As veterinarians, I don’t know that we do a very good job of helping people with dental health early on in their pets’ lives. When I used to practice western medicine, we really didn’t spend a lot of time talking about teeth. I don’t think I did my clients a service then.
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So, let’s talk about my thoughts now that I am a natural healthcare advisor:
- Start early. Start when they are puppies and kittens. Get them used to having their teeth touched.
- Normal typical veterinary toothpaste has five kinds of sugar in it. I don’t approve. I like coconut oil.
- You can use a soft bristle toothbrush for babies. Or a thing for your finger. Or even a gauze pad.
And yes, it’s nice for them to have things to chew on- and you’re gonna see all kinds of crazy opinions out there. So here are mine:
- Eating crunchy food like kibble, is like us humans eating pretzels and thinking it’s going to clean our teeth. I don’t buy it.
- Putting some kind of a liquid in the water is just a chemical that the cat or dog needs to process through their body. When is the last time you saw an animal gargle?
- A powder? When’s the last time you saw a cat or dog truly chew their food? Since they don’t really chew their food, how is that powder supposed to make contact with their teeth and clean the teeth?
Dogs are the big chewers. And they do like to chew. And you’re gonna hear all kinds of things to not do. Because there are still a lot of opinions. So let me give you some more of mine:
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I happen to think that elk antler splits are amazing. I like the split because dogs can get to the middle. Now, if I had a pitbull, I would give it a whole antler because those dogs have an amazing power drive in their jaw! There are some veterinarians who admonish against antlers because they think that the antlers break teeth. My opinion is that healthy teeth are meant to chew bones. So, if animals are breaking their teeth, it means that their teeth are not healthy.
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There are dogs who chew rocks. I don’t really encourage that.There are some other great chews like tendons, feet, hooves, or trachea.
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But do the test yourself. Stop brushing your teeth and just chew on something hard and leathery for the next six months. It’s not going to clean your teeth. But as humans we brush our teeth twice a day and we still go to the dentist at least twice a year. Or at least we’re supposed to. So let’s help our pets and not be afraid to clean their teeth.
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You want cat chews? That one’s tough. The silvervine sticks can be good. My dogs take the sticks from the cats so they don’t work very well in my house- which means I have to brush my animals teeth.
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I’ve learned this the hard way. I’m lazy. I would rather not, but by the time six months rolls around, there’s a lot of tartar on my animals teeth. And boy, mine would be nasty if I didn’t brush twice a day and floss.
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If your pets are used to people touching inside their mouth, then they’d be great candidates for non-anesthesia dentistry.
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Oh my gosh, don’t have a freak out! Because some pet owners will have freak outs about this suggestion.
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I’m gonna put it in the human perspective.
I’m at the age now where I need to get my teeth cleaned about every four months. So, I voluntarily sit there in a chair and have my teeth hand cleaned. And the Dentist scales along the edge of my teeth, goes right up along the edge of my gums gets between my teeth. I don’t love it. But I’m used to having my teeth handled and I get it done. Most animals who are used to having their teeth touched will do that as well.
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I’ve seen the horror stories on the internet. I don’t get x-rays every time I get my teeth cleaned. That’s insane. If I start to have a problem, then my dentist does an x-ray. Healthy dog and cat teeth shouldn’t need to be x-rayed every six months, but they do need to be cleaned. If they don’t get cleaned then all that tartar build up gets under the gums and causes inflammation. Causes gingivitis. Might contribute to heart disease in older animals. So, let’s do what we can to prevent things early. And when there’s a problem, absolutely, go to the vet for anesthesia dentistry.
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And you know what? When I used to have my western medicine practice 10 years ago, if I had known that non-anesthesia dentistry existed. I would’ve had a technician in the other room once a week cleaning my clients’ dogs’ and cats’ teeth. I don’t wanna put an animal under anesthesia for routine healthcare unless it’s necessary.
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