When your dog smiles it feels great, great to know your dog is happy and great to see a big grin on a cute doggy. But it’s important to keep this smile healthy and smelling nice. I’m not talking about doggy face perfume, although thats probably real, I’m talking about brushing your pup’s teeth. Nobody likes bad dog breath.
It’s a widespread belief that dogs mouths are cleaner than ours, and often people use this as justification to not brush the dog’s teeth. It is thought that this misconception comes from a study released comparing the infection rate of human bites vs. dog bites. This is untrue, doggies need their teeth brushed just like you and I.
There’s a few differences between human and dog toothpaste that come into play. Mainly that dog toothpaste is intended to be swallowed. Dogs don’t understand the idea of spitting something out, and their mouths don’t allow it. Although, they have figured out how to drool.
Human toothpaste contains many chemicals that are not safe for dogs such as sodium lauryl sulfate and Xylitol. These are why we spit toothpaste out, if we don’t it can give us an upset stomach. Human toothpaste usually foams as well, which is another difference between the two. Your dog might look a little like this if you give them a foaming toothpaste.
Dog toothpaste usually has way better flavors too, stuff like peanut butter or meat flavors. Seriously, why haven’t they done that with human toothpaste yet? Your dog doesn’t understand that in order to maintain proper dental hygiene, you need to brush regularly. So, if it tastes gross to them, they’re not going to put up with it. They might even put up a bit of a fight.
So you’ve got to introduce them to it slowly, let them try the flavor without a brush. It’s all about being comfortable, after all you are sticking a brush in their mouth. Wrapping a piece of gauze around your finger and using that as a brush can work, it can also reduce how much room you need to brush.
The hardest part of finding a toothpaste for your dog isn’t getting it, it’s finding one you can get easily that works with your dog. A lot of the time, it’s easier to sit back and order online.
Eventually though, you and your dog will have a nice routine down and you’ll be right in sync. Your dog may even look forward to it, if you find a delicious enough toothpaste.
You are two minutes late hooman, I demand an explanation.
Dental hygiene is no joke.
What it boils down to is that we put non harmful chemicals in dog toothpaste because they will eat it. If you put something delicious in a dogs mouth, consider it gone.
If your dog has especially bad breath, please consult a vet. Periodontal disease can lead to a bacterial infection that can spread to your dogs organs through the bloodstream. Remember, all the good stuff you give to your dog passes through the mouth, but so does all the bad stuff. So, get some toothpaste and brush your dogs teeth!
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