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Questions
- What is good dental hygiene?
- Effects of bad dental hygiene
Keeping your pup’s teeth clean is all part of being a good parent to your fur baby. Dogs and cats make great pets, they’re very interactive and keep you company better than almost any other species. They can go with you almost everywhere with you but in exchange for this, they require a lot of looking after. Your companion will rely on you for a lot of things, including providing food and water, walks, veterinary care and even helping them out with grooming. Before domestication, they would have lived in social groups and had some family members to help with grooming them or providing them with food when they were sick. Now, we are their family so we have to take over.
The domesticated life suits our pets, they tend to live longer with a higher standard of veterinary care. The diets that are made to suit their nutritional needs perfectly tend to be much easier to eat and digest but easier often means all of their teeth may not be getting good use. Plaque can build up quite quickly and while we now have dental care for them from vets, prevention is still the best route where possible.
What is good dental hygiene?
Good dental hygiene that you can practice at home for your pets all involves preventative methods to try and reduce the amount of plaque and dental decay they might suffer from. While some amount of decay is unavoidable, slowing down the process can really help to keep their gnashers in good working order all the way into their retirement! The different methods of prevention may change depending on species or even age. The best method of helping them might look different as they get older.
For your puppy
Dogs of all ages need plenty of enrichment and toys but puppies require a little more thought as to what you get them. At around three months old their baby teeth start to get loose and fall out while their adult teeth grow in. This period can be quite uncomfortable for them and to relieve the pain and discomfort they will tend to chew a lot. Providing plenty of toys with different textures and materials will give them options and keep them away from chewing your furniture. The Pedigree Jw Puppy Connects Toy offers all of that. It has three different shapes and textures for your pup to chew on to really help to soothe their aching gums.
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At this age, puppies should be starting to get introduced to anything that will become a part of their day to day life. Their socialisation period when they first come home is an important time to show them lots of new things including the likes of handling for the vets. Things like checking their ears, eyes and mouth. You can even start introducing them to teeth brushing. Arm & Hammer Coconut Dental Kit Puppy is specially designed for brushing little puppy teeth. The meaty toothpaste is a great way to introduce your pup to before letting them explore the toothbrush. Since they often like to chew, the round brush design makes it really easy to start them off with brushing.
For your adult dog
As your puppy gets older you may want to get a more robust toothbrush that will make brushing a little quicker. The Beaphar Liver Toothpaste & Toothbrush Dental Care Kit for Dogs & Cats is especially great for dogs who already know what teeth brushing is all about. The bristles are a little more firm and make faster work of teeth cleaning. If you have an adult dog who has not yet been introduced to a toothbrush, you just need to take it a little slower. The set comes with a tasty meaty toothpaste that you can introduce without the brush first but the brush has a smaller and larger side. Using the smaller brush to begin with, even with a larger pooch can be less intimidating for them if they’re new to it all.
You don’t have to rely on toothbrushing alone to help keep your adult pup’s gnashers pristine. Providing lots of toys and chews will still benefit them. When they’re older, their adult teeth tend to be much tougher so you can get them lots of different chews. Natural chews are a great way of giving them an extra boost of sustenance while keeping their teeth nice and clean. Tough chews like the Antler Natural Stagbar are a great option for scraping off some of the plaque that might have built up over time. Their hard exterior is great for dogs who like a challenging chew and they can last for weeks!
For your senior dog
As your pooch gets older, if they’re used to having their teeth brushed then it’s a great idea to continue but the types of chews you buy them may have to change. As they slow down, calorific intake has to be lowered and they might not be as interested in the tougher chews that help to keep their teeth clean. Similarly, they might slowly lose interest in toys so they aren’t getting the extra dental cleaning through play and chewing that they used to. You can combat these changes with supplements like Beaphar Dental Powder. It contains natural brown seaweed powder for effective results to help reduce and prevent tartar build up.
Arm & Hammer Coconut Water is an additive for your pet’s water which can be used every day. It both helps to clean their teeth and freshen their breath at the same time! They only need to drink water which is something even senior dogs do every day. They often drink more water than younger dogs and can get a boost of vitamins and minerals in the process. The coconut water helps to support bones and joints as well as clean teeth so it’s a perfect addition to an older dog’s diet.
For your kitten
While growing kittens might have nice, sparkly, white gnashers, they still need some form of dental care. You could start getting them used to a toothbrush, even if they see it only as a toy but introducing new things now will make them less scary later in life. As they grow, some of the best things you can do for their dental health is to help build nice strong bones which will include the teeth. Extra calcium in their diet won’t just help with growth but will help when they start to get their adult teeth through between three and four months of age.
Since their milk teeth are going to fall out, they don’t need a great deal of care. Introducing any teeth cleaning products now like a brush is just to get them used to it. You can give them treats like Whiskas Kitten Milk Treat to help boost their calcium intake. Crunchy treats will also get them used to eating harder food which can help to keep their teeth clean later in life.
For your adult cat
As they get older and their adult teeth come through, it could be a good idea to do some teeth cleaning with your kitty. The Beaphar Soft Finger Toothbrush for Dogs & Cats is a great choice for feline friends as it can be less intimidating than a regular toothbrush. A finger toothbrush can also give you the extra control you need when you’re working with a smaller animal and need to be a little more precise.
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Dogs also aren’t the only ones who benefit from dental chews. Adult cats can enjoy Dentalife Cat Treats Dental Chews Salmon. Every bite into the crunchy and porous texture helps to scrape any plaque build up off their teeth while also being rich in calcium and taurine so giving their diet a little boost too. Giving cats ways to help them keep their own teeth clean through treats, chews and even the food you feed them can make the job a lot easier.Â
For your senior cat
Like all older pets, our feline friends tend to slow down in their old age so finding easy ways to help keep their teeth clean can help. They may become less tolerant to things like teeth brushing and less interested in trying new things. Supplements like Broadreach Nature Dental Deep Supplement Powder for Dogs & Cats help to support a healthy oral environment with clean teeth and fresh breath and are easy to add to any diet. Over the age of four months, the supplement can be added to their food daily at no extra effort to your kitty, to give them have nice clean teeth.
They might not want to chew tough treats anymore but Whiskas Cat Milk is rarely turned down, even by older cats! It’s low in lactose which cats can struggle to digest and high in calcium so it can help to continue supporting their bone and dental health even as they get older.
Effects of bad dental hygiene
Looking after your pet’s dental health isn’t just a bonus but it’s a necessity of keeping them happy and healthy. Some breeds like short-nosed dogs and cats can be more prone to dental decay and since we’ve bred them to be like this, we owe it to them to help care for their needs. If their dental hygiene is allowed to go unmanaged, they’ll almost always need vet intervention as they get older. A dental for our pets is nothing like a trip to the dentist for us and they’re already bad enough. Every time an animal has to receive dental care, they’ll usually have to be put under sedation which carries its own risk.
Dental decay can lead to swollen gums and a very sore mouth which causes suffering and discomfort while eating. Fixing this issue can mean multiple extractions and recovery can be a slow and uncomfortable process. Keeping your pet’s teeth clean will save them from having to have one or multiple dental surgeries throughout their life and keep them eating healthily.
For everything you need to promote good dental hygiene in your beloved pets, visit us in store or online for savings to smile about.