do you brush your cav's teeth? And what about puppia?

Does someone brushes the teeth of his little sweety? I'm not doing this, YET. I think it bothers him and I don't think he needs it allready.
He will be 1 year in januari. When do I start doing this? I give him some denta sticks and denta rask, but is this enough? I don't want him to get a bad breath or dental problems!
And I also wondered where you put them when you take them for a ride with the car to be sure they're safe? I put on a classic harness:

and his leash and attach the leash to the doorhandle.
Why is a puppia harness so much better than a classic one? It sure looks much cuter!

teeth

when my little girl is in the bath alfie stands up against the bath to watch her ,first she washes his face with the flannel,then he has his teeth done with one of her old tooth brushes.ella has to put a good drop of water on the brush otherwise he wont open his mouth.sometimes we put him in the bath with her for his bath she likes that but i dont think he likes a bath.

Puppia's are not, particularly, better than a classic harness. They just happen to be popular on the boards. They are more stylish and some say they are more comfortable for the dog.

I brush my boys teeth quite frequently. It isn't because I am a particularly anal mom or anything, it's just because they happen to eat nasty things outside (including kitty nuggets :yuk: ) which make their breath HORRIBLE. I use the John paul Tooth and Gum pet wipes and it really freshens their breath. The wipes are easier to use than a tooth brush and they don't seem to mind it as much. It might not be as effective, but I figure I do it twice it much so it may make a difference.

The puppias are just so darn cute!!! I couldn't resist them and now have way too many.

It's definitely a good idea to brush your cavaliers teeth. Heart problems have been linked to oral hygiene. Since Cavaliers have been shown to have a heart issues, it' important to maintain good dental health.
Brushing his teeth regularly could also prevent bad breath and other health issues.
From what I've heard puppies/dogs don't like having their teeth brushed but I think after a while, he may get used to it. :flwr:

Regarding travelling in the car, I don't think using a regular harness with the leash attached to the door handle is safe. In the event of an accident (God forbid), a regular harness will not hold a dog in place safely. Stronger car harnesses are available to hold dogs securely and they attach to seatbelts of the car. Some people put their dogs in a crate while travelling.

Oh, and the puppia is cute! I use the puppia harness on Coco. Most people would say it's more comfortable on the dog because of the soft mesh material.

Sorry this post is so long!!! Hope it helps.

I use a childrens toothbrush and doggy toothpaste to brush the boys teeth everyday, I can really tell the difference if I have a slack week and miss a couple of days, a lot of plaque builds up just in that short time.

Can't help with the puppia only to say it is not suitable for use as a car harness due to safety but better than nothing probably ?

Don't you think it would be easier if the tooth pastes didn't taste so good? It's hard to brush with a puppy going crazy to lick it all off before you start to brush. I am using a rubber thing you place over your finger but I hear muslin over a finger is good and gentle but probably more affective than the thing I use, it's not abbrasive at all. You don't want it rough but the finger thing is too soft I think. Anyway it's a start till I find something I like.. I think a brush is a little too hard if you slip. Goodness knows I used to make my kids gag! :?

i dont brush my 2's teeth yet but might start...so do you have to get special dog toothpaste?? or can u use human paste? im assuming you cant but would like clarification anyway..thanks

Hi Nisha, :flwr:
Yup, there are special doggie toothpaste available. They come in minty flavors, or chicken flavors, etc.
Cute avatar!

I brush both Libby and Riley's teeth. I use a baby toothbrush for Libby.

Riley rides in her crate. Libby has a soft side crate that buckles in. It's safer for them and us.

i'm afraid car doors can fly open in high impact accidents. :shock:

in previous threads, i think people have talked about turning off their passenger side airbag when their dog is riding there, to avoid the risk of the dog being crushed by the bag.

there are a variety of dog carseats on the market, as well as harnesses that you fasten to the shoulder harness.

I bought a baby toothbrush and pet toothpaste for Ollie so I will use it every second day or so.

Hi Nisha,
Yup, there are special doggie toothpaste available. They come in minty flavors, or chicken flavors, etc.

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cool thanks...chicken flavours? my 2 will be eating the toothbrush with chicken flavoured toothpaste!!!!!!!!

Cute avatar!

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Thanks! Lisa_T did it for me.

I do my pups' teeth nearly every day.

