help please: looking after dog's teeth

[Theoscargoesto]

Hi. First time dog owner here. Please can you tell me how you care for your dog's teeth? I was encouraged to use Dentastix but they seem to give Oscardog loose poos-or am I imagining things?

And if not dentastix then what's your dog's oral care routine?

Thank you!

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Dentastix are pretty awful when you look at the ingredients list - full of grains and apparently disliked by vets for reasons I can appreciate! I gave mine some when I had a free packet and his behaviour became awful - he's a bit highly strung anyway but it was noticeable and the chews ended up in the bin.

I don't feed raw in general, but the vet recommended giving him a raw meaty bone as a tooth cleaning treat. My local butcher does them cheap if you ask for dog bones; I wrap them individually, freeze and defrost one at a time.

[Judashascomeintosomemoney]

Concur Dentastix are awful, unnecessary calories. Raw marrow bones or knuckles are the best thing. Right up until our girl Labrador passed away at nearly 14, the vet would proclaim that she had fabulous teeth. Will depend on the age of your dog though?

[BiteyShark]

I clean my dogs teeth every night with special dog toothpaste.

We have a bit of a fight with it but do our best to get it on his teeth and gums.

At one point we wondered if it did any good but when he came back from the boarders after a week with no brushing his breath stank and his teeth obviously needed cleaning so I do think it does some good.

[NannyPear]

Gold standard to canine dental hygiene is brushing every day with a pet friendly enzymatic toothpaste. I use a soft bristled small headed baby toothbrush.

I did notice a difference when I stopped giving my dogs dentastix but they are prone to weight gain really easy and they are so calorific I had to stop them.

[Theoscargoesto]

Thanks all. Avocados, I think I was seduced by the 'vet approved' strapline on the packaging, and maybe that's a lesson for me to ask a real vet in future!

I'm off to look at canine toothpaste and brushes now, and will look at real bones also. Really appreciate your responses, thank you

[mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork]

I do the teeth cleaning thing on JoyfulDog a couple of times a week. She was a bit surprised when I first got her (she was 4 then) but soon got used to it and is very cooperative now. Buy the dog toothpaste on line as it is cheaper than the vets. I would have liked to totally give up Dentastix but she LOVES them so she gets one every other day - it is the calories I'm trying to avoid her having. She does get loose poos when she has them which is another reason why they are rationed.