[KARENNN]

I take my dog to the vet annually to have his teeth professionally cleaned while he is under anesthesia. The vet said that I should also be brushing his teeth at home about once a week and sold me a tube of chicken flavored doggie toothpaste. I bought a soft bristled tooth brush, poured a bowl of water and got a couple paper towels ready.
My plan was to have my assistant (Mom) hold his beard back (he is a schnauzer) while I polished his choppers. The problem was that he has so much mouth, lips, and jowls to hold back too, it is almost impossible to get to the back teeth, especially when he is wondering what in the world we are trying to do and decides to clench his teeth together. Then, he realizes we are putting something yummy tasting in his mouth and starts to lick lick lick.
Just wondering if anyone out there actually brushes their dogs teeth at home successfully...

[Skybo]

I brush my dogs' (Schnauzers) teeth...though not as often as I should. I focus primarily on the outside of the teeth, I've read somewhere that the inside don't need brushing...not sure if that's true or not, but brushing the inside is next to impossible anyway. The back teeth are tricky. For that I bought an easybrush chew (see link below). It is a hard rubber bone-shaped chew with bristles in the ends. You put a drop of toothpaste into the bristles and let them chew on it for a couple of minutes. They mostly chew on it with their back teeth, which is what I use it for.

http://www.easybrush.com/

Edited to add: You mentioned water...you don't need to use water or rinse their mouth. In fact, you want the toothpaste to stay on their teeth for as long as possible as the enzymes continue to work even when you've finished brushing.

[seashorecaroline]

Unfortunately just like most dog owners I have a hard time cleaning their teeth. But there is a new procedure that is being used to clean their teeth in the vet's office without putting them under anesthesia. I know this procedure is currently being used at Buffalo Ridge Animal Hospital. Their phone number is 352-750-4711.

[jazzy48]

I have a 13+ year old yorkie. I brush his teeth daily (yes, daily) and have since I acquired him at 4 months. His vet is always raving about how well I take care of his teeth. It's not an enjoyable couple of minutes every morning, and he hasn't learned to like the procedure, but he tolerates it.

I've had several friends lose their pets because of infections that started from dental issues, so that made me obsessive about it.

For the record, my first yorkie lived to be almost 16, and he, too, had his teeth brushed daily.

[Gardenia1]

Yes, I brush twice a day with tartar control toothpaste for dogs. She is a tea-cup poodle and she really doesn't mind having her teeth brushed. The best thing I did was to start her when she was purchased at a few weeks old and continued on for 7 years now. It is well worth it to see how nice and white it actually leaves them. AND no odor on her breath. People stop to pet her and they all say, "Wellllllll only in the Villages."

[Hancle704]

My wife brushes our Yorkie's teeth almost every night with Vanilla Mint flavored CET Enzymatic toothpaste using a small child's tooth brush. We tried the beef and chicken flavors but they still left her with doggie breath.

Since my wife took on this job several years ago our dog has not had to go back for the cleaning under anesthesia. We think that process is tough on dogs and our dog only went through that once. You can purchase a lot of toothpaste for what Vet charges for cleanings.

Our Vet often comments that our 11 year old dog has nice teeth and he said hre teeth look like a puppy's with no tartar build up.

[lightworker888]

for my dogs has become a thing of the past after I started using Fresh Breath by Tropiclean. It is a natural gel that has been developed to get rid of the plaque without having to brush their teeth. My old shih tzu was too old for dental work and had plaque on her back molars. I started using the gel every night, just squeezing some into the back of her gumline and the saliva that it created got the plaque off. In fact when I first did it, I was able to use my nail and scrape off chunks of plaque after a few days. I have used it for a year now and she no longer has a plaque issue so it eliminates having to take her in for dental work. I am using it on the 2 yr old so that her teeth stay white.

I got this from Global Pet in Canada but I would think that PetSmart and PetValu might have it as well as The Whole Earth, which is most likely, or at least something similar. The product is only $5-6 so it won't break the bank.

LW888

[KARENNN]

I am definitely going to get the Easybrush Chew and the gel too! Thank you for the great recommendations!

[herbaru]

Originally Posted by lightworker888

for my dogs has become a thing of the past after I started using Fresh Breath by Tropiclean. It is a natural gel that has been developed to get rid of the plaque without having to brush their teeth. My old shih tzu was too old for dental work and had plaque on her back molars. I started using the gel every night, just squeezing some into the back of her gumline and the saliva that it created got the plaque off. In fact when I first did it, I was able to use my nail and scrape off chunks of plaque after a few days. I have used it for a year now and she no longer has a plaque issue so it eliminates having to take her in for dental work. I am using it on the 2 yr old so that her teeth stay white.

I got this from Global Pet in Canada but I would think that PetSmart and PetValu might have it as well as The Whole Earth, which is most likely, or at least something similar. The product is only $5-6 so it won't break the bank.

LW888

Sounds like something I will try although the price seems much higher than $5-6. Petco online: Internet Price: $19.99 Internet Sale: $15.99 4 fl oz. Maybe I need to order it from Canada. Tried to find Global Pet online, no luck.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by lightworker888

for my dogs has become a thing of the past after I started using Fresh Breath by Tropiclean. It is a natural gel that has been developed to get rid of the plaque without having to brush their teeth. My old shih tzu was too old for dental work and had plaque on her back molars. I started using the gel every night, just squeezing some into the back of her gumline and the saliva that it created got the plaque off. In fact when I first did it, I was able to use my nail and scrape off chunks of plaque after a few days. I have used it for a year now and she no longer has a plaque issue so it eliminates having to take her in for dental work. I am using it on the 2 yr old so that her teeth stay white.

I got this from Global Pet in Canada but I would think that PetSmart and PetValu might have it as well as The Whole Earth, which is most likely, or at least something similar. The product is only $5-6 so it won't break the bank.

LW888

This is what I love about TOTV ... learning new stuff! I've never heard of Tropiclean Fresh Breath but I just googled it and the foam is available for $5.49 on line.

With two dogs and one cat, I have to confess, brushing just doesn't get done at our house. I'm in Canada now so I'm heading to Global Pet to pick up some Tropiclean.