I use Logic toothpaste which is supposed to help against plaque even if you just let them lick it as it coats the teeth with a special enzyme complex, but brushing it on is better. It's important to use dog toothpaste of one type or another though, never human toothpaste as that is bad for them.

For Henry I used a little rubber finger brush from about 12 weeks old, having previously got him used to just opening his mouth up for me. It is just like the finger of a rubber glove that you slip onto your finger and it has little soft projections on it. It is super as an introduction to cleaning teeth and if you use it every day or so they get used to it more and more. I started just putting it in his mouth, and then a few days later gently moving it around in his mouth, then build up over the weeks to brushing all the teeth as his confidence grows.

For Lucy I now use a child's toothbrush and gently go over all the teeth surfaces. I'll start Henry on a toothbrush soon, once I am sure his gums are settled after teething.

When they see the toothbrushes come out they come RUNNING to me! They love the taste so much. When one has been done the other one is there licking the mouth to try to sample some. I actually use teeth cleaning as a "reward" they like it so much! But it does take time for them to get used to it to this degree so patience needed.

I also give a special seaweed supplement daily with her food to Lucy from 8 months old, once all the 2nd teeth were established. It's just a tiny measured amount a day - almost like a pinch of it - you get a teeny weeny little spoon to measure it with. This is Proden Plaqueoff. It is supposed to reduce plaque and calculus so hopefully it will stop those forming in the first place. Some recommend it but I don't know if it works. Worth trying.

Than kyou all for your advise! I will get some toothpaste I think and a little brush, I think it's better for him, and I surely don't want him to get problems because of bad mouth hygiene!
I've also start looking for a safer way to take him for a ride, I didn't know there were special belts for dogs! His crate is to big for my little car and I don't really like to see him in there.
Puppia's are reallly really cute!!!!! Maybe I will get one for Sam, but I'm not sure yet. Who will convince me?

We haven't started with Mary Alices' teeth yet.

I shall start in a few weeks, first with some gauze and doggie toothpaste, just to get her used to it.

Then we'll move up to a soft kiddies brush.

From our experience with Charley needing to have dental work done under an anaesthetic, I want to avoid that, if at all possible.

He was fine but I was a wreck and it's expensive...better to do it yourself.

As stated elsewhere, they can get a bacterial infection (it can affect their hearts) from lack of dental care. So can we.

I tried brushing jakes teeth, we had poultry flavoured toothpaste, he ate the toothpaste and ran away...
this happened a few times so i gave up, 1 point to jake, 0 points to me

This is what I was thinking when I bought a small, soft-sided zipper crate for each of my cavs in the car: If I were to have a bad car accident with them in my car, the softsided crates might not hurt them as much as a hard crate. If I were to be injured and taken away by ambulance, my pups would be safely in crates that are easy to remove to safety. Also, by establishing a close, ongoing relationship with an excellent boarding kennel and a great vet practice, these folks all know I would pay for any and all bills if my dogs had to be rushed to the vet or boarded in the kennel for a long period of time while I recovered from injuries.

This is what I was thinking when I bought a small, soft-sided zipper crate for each of my cavs in the car: If I were to have a bad car accident with them in my car, the softsided crates might not hurt them as much as a hard crate. If I were to be injured and taken away by ambulance, my pups would be safely in crates that are easy to remove to safety.

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That's so true. I just bought a soft sided crate for Coco that will be easier to take along with us to family's house during the holidays. However, for travelling, I've been using a seatbelt harness on Coco. Cathy, are soft sided crates supposed to be belted in the car?

good thinking cathy, those are such good ideas.

I once read a story (and i think i posted it here, crossposted from the CKCS-L list) of a car accident in which the crate was in the front seat, belted, and the crate was badly crushed in the accident--but somehow the dog, who was a little overweight, had gotten out of the crate when it broke open, and was safe on the floor in front of the seat.

I hadn't thought about making some kind of preparations for such an emergency, i don't have a boarding kennel, but after reading your post, i'm going to make sure there is something in my wallet right with my ID that has instructions for Zack, to call my daughter who can come and get him, and also including his vet's name and number, and the local animal emergency hospital. I hope they would provide care for him, i will ask them. I could even sign something, let them have my credit card number on file and sign something authorizing them to charge me under those kind of circumstances. I hadn't thought about this at all.

I just checked my Petcare policy, they pay for boarding up to $250 in an emergency. I'm going to check with them and see if this would cover a dog sitter.