We all want our pups to have fresh breath and shiny white teeth but as our puppy gets older you will start to notice plaque, tartar, and bad breath. This can get quite unpleasant for you and your dog. The best way is to keep up with your pups dental health before it becomes a major health issue for your dog. If left unattended too, your dog could have to go under anesthesia and have a vet scrape your dog’s teeth clean.
Our goldens are goofy fun-loving dogs that are near the humans all the time so let’s keep up with their dental health for the sake of everyone!
Table of Contents
10 Tips for keeping Golden Retriever Teeth Clean
Brushing
Brushing your dog’s teeth is the most common way to provide good dental hygiene. Brushing regularly will help prevent dental disease and tooth decay. It’s best to start introducing your puppy to the toothbrush as young as possible to help get them to use to brushing. Many dogs will need time to get used to the sensation of brushing its also important to use a natural toothpaste or a toothpaste made for dogs. Coconut oil is a great option for doggy toothpaste because it has antimicrobial properties
Don’t use regular toothpaste on your dog it has toxic ingredients. Brushing your dog’s teeth once or twice a week will help prevent plaque and tartar build-up.
Tooth wipes
If your dog doesn’t like the toothbrush to the point you cant safely brush their teeth. Tooth wipes may be the way to go. You simply just take the wipe and wipe your dog’s teeth and gums. This is a great alternative to the toothbrush if you can get your dog to stay still long enough to wipe their teeth efficiently.
Chewing
Chewing, in general, is great for your dog’s dental hygiene. It’s an excellent way to keep your dog’s teeth from building up tartar and plaque. It also one of the easiest ways to keep your dog’s teeth clean. They will pick chewing over, getting their teeth brushed any day! Giving your dog a dental chew toy is one of the easiest ways to go. They have lots of dental chew toys with different textures that are made to scrape the plaque off. Below we list a couple more chewing options.
Raw Bones
Raw bones are a fantastic way to clean your dog’s teeth. They are soft enough for your dog to chew, eat, and digest. They are also a great way to keep your dog busy. A nice big bone is the ultimate chewing toy for your dog. Remember, as with all bones, there are choking hazards with allowing your dog to chew on bones. Give your dog an appropriate size bone. A small bone could lead to choking.
Bully Sticks
Bully sticks are a great mix. They last longer than a treat, but don’t make quite the mess a raw bone makes. They are also high in protein and provide excellent dental health benefits. The chew can keep your dog occupied and satisfy their chewing needs while cleaning the plaque and tartar off their teeth. Bully sticks are also a great alternative to rawhides without any digestion issues.
Deer & Elk Antlers
Deer and Elk Antlers are considered a natural dog chew. They don’t splinter like rawhides and compared to other chews, antlers last an extremely long time. Your dog will slowly chew away at the antler shrinking it in size and cleaning their teeth. Antlers are also full of nutrients such as calcium.
Dental Treats
This maybe your dog’s favorite way to clean their teeth. These are a great easy way to keep your pup happy and remove tartar and plaque from their teeth. These can be used in the place of regular treats. There are a lot of great dental chews on the market to choose from.
Water Additive
Using water additive is also another easy way to keep up with your dog’s dental hygiene. You simply add the recommended amount to your dog’s water bowl, easy enough as long as your dog doesn’t mind the taste. You can buy these anywhere can be found on amazon
Nature Dental Spray
Dental sprays are good for reducing tartar and plaque build-up on your dog’s teeth. They are also great for freshening up pups breath and preventing bacteria in the mouth. The dental spray is a good choice if you think your dog will let your lift their lips on each side of the mouth and manage to spray it directly on the most affected teeth.
Raw Diet
Feeding your dog a raw diet can help prevent dental disease. This will eliminate having to take your dog to the vet yearly to have their teeth cleaned. Raw foods contain natural enzymes that will help prevent tartar build-up. They don’t contain sugar and starches that promote bad dental care and build-up on your dog’s teeth.
Conclusion
We hope you have found a great option for keeping your dog’s teeth in tip-top shape. Always talk to your vet and be cautions when giving you dog anything to chew on.