Oral & Dental Care for a Chihuahua
May 4, 2011 15:44:17 GMT
Chilove1103 and chihuahuaclothes like this
Post by Kristi on May 4, 2011 15:44:17 GMT
I've had enough people ask me about how I care for my dog's teeth that I decided to write up a short guide to oral care for our beloved chis 
We all know that chis are not known for their good teeth...but they don't have to have BAD teeth. Here is what I use to keep my dog's teeth in tip-top shape...
Tropiclean Water Additive-- www.amazon.com/Tropiclean-Fresh-Breath-Water-Additive/dp/B00379J2DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1304522644&sr=8-1 -- MOST local pet stores carry this. A bottle lasts quite awhile, even for my pack of 6 chis. 1 capful is mixed in with 2 cups of water. The dogs don't notice its there. This is NOT a miracle solution, but rather a maintenance part of my oral care routine. It helps keep their mouths free of bacteria on top of everything else. It also keeps their breath fresher then when I do not use it. It takes about a good week or longer to notice a difference, either way, though, and you need to be doing other things to care for your chi's mouths.
Petzlife Peppermint Spray-- www.revivalanimal.com/store/p/5624-PetzLife-Oral-Care.aspx -- They each get 3 squirts of this in their mouths at lunch time when my hubby or I go home from work. It works best on a mouth that hasn't been "active", e.g. drinking, eating, chewing, etc. and mine generally sleep late morning and early afternoon so its a pretty good time to use it for us. Here's a quick video of me using it on a puppy Bryco... www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO08iNFrGLA. They also get a quick squirt on either side of their mouth again right before they are put in their crates for bed. This makes a BIG difference.
Brushing the teeth!!-- I use this toothbrush (fits in any small mouth, or you're doing it wrong LOL): www.entirelypets.com/toothbrush.html, and this toothpaste: www.entirelypets.com/cettoothpaste.html in Vanilla Mint or Malt flavour. -- Getting your chihuahua used to having its teeth brushed can take some patience. Almost all hate it at first but with persistence and calmness on your part, you CAN do it. Remember you are the boss and get the job done gently. At first you can just let your chi lick the toothpaste off the brush, working up to quickly slipping the brush in on either side of the mouth, then actually brushing. I don't have a single chi that was well behaved at first, some even biting, screaming, writhing and scratching to get away, but now they are all angels, even Laurel! Here is a video of the general approach I take when brushing teeth: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey872nnkv6o. I brush their teeth every single day. On days I am gone, hubby still sprays their mouths and makes sure they get chewies...so its OK to miss a day or two, but, try to miss as few as possible. Your chi's gums may bleed for up to the first month or so you brush its teeth, its fine and just part of getting the gums healthy again.
At least 2-3 times a week, I also use a 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to two parts water solution. I dip the toothbrush in it, and brush away. The foaming action from the bubbles works hard under the gum line where you can't really brush very well, and also cleans inbetween the teeth like flossing would for us. You can brush this way ALL the time if you want to, but the dogs really don't like it, so I only do it a few times a week.
Raw Meaty Bones-- You can get these at your grocery store. Be SURE there is NO ADDED SODIUM. Stay away from weight bearing bones. My favorite bones for teeth workouts are definitely pork ribs, but pork ribs are the hardest for me to find without added sodium!! You can also do Turkey drumsticks with most of the meat removed (if you don't feed raw), as its a tougher bone that will give more cleaning action. Chicken wingettes and wing tips are also good. If you are a kibble feeder, substitute your dog's regular kibble meal 2-3 nights a week with a chicken wing. It will help whip those teeth into shape! If you don't feed raw, I recommend going with bone-in-raw chicken over other meats, so as to avoid tummy upset. PLEASE NOTE: NEVER FEED COOKED BONES!
Bully Sticks!!-- www.bestbullysticks.com/?AID=119036&BID= -- Mine get bully sticks usually once a day for an hour or so. After they have them, they go in the freezer. This keeps yucky germs from building up and multiplying on the chewed part of the bully. Plus, they love them!!
Chlorhexidine Chews-- www.amazon.com/HEXtra-Premium-Hygiene-Chlorhexidine-Petite/dp/B001P3NU3K/ref=pd_sim_k_2 -- Combines mechanical action of rawhide and antiseptic power of chlorhexidine to reduce calculus. They get these maybe 3 times a week. This IS a beefhide, but it is compressed...so, they won't get a blockage from this type of beefhide/rawhide. It breaks up into tiny little pieces even if they don't chew it, that are completely passable by them. I used to use the bigger ones that were actual pieces of beefhide, until Trigger started swallowing them whole. So now I just use this type, and they love them, just don't last as long.
Final thoughts... remember that you need to know what's going on in your dog's mouth. You should be looking at its teeth daily to be sure everything looks healthy. Gums should be PINK not red, gray or any other color. Healthy gums won't bleed when you brush them. Many, many dogs have oral disease by the time they are 3 because their owners don't properly take care of their teeth...it takes me less than 1/2 hour a day to do the appropriate care for 6 chis...and its well worth it to have fresh-breathed, healthy-mouthed chis that will likely never need dentals!
