Your dog is devoted to you and is a part of your family, so you want to keep them as healthy and live as long as possible. Dog healthy gums is a great starting point.
Dogs are loyal and don’t ask anything in return but your love.
One thing many dog owners overlook is taking care of your dog’s teeth and gums. They are not like canines out in the wild where they keep their teeth clean by chewing on raw bones.
Your dog mainly eating dry or canned dog food will not provide healthy teeth and gums. This means that bacteria can quickly grow and cause tooth decay, which can affect your dog’s health.
Dog Healthy Gums – How You Can Help
One important thing you can do for dog healthy gums is to give them a rawhide bone they can chew on at least once a week.
This can help scrape off any food between their teeth so bacteria and plaque do not form.
You can find a good rawhide chew bone at your local pet store or order them online, or give your dog Whimzees treats.
However, besides just a chew bone, I recommend brushing their teeth and gums with a gentle toothbrush and toothpaste for dogs.
Dog Toothbrush and Toothpaste
You won’t give your dog the same toothbrush and toothpaste you use, but instead there are special brushes and toothpaste for your dog.
You will want to get a brush that has very soft bristles and a small head.
In fact, my dachshund loves his flavored toothpaste and actually looks forward to having his teeth brushed. I brush my dachshund’s teeth about three times a week.
How to Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
What you want to do is gently scrub the teeth and massage the gums. You need to get rid of any food that gets stuck so they will have dog healthy gums.
Also, it is recommended to feed them dry dog food rather then canned soft dog food, as it will help keep their teeth cleaned.
Of course, dog food isn’t a substitute for dog teeth cleaning, but it will help somewhat. And also, dog biscuits will help a bit in removing any plaque.
Inspecting Your Dog’s Teeth
When you take your dog in for their checkup, make sure the vet inspect their teeth and gums. The vet can tell if your dog’s teeth and gums are free from plaque and decay.
It is always best to prevent plaque by brushing their teeth and gums. Otherwise, the bacteria and plaque can buildup and turn to tartar.
If tartar forms it can really irritate your dog’s gums and can result in getting infected.
You can brush out most plaque yourself, but if your dog’s teeth and gums develops tartar, the vet would have to remove that. That can be expensive and require anesthesia.
Plus, your dog can suffer serious health issues if you neglect their teeth and gums, such as; abscesses, gum separation, and bone loss that will cause their teeth to fall out.
Not only that but it could lead to kidney, heart, and lung damage.
Did you know that dental disease is fairly common in dogs as the American Veterinary Dental College have shown that dogs by the age of three have some evidence of periodontitis.
While Periodontitis can’t be reversed, it may be slowed and even stopped.
RELATED: How To Help Your Dog Live Longer
7 Signs That Your Dachshund Needs Teeth Cleaning for Dog Healthy Gums
- Your dachshund has bad breath
- Your dachshund’s teeth are discolored
- Your dachshund has bleeding gums.
- Your dachshund is Drooling
- Your dachshund is losing teeth
- Your dachshund has loss of appetite
- Your dachshund is sneezing and has a runny nose
Did you know that dogs have more alkaline in their mouths then humans? This extra alkaline promotes the formation of plaque.
With brushing a dog’s teeth and gums along with providing the best dental dog chews and dog bones, this will be vital to maintain dog healthy gums.
As a result this will get rid of plaque and prevent tartar and health issues.
Your Dog’s Diet In Relation To Dog Healthy Gums
Were you also aware that your dog’s diet influences their oral health.
Choosing the right dog food and other treats you give your dog are important for their teeth and gums.
As mentioned earlier in this article, it is best to feed your dog dry food rather then canned dog food.
The typical dry kibble bit dog food is best for rubbing against their teeth to remove food particles and plaque.
Plus, choosing the right dog food with the proper nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes, are vital for our dog’s oral health.
When choosing dog treats consider giving greenies to your dog. For my dachshund I give him the small sized greenies. These are a good treat to give your dog as it really helps clean their teeth.
Jerky treats do not provide much prevention from plaque but can help with gut balance.
You want to be careful of some dog treats as they contain too many empty calories.
Recommended Dental Dog Chews
Fresh Breathe Milk Chews is an all natural dental dog chew that helps eliminate bad doggy breath by getting to the root cause – digestive dysfunction
Greenies, rawhides, bones, and hard dog biscuits all help to keep tartar at bay. Plus, healthy dog treats also help your dog from getting bad breath.
Be sure and keep track of your dog’s diet with both dog food and treats for not only oral health, but overall health as well.
