Do You Brush Your Dog's Teeth?

[VChurch]

I give mine raw bones on occasion and treats that are really hard, so they have to crunch them...seems to keep their teeth pretty clean!

[Stosh]

No brushing, bones and rope toys seem to be doing a great job so far. The vet commented on the nice white teeth Stosh has when we saw her this week.

[RavensMom]

We don't have our GSD pup yet, but we do have an 8 yr old lab (Max)whose teeth that I've brushed since he was a pup. He really looks forward to it & will start wagging and "assumes the position" (sitting squarely in front of me) when he sees me with his tooth brush.

I started brushing his teeth as part of my overall handling/grooming of him - handling feet, trimming nails (I use a dremel), checking ears, brushing coat, etc. Overall, when it comes to grooming - Keep it short, make it fun & it can be a breeze!

On our last vet visit, the vet notes Max's age & automatically starts telling me about the need for professionally cleaning the older dog's teeth. He checks Max's mouth, looks at me & asks when his teeth were most recently cleaned as Max had virtually no buildup & his gums looked great. You should have seen the vet's face when I told him that Max has never had his teeth cleaned by a vet. His reply: "Well, whatever you're doing, keep it up!"

So, like many on here - raw bones, controlled diet & brushing does it for us!

[DangerousBeauty]

I never brushed my female's teeth, just bones and toys. She is now 16 and the vet says she has better teeth than most 5 year olds he sees! She always had extremely white teeth.

[Melina]

Originally Posted by DangerousBeauty

I never brushed my female's teeth, just bones and toys. She is now 16 and the vet says she has better teeth than most 5 year olds he sees! She always had extremely white teeth.

16? Wow, you're doing more than just caring for her teeth well, apparently!

[Rerun]

Nope. Once a week they get raw bones from the butcher. We get the cow femur (sp) bones and have them cut into 4 - 6 inch chunks. They are quite big around as well. Keeps their teeth sparkling white.

[acillaton]

No. Seems to me I don't need to. Lots of raw bones and raw meat works here

[mehpenn]

Yes, three times a week.

[Blitz Burgh Steeler]

Yeah----i use Raw chicken bones are . No need to on a raw diet, the bones in his meat keep his teeth spotless.Just like these

[liv]

I do it sometimes, but I should probably do it more - if I pull out the toothbrush and toothpaste Kokoda comes flying - she loves it!! I could brush her teeth five times a day and it wouldn't be enough for her!!