We’ve heard veterinarians call it “poodle mouth.”
But it’s a serious problem affecting not just toy poodles. Dogs with a small mouths and closely-spaced teeth seem most prone to dental disease.
Bad breath might be your first clue. If you look closely in your pet’s mouth, you might see some buildup of plaque along the gum line. Left to accumulate and calcify, the plaque becomes tartar which can eventually irritate and infect the gums and loosen teeth.
Dogs don’t seem to get cavities the way people do. But dogs do suffer from gingivitis (gum inflammation). As if this weren’t serious enough in itself, gum disease can lead to heart or kidney failure.
February is National Pet Dental Health Month and the Hill’s Pet Nutrition PetDental web site offers several great tips about Dental Care for Your Pet.
We regretfully admit that our toy poodles will not allow us to come anywhere near them with a doggie tooth brush. We’ve tried the meat-flavored dog toothpaste, all to no avail. Some dogs will, however, allow their pet parents to brush their teeth. We’re guessing big dogs might be more amenable to the procedure but that’s just a guess.
Fortunately, the Cape Rose toy poodles are willing to gnaw on beef bones.
And for the past few weeks, we’ve been using a holistic teeth cleaning solution that we learned about in a natural pet care magazine. For now, let’s say this cleaner seems to be producing outstanding results for our Chris who is nearly 12 years of age and has, shall we say, a history of halitosis. Yes, we have a “before” photo of Chris’s mouth to share with you. But more on that later.
For the time being, please make every effort to brush your dog’s teeth daily. And follow the guidelines offered at PetDental for better health for your toy poodle.
Until next time,
Mr. Dibs
