# toothpaste



## mom2molly (Jan 3, 2011)

was just wondering what everyone uses for teeth cleaning?

molly has some plaque build up on her teeth...not horrendous but needs to be cleaned. theres so many different ones out there its overwhelming trying to choose one


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I used the CET poultry flavor toothpaste and a children's toothbrush. She hates brushing but likes the taste and so tolerates it. When I tried some generic mint flavored stuff from Petco she *hated* it. She also hates Petslife gel so I wasted like $15 on it before deciding to just brush her teeth.


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## WashingtonCowgirl (Mar 8, 2010)

We use the cheap stuff (its ProPet by 8in1) about once a week. Maddie had super gross teeth when we got her, so we started giving both dogs RMBs once a week. They both have really clean teeth, and the bones keep them occupied too!


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

If there is plaque on the teeth, you are too late, though brushing will help any more plaque from building up. Tartar and plaque must be scraped off, either during a dental procedure at the vets, or if you are lucky, you have a good chewer, and you need to give a nice, good sized raw bone, as large as your dog can handle. Beef neck bones are great for this, but marrow bones are not ideal, but are better than nothing. Forget all the "dental" bones marketed to this...they must be rock hard to scale off plaque and tartar, and those bones aren't and the shape of them does not allow the dog to scrape the outsides of their teeth against them. A Place For Paws in OH sells(and ships) many of the raw bones, if you cannot find them locally at your butcher shop. If you are going to brush teeth, you need to do it very regularly, like 3 or more times a week to see any real results, and small dogs usually have "bad" teeth so the more the better. There are tons of toothpastes out there for dogs, liver flavored, cheese, peanutbutter, etc. Try a few to find one she likes enough to let you brush.  And the Petzlife gel is a GREAT product...I would make her deal with it until its gone. If its the gel, you don't need to brush with it..just wipe on the teeth.


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

I agree with everything Graco22 has said.
I also use a soft human toothbrush for my dogs and usally recommend a soft human adult/child for my customers at work.
The dog brushes are just so hard and rough on the gums. dogs fight them more. Also don't go for thick mint toothpaste. Try something fun flavored or that would be to your dog. Possibly Enzymatic. It'll help break down the bacteria better than a simple scrubbing toothpaste as it works with the dogs saliva. so even if you can't get a good scrubbing in the beganning once you slowly get your dog trained to it it'll def help during that process. But you will probly have to have your vet clean the buildup off professional but it doesn't mean you can't always help avoid further buildup. Also food! Food can also play a very important roll. Are you on commercial food? If you can buy it from walmart/target/meijer ect I'd switch. Usally Bad food bad teeth, not always but in a lot of cases. 
Good luck


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## hansford (Nov 4, 2009)

Brushing teeth????

Why bother when there are products like PetzLife and Leiber III???

Just use the gel or spray and after 2 weeks the tartar will soften up enough to scratch off with a finger nail (or kibble eating will remove it)

To "apply" the gel just let your dog lick it off your finger- it's that easy!!!!


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

hansford said:


> Brushing teeth????
> 
> Why bother when there are products like PetzLife and Leiber III???
> 
> ...


Sydney hates the taste of those gels and acts traumatized when I apply them. You should do what works best for your dog.


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## hansford (Nov 4, 2009)

It was a suggestion, not a directive 

I would have thought that most dogs would find licking something off your finger to be less traumatic than having their teeth brushed. 'Guess it depends on the dog

Have you tried the spray versions?


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## RubyFeuer (Mar 30, 2010)

After you get your dogs teeth clean I would start using a product by pet dental. It's a bottle with lighter blue colored liquid in it and you mix it in with their water and it helps to freshen their breath (more like neutralize it) and prevents the tartar and plaque from building up in the first place. I have used it before for a while with great results and while I was using it I never brushed their teeth and there wasn't a single speck on them. Now I have stopped to try to use toothpaste, but I have to play catch up because there was a decent time gap between using the pet dental liquid to using a tooth brush now.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

hansford said:


> I would have thought that most dogs would find licking something off your finger to be less traumatic than having their teeth brushed. 'Guess it depends on the dog
> 
> Have you tried the spray versions?


Brushing doesn't have to be traumatic if you properly acclimate the animal to it. The yummy taste of the toothpaste helps a lot in making it a positive experience.

Yes, and she dislikes them all because of the taste of alcohol, I assume. None of them smell like something I'd want in my mouth either, so I don't blame her. Also, I have tried PetzLife on our cat and it foamed up like crazy in her mouth, so that was the last straw for me.

I'm sure it does work well for many animals because I've heard great things about all these no-brush gels and sprays from people I trust. But they just do not work for us.


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