How Important Is Pet Dental Care?

How Important Is Pet Dental Care?
Dental care is an important part of caring for your pet. Just like humans ? dogs have teeth that can cause problems if they are not cared for with a proper dental routine. You may have already noticed, but dogs can suffer from bad breath just like humans can.

Your vet is an important part of this dental care. Ask your vet to show you how to brush your pets? teeth properly. Your vet knows how to brush their teeth properly so your beloved pet doesn?t get gum disease or any of the other conditions associated with poor oral hygiene.

You are going to need to spend some time finding the right toothbrush for your dog. You can use a child?s toothbrush ? but it is recommended that you rather buy a special toothbrush for your pet. It will make brushing easier and will be worth the money.

To buy a toothbrush you can visit your vet or local pet supply store. You might be surprised to see how many variations of pet toothbrushes and toothpaste?s there are. Rather ask for help if you are not sure about what kind to get. There are some rules for choosing the best brush for your dog. You need to make sure that the bristles are soft so they don?t damage the dog?s gums. You also need to make sure you choose the right sized brush (just make sure its? not too big or too small for your dogs mouth). Lastly check that the handle is big enough for you to comfortably get a grip on the toothbrush.

You cannot use human toothpaste on your dog. Rather use a special high quality toothpaste with ingredients specially formulated for dogs. You need to spend some time choosing your toothpaste too. Cheaper brands might use ingredients that are harmful to your pet, and there are some common ingredients can make your pet sick. Read the labels carefully and check that the toothpaste does not contain salt, detergents or enzymes as these are dangerous for your pet. There is a huge choice at most pet supply store?s so ask for help and read the labels carefully.

Brushing your dogs? teeth for the first time can be difficult; especially if they are not used to it. This can be avoided by starting when they are puppies ? but if it?s too late for that don?t worry. The key is to be gentle, speak in a soft voice and do not force the dog. He must learn that it is not a big deal. Start from the back of the mouth and work your way forward in small circular motions.

If your dog really does not want to allow you to brush his teeth without a fight you can use a towel first. Try rubbing his teeth so he gets used to the sensation as well as your fingers in his mouth. Speak encouragingly and softly; you can even sing a little tune to calm him down. After a few patient weeks the dog should allow you to brush his teeth without any hassles.

You should be brushing your dogs? teeth daily; but if you can?t manage that ? once every second day should be fine. It?s important that you start too see your dogs mouth as your own. By doing this you will ensure that your dogs? teeth will last well into old age; and of course his dog breath will improve.

Gary Allison is a third generation of professional dog breeders. It all started with his grandparents in 1970 with the Boston Terriers and has expanded to Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Shih Tzu?s and Pomeranians. He is also actively involved with dog rescue and has a website that showcases the puppies he occasionally has for sale at <a href="http://allmypuppiesonline.com">All My Puppies Online</a> Gary is also the author of two consumer guides, <a href="http://carpetsecrets.com">Carpet Secrets</a> and <a href="http://movingsecretsguide.com">Moving Secrets Guide</a>

Pet Nutrition and Health…Be Cautious!
If you are squeamish this article may be uncomfortable. This was a difficult article to write, because of the close relationship we have with our pets. My purpose is to inform and educate “Pet Parents” as to what can be done to extend the life and improve the health of their beloved friends.

I was brought up on a livestock and grain farm where there was never a problem feeding the pets as well as the other animals. With the declining farm population and people now living in cities and small towns, less and less people have access to the feeds that are so prevalent on farms. Consequently we purchase processed and prepared foods at supermarkets and pet stores and the like.

What we do not know is where the foods are prepared and more importantly from where the raw feedstuffs come. The following paragraphs expose facts generally unknown to the public. Read to the end of this article to find out what you can do to improve your pet’s nutrition and health.

Most of us have heard of a rendering plant, but don’t have much information as to what they do or how they do it. Rendering plants dispose of over 12 million tons of dead animals, fat and meat wastes every year. These dead animal processors gather dead, diseased, dying or disabled (know as 4-D animals). The processing consists of grinding carcasses into small pieces and “cooking” them just long enough to facilitate separating of the “meat” and offal from the bones, hides, etc.

An important point: Most pharmaceuticals and drugs are not broken down in the brief heated processing period.

What is not well known is the animals may have had charcoal or preservatives to slow the decay prior to processing. Another distressing fact is the animals may have been sick and previously treated with pharmaceuticals and other chemicals. Larger road-kill animals may also be included in the mix. The most upsetting fact is: Euthanized pets from pounds are many times included.

With those words, I am going to add the plastic bags used by pounds, supermarkets, veterinarians and labs are not removed, because of time and labor costs. Collars, ID tags, flea collars and the like are also not removed. The hair and feathers are processed with everything else.

What I have referred to above is what constitutes animal protein used in pet foods. Vegetable proteins are ground corn, wheat middlings and sweepings, soybean meal, rice hulls, peanut meal and shells and many other products. Other ingredients can be cooking oils from fast food restaurants, tallow and other vegetable and animal sources.

The American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA) has oversight, but they are understaffed and very little pressure is available to require monitoring.

There is help: A very limited number of companies avail themselves of the use of proper feedstuffs to produce a healthful, nutritional pet food. This requires third party verification of products used in preparing a healthy food. The cost, of course, is greater, but to extend your pet’s natural healthy life is a choice that many owners are now making with relief and great satisfaction. More information is available at:

Richard Monson is an entrepreneurial spirit with many interests. Pets are continuous companions in his life. Having lived on a farm he has concern for animals and out of necessity has studied animal nutrition and health. His interests in chemistry, physics and biology have provided him with the curiosity to look for answers beyond the usual methods.

Fitting Memorial For Your Pet
To many loving pet owners losing a pet is like losing a member of the family. Many pets are loyal friends and companions and offer their owners unconditional love and comfort that is almost impossible to get from a human. Grieving for the loss of a friend or family member is expected and understood and yet many feel that they are not allowed to mourn when their pet passes on. Often they fear being ridiculed or mocked if they allow their distress to be visible and yet they can be closer to their pet than any human they know.

Pet cemeteries are becoming more common and offer pet owners a place to lay their pet to rest and somewhere to go to mourn and remember them. Others prefer to scatter ashes in their pet?s favorite place or to keep them close to hand as a reminder. Until recently, these options have been the most common but even so they remain rare. However, as with most things, the Internet is opening up a range of new opportunities.

For pet owners who are unable to retain their pet?s ashes, or who do not wish to do so, there is still a place where they can remember their pets and give and receive comfort to others who have lost their pets. Pet cemeteries are few and far between and so this virtual graveyard allows everyone to gather together regardless of their location, mobility, age or gender. In Memory of Pets was set up in 1997 after the website host, John Mingo, lost his beloved dog, Candy. The site has many options for pet lovers both to celebrate their lives and also to offer support to others who are grieving their own losses.

The site has a section for tributes, poems and such like and also gives you the opportunity to light a candle in memory of your pet. This is done with an online ceremony and allows you to submit a photo of your pet. This then remains on the site permanently so that you can find and view the candle and remember your pet at any time that you wish to do so.

For those who have experienced the pain of losing a pet in the past, this site offers a real opportunity to share the grief and openly mourn their passing. No longer is it an embarrassment to grieve your pet?s death from anywhere in the world.

The author is a regular contributor to <a href="http://www.annspetsupplies.com">Ann's Pet Supplies</a> where more information about pet supplies and pet products are freely available.

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