the water they drink and the things they lick.
In as little as a 48-hour period, plaque – a layer of bacteria identified as a type of dental biofilm – can turn into tartar. This tartar is cement-like and can only be removed with a professional cleaning.
Removing the tartar is important, because as your pet breathes, the tartar can transition the bacteria from your pet’s teeth into their lungs which can then infect major organs.
Whoa, that’s not good!
You might wonder – “doesn’t dry dog food clean my dog’s teeth?”.
This is a common misconception – one that I always believed too!
When a dog eats dry food, the teeth being cleaned are the molars in the back of their mouths. Although they’re head first in the bowl, we assume that the pieces of kibble are cleaning the front teeth as well. But they aren’t!
When your dog eats, they are channeling the food to the back of their mouths to chew – in turn, this only cleans some of your dog’s teeth. Kibble is essentially ineffective in keeping the gumline and base of your dog’s teeth clean and their back molars generally look clean at the tip because this is where they chew.
Back in the day, dogs were less domesticated and ate a more natural diet – consisting of raw meat, cartilage and even some animal bones that they’d chew on.
This type of food would get into the dog’s teeth better and cleaned teeth differently than how eating dry food out of a bowl does today. The fur from the animal and cartilage from the raw meat would act as a natural floss. While gnawing the bones would have a brushing effect.
But, dogs have evolved – so how we clean their teeth should too!
Brushing your dog’s teeth is the easiest way to keep your pet healthy, and avoid having your pet loose their teeth or worse, by creating issues in their heart and lungs.
Johnna says that “it’s best to use a multi-modal approach when trying to clean your dog’s teeth”.
To start, teaching your pet that it is OK to get their teeth brushed is your best bet. Johnna talks all about how to acclimate your dog to accepting this here.
Now, keep in mind that this won’t happen overnight. You need to be consistent, gentle and desensitize your pet to this type of action.
But it can be done and it’s easier than you think! – Go check out her post!
Once you’ve desensitized your pet to having your hands in-and-around their mouths, you’re on your way to brushing their teeth and protecting their health!
So now you must be thinking – “OK – it sounds easy, but did you try this?” – and we did!
(As you can imagine this was difficult to get photos of!)
Not only is Johnna a Clinical Pet Nutritionist, she’s also a small business owner of a pet boutique (Fetch RI) and Director of Nutrition & Wellness at Bow Wow Labs – yes, the ones who made the Bully Buddy!
Johnna sent us this Oral Care Kit with a 4in1 Toothbrush and Enzymatic Toothpaste Gel that was just released from Bow Wow Labs!
With help from Johnna, Bow Wow Labs formulated this amazing toothpaste for cats and dogs and it’s made of the highest quality ingredients!
Human toothpaste should never be used on pets – so if you do try this out, be sure to check out this specially formulated paste for dogs & cats!
Remember, to get your dog desensitized – follow these steps first!
If you do decide to brush your pet’s teeth, your best bet is to talk to your vet first and have them complete an oral health check to understand the current condition of your pet’s mouth.
Just like us, your dog’s teeth should be cleaned daily. This could be with a toothbrush and a variety of chews that are healthy for dogs. Though brushing does ensure you get all of the teeth!
Chewing provides mental stimulation, strengthens your pet’s jaw and can even help break down some of the bacteria in the mouth.
Using a multi-modal approach – brushing and providing chews – is the best bet to keep your dog’s mouth healthy.
By the age of three, 80% of dogs already have a periodontal disease…and keeping your dog’s mouth clean is the best way to prevent bacteria from their mouth affecting other organs in their body like their lungs and heart and preventing inflammation throughout their entire body!
Pretty fascinating that such a small area [the mouth] can affect so much of our pets!
Want to hear more about the Bully Buddy? Read our post on it here!
This was definitely an easier experience than I expected it to be – the girls liked the taste of the toothpaste and have gotten better at accepting the toothbrush in their mouths each time I do it.
I was completely unaware how important pet dental health is and want my girls to have the longest, healthiest life possible.
I plan to be more consistent with keeping their teeth clean – using a multi-modal approach of brushing and giving them raw bones to stimulate their mind, work their jaw and scrape the bacteria off their teeth.
Set your dog up for success with a healthy lifestyle by starting with their teeth! We’d love for you to join us and tell us about your experience brushing your dog’s teeth!
Smile!
Check out these links for all your pet dental health needs:
- A Guide To Brushing Your Dog’s Teeth: https://www.bowwowlabs.com/blogs/news/guide-to-brushing-your-dogs-teeth/
- Bow Wow Labs Oral Care Kit: https://www.bowwowlabs.com/collections/all/products/oral-care-starter-kit-large/
- Fetch RI Website: https://fetchri.com/
- Fetch RI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FetchRI/
Thank you Johnna Devereaux taking the time to teach us the importance of Pet Dental Health and sharing an awesome Oral Care Kit from Bow Wow Labs with us!
#blog-77
#educational
#interview
