As a registered Therapy Dog, Gus has the sweetest of temperaments. His breath, however, is anything but.
We've found that about the only thing that truly helps his canine halitosis is a regular teeth cleaning. For our other dogs we have this service performed by our veterinarian, usually under a mild anesthesia. But because of his gentle nature, with Gus we can do this at home. I did try it myself once but I don't have the nerve to do it properly so I enlist the aid of my dental assistant daughter, Carli, to do it.
The VictimPatient
Here's Carli in action. We got the scaler from the drug store. The gloves also came from the drug store. I buy them in giant boxes for when I mix the raddle powder for the sheep and the thin set and grout for the mosaics.
Close-up of the teeth cleaning process. Yes, he does bleed a little. We only do one side at a time so he doesn't get too stressed.
Carli either has a monkey on her back, or is that her assistant?
There is a noticeable difference in the freshness of Gus's breath when he's had his teeth cleaned. Now mind you, it's not minty fresh, but at least it won't curl your hair anymore!
3 comments:
Tina,
Amazing how he lies still for teeth cleaning! What a great dog. My dogs each eat a raw carrot with their meals & the texture of the carrots have seemed to help keep their teeth cleaner. They also like raw broccoli & cauliflower-they often choose these over biscuits (crazy dogs!)
By the way, Joe took a turn for the worse yesterday. He cannot stand up. Still seems comfortable & without pain, & is eating & drinking, but I'm thinking it might be best to euthanize him. It's a tough decision to make for an old friend
I do this to all 6 of my dogs; I thought I was the only nut to do this.
Carol, I've noticed how our dogs seem to be crazy about raw carrots too. I often give them the peelings. I'm so sorry about Joe. It is a very difficult decision and I always hate when it's our turn to have to think about it.
j3llyb3an, Wow, SIX dogs! That's a lot of poop to scoop! Originally I started having the dogs' teeth cleaned when I was showing but now I still do it because just like humans it's healthier for the dogs.
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