We all know that chis are not known for their good teeth...but they don't have to have BAD teeth. Here is what I use to keep my dog's teeth in tip-top shape...
Tropiclean Water Additive-- www.amazon.com/Tropiclean-Fresh-Breath-Water-Additive/dp/B00379J2DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1304522644&sr=8-1 -- MOST local pet stores carry this. A bottle lasts quite awhile, even for my pack of 6 chis. 1 capful is mixed in with 2 cups of water. The dogs don't notice its there. This is NOT a miracle solution, but rather a maintenance part of my oral care routine. It helps keep their mouths free of bacteria on top of everything else. It also keeps their breath fresher then when I do not use it. It takes about a good week or longer to notice a difference, either way, though, and you need to be doing other things to care for your chi's mouths.
Petzlife Peppermint Spray-- www.revivalanimal.com/store/p/5624-PetzLife-Oral-Care.aspx -- They each get 3 squirts of this in their mouths at lunch time when my hubby or I go home from work. It works best on a mouth that hasn't been "active", e.g. drinking, eating, chewing, etc. and mine generally sleep late morning and early afternoon so its a pretty good time to use it for us. Here's a quick video of me using it on a puppy Bryco... www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO08iNFrGLA. They also get a quick squirt on either side of their mouth again right before they are put in their crates for bed. This makes a BIG difference.
Brushing the teeth!!-- I use this toothbrush (fits in any small mouth, or you're doing it wrong LOL): www.entirelypets.com/toothbrush.html, and this toothpaste: www.entirelypets.com/cettoothpaste.html in Vanilla Mint or Malt flavour. -- Getting your chihuahua used to having its teeth brushed can take some patience. Almost all hate it at first but with persistence and calmness on your part, you CAN do it. Remember you are the boss and get the job done gently. At first you can just let your chi lick the toothpaste off the brush, working up to quickly slipping the brush in on either side of the mouth, then actually brushing. I don't have a single chi that was well behaved at first, some even biting, screaming, writhing and scratching to get away, but now they are all angels, even Laurel! Here is a video of the general approach I take when brushing teeth: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey872nnkv6o. I brush their teeth every single day. On days I am gone, hubby still sprays their mouths and makes sure they get chewies...so its OK to miss a day or two, but, try to miss as few as possible. Your chi's gums may bleed for up to the first month or so you brush its teeth, its fine and just part of getting the gums healthy again.
At least 2-3 times a week, I also use a 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to two parts water solution. I dip the toothbrush in it, and brush away. The foaming action from the bubbles works hard under the gum line where you can't really brush very well, and also cleans inbetween the teeth like flossing would for us. You can brush this way ALL the time if you want to, but the dogs really don't like it, so I only do it a few times a week.
Raw Meaty Bones-- You can get these at your grocery store. Be SURE there is NO ADDED SODIUM. Stay away from weight bearing bones. My favorite bones for teeth workouts are definitely pork ribs, but pork ribs are the hardest for me to find without added sodium!! You can also do Turkey drumsticks with most of the meat removed (if you don't feed raw), as its a tougher bone that will give more cleaning action. Chicken wingettes and wing tips are also good. If you are a kibble feeder, substitute your dog's regular kibble meal 2-3 nights a week with a chicken wing. It will help whip those teeth into shape! If you don't feed raw, I recommend going with bone-in-raw chicken over other meats, so as to avoid tummy upset. PLEASE NOTE: NEVER FEED COOKED BONES!
Bully Sticks!!-- www.bestbullysticks.com/?AID=119036&BID= -- Mine get bully sticks usually once a day for an hour or so. After they have them, they go in the freezer. This keeps yucky germs from building up and multiplying on the chewed part of the bully. Plus, they love them!!
Chlorhexidine Chews-- www.amazon.com/HEXtra-Premium-Hygiene-Chlorhexidine-Petite/dp/B001P3NU3K/ref=pd_sim_k_2 -- Combines mechanical action of rawhide and antiseptic power of chlorhexidine to reduce calculus. They get these maybe 3 times a week. This IS a beefhide, but it is compressed...so, they won't get a blockage from this type of beefhide/rawhide. It breaks up into tiny little pieces even if they don't chew it, that are completely passable by them. I used to use the bigger ones that were actual pieces of beefhide, until Trigger started swallowing them whole. So now I just use this type, and they love them, just don't last as long.
Final thoughts... remember that you need to know what's going on in your dog's mouth. You should be looking at its teeth daily to be sure everything looks healthy. Gums should be PINK not red, gray or any other color. Healthy gums won't bleed when you brush them. Many, many dogs have oral disease by the time they are 3 because their owners don't properly take care of their teeth...it takes me less than 1/2 hour a day to do the appropriate care for 6 chis...and its well worth it to have fresh-breathed, healthy-mouthed chis that will likely never need dentals!
