Clean Teeth!

[RayofSunshine18]

Took my 8 y/o Cockerpoo to the vets yesterday for her jabs and annual check up and her teeth are starting to decay quite badly. She is, by nature, a very soft mouthed dog. She is not overly interested in treats but will eat a dentastick but nothing really hard that would get the plaque off her teeth, which is what the vet recommended.

She won't let me brush her teeth, but that doesn't mean I am not going to keep trying! Does anyone have any products they would recommend so I can save her teeth please.

Thank you!

https://www.amazon.com/Proden-PlaqueOff-Dental-Care-Dogs/dp/B0047VWPNI

No clue if it works, I’ve been contemplating getting it for the cat.

Very few dogs let you clean their teeth. What they do is let you briefly bring the brush close their mouth then give them a treat, multiple times.

Then let you touch the brush briefly to their mouth then give them a treat, multiple times.

Then let you briefly touch the outside of their lip with your hand, then give them a treat, multiple times.

Then let you briefly half lift the lip then give them a treat, multiple times.

You get the idea :)

Be ok with it taking 60 seconds a day, every day over a few weeks, to slowly build up to being able to run the brush along their teeth.

Personally, I am not a fan of toothpastes unless for a specific reason. The enzyme ones are just the same enzymes in the dog's saliva (but more of them) and the antibacterial ones are good for specific infection control but not great with plaque. In both cases, the presence of the toothpaste often causes the dog to try to lick the brush rather than let you brush their teeth.

I use a dry brush (so rely on mechanical action) every day, just before bed.

Dried ostrich bones are safe and can help clean teeth off as well.

Have you tried raw bones? Raw chicken wings are really good for cleaning teeth. My last dog and my current one gets one a week. Other than that yes, teeth cleaning is very tricky on a dog and not very effective. Any natural treats really do help - ears, antlers, horns, feet etc.

Thank you all for your advice, I have tried a few things like horns and bones etc but she just buries them rather than eats them which is unhelpful!

I think it is just a case of hit and miss. She does have Plaque Off powder in every meal but that doesn't seem to do a thing at all!

Oh, it's difficult isn't it. My rescue staffie has three broken teeth (top two and one bottom canine) so I'm loath to give her really hard chews.
Her teeth were quite clean when I got her, but I noticed some brown deposits round her gums, I feed her Pure pet food, it's great but soft and sticks to her teeth so I give her apple or carrot straight after. Tried brushing her teeth, but the less said about that the better!
Might try the raw chicken wings, but as a vegan, kinda hesitant to buy them..I guess you get them from a butcher rather than the supermarket?
Not going to bother with Plaque Off, sounds like a waste of money.

I get them from the supermarket (I buy high welfare) but you can get them from the butcher.

If you want to buy bulk then any raw dogfood supplier will sell them much cheaper.

Our vet told us to keep some carrots in the fridge and give our dog one a day.

They help keep their teeth clean, are healthy and cheap!

Try ostrich tendon that works well . My dog didn’t like the plaque off powder so we now use the Aquadent in the water bowls and a Barking Head floss and gloss stick everyday and our dogs teeth are fine and he only eats wet food .