I was at Petco over the weekend and came across an overpriced electric toothbrush "just for dogs" (it looks suspiciously just like the ones that are "just for kids", except there aren't pictures of Disney princesses all over it). It may seem like a silly purchase on my part, but I did it, and I'm glad I did it!Here's the thing: Theo hates getting his teeth brushed. He jerks his head and tries non-stop to chomp on the toothbrush the whole time it's in his mouth (which is not often thanks to the head jerks). With an ordinary toothbrush I just wasn't getting the job done. It wasn't brushing so much as waving a toothbrush in his face. No longer (as much). Thanks to the toothbrush doing the actual "brushing" part for me, I just need to make sure to hold it in place, which Theo seems to find a lot less offensive.
It definitely took him some getting used to. He freaks out when I turn it on. He freaks out when I first try to get it in his mouth. But after that he's ok. But at least when I'm done I feel like I've actually cleaned his teeth!
I'm not generally very anal about clean teeth (I hate flossing!), but there's something about seeing a dog with so much buildup on their teeth that you can see more brown goop than white tooth! It's just sitting there, rotting their teeth away. Blegck!
And while I'm on the subject of teeth, I find it interesting that some people, when they learn I brush Theo's teeth every(other)day, give me a judgmental look and say something along the lines of my dog being spoiled. How is it spoiling a dog to make sure their teeth don't rot out of their mouth before they're done using them? If you'd observe Theo during said brushing, you'd know he doesn't feel spoiled about it. That part I actually find annoying. The interesting part is when I say my reasoning for brushing my dog's teeth is because it (hopefully) avoids or at least delays the hundreds of dollars it would cost to have his teeth cleaned every 6 months by the vet (that's not really the reason, I just like watching their response). With that my dog is no longer spoiled and I am no longer a crazy dog woman because, since it's all about money, it makes total sense. Is it sad that people think I'm crazy for wanting to keep my dog healthy, but change their minds when they think it's only for monetary reasons?
8 comments:
People who think it's spoiling a dog to keep them healthy are crazy and obviously do not know a drop about correct dog care procedure. I can't imagine not brushing my dog's teeth, because gum disease can lead to all sorts of nastiness like blood poisoning and also heart problems! I wrote on instructable about how to acclimate your dog to tooth brushing. My favorite tool is the finger toothbrush. Glad you're having better luck getting the brushing done with the new brush!
Oh, here's the link for the instructable:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-brush-your-dog_s-teeth/
I forgot to mention another reason for regular brushing that helps us humans...bad breath! Hehe.
I tried the finger toothbrush, but I just don't think it gets the job done (when I do it). I'm too timid to really get the back teeth because I don't want my finger chomped! Theo likes to try and eat whatever is being put in his mouth that tastes so delicious. He looooves his mint flavored toothpaste.
The end of your link got cut off, but I found it. For anyone else who is interested, it's
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-brush-
your-dog_s-teeth/
Jenna, that's a really awesome tutorial, thanks for sharing it! :) I'll definitely try acclimating Theo a bit to having my fingers in his mouth. Right now he's ok with the front teeth, but he's fidgety still with the back ones.
Thanks for the link Jenna! I really need to brush Lucy's teeth more, and people don't seem to realize that dog's teeth do need to be brushed. Thanks for the reminder!
Julo, you are SO right about brushing Theo's teeth. Good for you. And "boo" on those people who think it's spoiling a dog. (They probably leave their dog out in the yard all day and don't walk them either.)
Brushing saves a lot on doggie dentals. My vet waived my dogs' dentals for 2 years because I brush(ed)their teeth every night and kept them sparkly. And yup, just like people, it keeps their breath under control.
Wow, this makes me wanna try the electronic gadget! We've tried the finger brush and regular toothbrush, neither worked very well (he wants to eat the finger brush and the regular one makes him gag when I tried to reach his back teeth!).
As a sufferer of bad doggy breath, I can tell you from that perspective alone it's worth keeping your doggy's teeth clean!
Bryson and Theo are two peas in a pod! Theo gags on the regular toothbrush too! I absolutely hate brushing his back teeth! He definitely doesn't fuss as much with the electric one on his back teeth.
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