Brushing Vs. Dental Treats

[lulugirl928]

What is better? I had Lulu's Teeth brushed when i took her for her groom last week and it was like $11 ... i am looking for an alternative but i dont know whats better... brushing her teeth myself, or dental treats. If you use Dental treats... Which one is a good brand?

[Britster]

Brushing, for sure

Nothing can replace regular brushing. Though I'm really bad with it myself.
I also use Petzlife gel and ProDen PlaqueOff (just started using this though).
I try to brush once a week but it really should be done every single day.

Oh, he also chews bully sticks and Himalayan chews. It seems to help.

[AlicetheYorkie]

Brushing will most definatly do a better job than chews. I'll admit to not brushing the teeth of my 5 pets everyday, I usually get it in there about twice a week (cats too).

I do give chews to my dogs also though. I like CET chews, bullysticks and the best thing I've found that does an amazing job is raw turkey necks. I know it sounds gross but it's good for them (just like a raw diet is) and really gets the tartar off the teeth better than any "chew" can. I use the Nature's Variety ones. You buy them frozen, then I'll run it under hot water for a few minutes to thaw it a little bit, then my husband cuts about 2" off of one for my yorkie, my beagle gets the rest of that one and our Akita gets a whole one. I ONLY let them have these OUTSIDE becuase it is gross, but they love it (Alice was a little confused the first time I gave her one lol, but figured it out quickly) and as far as I can tell it works even better than my brushing. I give them the turkey necks about once every 2 weeks, a dental chew about twice a week and I brush the teeth about twice a week. Everyone's teeth look really good, no dentals needed

[lulugirl928]

Thanks. Her breath has been KICKIN!!! it might be because she is still teething.. but we live in an apartment, so maybe the turkey necks when we get a yard, or take her to someones house. She is our first baby, so we are just wondering what do we do about EVERYTHING.

[Ellie May]

Teeth should be brushed a bare minimum of every 2-3 days. It is best for her if ti's done 1-2 times a day.

Chews shouldn't be considered a replacement to brushing.

[107barney]

Brushing teeth for sure. Mine like CET vanilla mint toothpaste and I find it works pretty well and they have nice breath for those yorkie kisses.

[moshes_human]

[QUOTE=
I do give chews to my dogs also though. I like CET chews, bullysticks and the best thing I've found that does an amazing job is raw turkey necks. I[/QUOTE]

How old were they when you started them on the necks. Moshe was born 12/21/10 and he is 5.2 pounds. Think he is big enough? I don't like the Bully sticks...they seem to accident prone. When he is bigger I will probably revisit the idea.

Moshe actually likes his teeth brushed. I use chicken flavored paste and a glove with the brush on it. I think he thinks it feels good to his teething gums.

[AlicetheYorkie]

Originally Posted by moshes_human

How old were they when you started them on the necks. Moshe was born 12/21/10 and he is 5.2 pounds. Think he is big enough? I don't like the Bully sticks...they seem to accident prone. When he is bigger I will probably revisit the idea.

Moshe actually likes his teeth brushed. I use chicken flavored paste and a glove with the brush on it. I think he thinks it feels good to his teething gums.

That's great if he likes his teeth brushed, keep it up

I gave Alice her first raw turkey neck piece a few weeks ago and she's 4 lbs. and was born in October. I'd say he can have it now. Just watch him closely with it at first, it's really hard for them to choke since they can only pull tiny pieces off, but watch just in case. I let my bigger dogs eat the entire thing, but I've been taking it away from Alice once she gets it to the point that the whole thing can fit in her mouth and is small enough for her to possibly swallow. She only gets about a 2 - 3" piece of one since they can be REALLY big lol. My husband uses a butcher knife to cut them. It's pretty thick (if you've ever cooked a turkey you know lol, nothing much wasted on Thanksgiving here ) so a short piece is good. Just a note - after Alice finishes, I wash her beard with a washcloth and espree foam face cleanser cause it gets a bit yucky with the long hair there.