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Providing Good Dental Care Can Extend Your Dog's Life

Selecting A New Dog
When selecting a new dog to take home there are many things to think about and .....
Caring for your dogs teeth is a vital part of his overall health and maintenance. Sure, you may feel funny brushing Fido's pearly whites every night before bed, but good dental care for dogs is much more than just having white teeth and good breath.

Dental disease in dogs can cause serious health issues as the bacteria from infected gums and teeth can "spread" to other parts of the body and affect vital organs such as the heart, kidneys and intestines. Tarter or dental calculus starts off soft but can harden on the dogs teeth. Once hardened, it cannot be brushed away but requires a dental scaling just like you get in the dentist chair! If the teeth are left untreated, the buildup can cause the gums to become inflamed and can also cause serious infections.

Does Your Dog Have Bad Teeth'

Flying With Your Dog
A pet owner must research the many requirements before taking a dog on an .....
To tell if your dog has bad teeth, lift up his lips and check his teeth at the gumline - can you see tarter' Are the teeth white or discolored' Does his breath smell' Are there broken teeth'

All of these can indicate the need for better dog tooth care. Your veterinarian will probably do a dental check as part of they yearly checkup and can advise you as to the extent of the problem, if any.

Providing Better Dog Tooth Care

Bones
French Bulldog Complete Profile
Key Facts:

Size: Small - medium
Height: About 30 cm (12 inches)
Weight: .....

Chewing on raw bones can be a good way for your dog to remove built up tarter. I would advise against cooked bones as they can splinter and cause damage to the gums or intestine if swallowed. There are also some manufactured bones that are specially formulated for dental care.

Brushing Your Dogs Teeth
The Dog's Internal Anatomy: Part 2 Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments
For the next topic of the dog's musculo-skeletal system, I will be talking about four things. I will go over the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. These four tissues help .....

Brushing is a vital part of dog tooth care and should be done at least once a week. There are plenty of flavored toothpastes formulated for dogs that your pet will love the taste of. You can use a finger brush (a rubber piece that fits on the end of your finger with bristles), a hand held brush that looks much like a human tooth brush, or a little brush that fits on the end of a "ring" which you put on your finger. I have a tiny dog with a small mouth and I find the "ring" brush works best for me.

Scaling

This procedure is done by your veterinarian and is pretty much the same thing as the scaling you get at the dentist. The teeth are scraped and polished ......

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