Dental Health Advice For Canine Owners

Dental care is an important aspect of your dog's overall health. Many dog owners overlook this and allow tartar to build up to the point where the process of scaling becomes necessary. The reason dental health is an important consideration for dogs is that the buildup of tartar on a canine's teeth can harbor bacteria.

The bacteria in the tartar can lead to gum infections which in turn can lead to bleeding gums. Here is the reason for the danger of poor dental health in dogs (or for that matter in humans as well). The bleeding gums can allow the bacteria found in the tartar to access the blood stream. When they enter the blood stream, they can be carried and deposited into other organs. There, they can multiply and cause serious consequences to the animal.

The reason there are so many problems with dental disease in dogs today is because of the usage of softer and commercial foods. Even the hard, chunky types of food served dry promote the build up of tartar.

Wild canines like wolves and coyotes have not issues with poor dental health usually. The reason for this is the fact that they consume their prey raw and in entirety. In other words, they chew and consume the bones of their prey too. This chewing of the live bone tissue acts to keep the teeth clean in these wild cousins of our domesticated pets.

However, it should be noted by canine owners that it is not usually advisable to feed dogs cooked bones. Cooking causes the bones to harden and splinter as they are chewed. This splintering can be dangerous and cause cause damage to your pet.

Some canines today are fed a diet of raw meat. In fact, whole, raw chickens can be ground up in food grinders and fed safely to dogs. No, there is no danger of food poisoning with this method. Dogs have protection and not usually affected by such things.

Feeding raw foods to pets will in fact offer proper dental health, but it can be an expensive means. Instead, there are lower cost and safe methods to insure proper dental health for canines.

There are all natural gels and sprays which can be used to clean dog teeth effectively. They are much safer and offer an alternative to the dangerous and costly process of scaling performed at the veterinarian's office. These products contain all natural products and are highly effective for ensuring proper dental health in canines. Be sure to research these methods and discuss them with our vet.

Steve Weber has more information at his web site, Cactus Canyon, about achieving maximum canine dental health.