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Tips for keeping your dog's teeth clean
06:10 PM CDT on Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Dear Heloise: Dental cleaning is expensive for a dog but necessary if its teeth have collected plaque. The teeth can become loosened or lost, and gum disease contributes to heart problems. A better idea is prevention. In addition to giving dry food and various hard toys and treats to dogs prone to the problem, the dog's teeth can be cleaned daily.
I have toy poodles whose mouths are very small, so the finger cot brushes available do not fit into their mouths. I decided to try using a child's electric toothbrush with dog dental cream. I won't try to tell you that they love it, but the chicken- or beef-flavored cream makes the process a little less onerous to them.
Oh, and now it is possible to buy an expensive electric toothbrush intended for dogs, but it is identical to the children's, and it costs much more.
Sarah C. Hill, Jacksonville, Fla.
Dear Heloise: My sister-in-law was fostering an injured dog from her local animal shelter. My mother-in-law came up with a great idea for keeping his cast dry when going outside. She used a flat baby-bottle liner and slid it over the cast, then secured it with a rubber band. Later, when the cast was removed and his leg was still bandaged, a preformed baby-bottle liner fit perfectly (no rubber band required). The liners are easily wiped off with disinfectant and can be reused several times for this purpose.
The wonderful little dog is now part of our family, and I am praying that he will soon have full use of his leg. I hope veterinarians might pass this along to their patients. It sure beats using a plastic bag.
Beth Baker, Washington, W.Va.
Write to Heloise at P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279 or fax to 210-435-6473.
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