How to care for your Whippet’s teeth
I have been a Whippet owner for over 12 years and unfortunately had to learn the hard way to properly care for a Whippet’s teeth. My first Whippet had terrible teeth and ended up dying soon after an invasive scraping at the vet’s office. With proper daily preventative care, Whippet’s can have a long healthy life free of periodontal disease.
First, we need to understand why whippets and other hounds such as greyhounds and salukis have bad teeth. The long muzzle of these lovely dogs can sometimes block the proper flow of oxygen to the back teeth. This allows the plaque to turn into tartar and mineralize on the dog’s teeth. Over time, these deposits go into the gums and cause damage. If left unattended, your whippet’s internal organs can weaken over time. For example, liver and kidney function can be affected as they work over time to process excess bacteria from decaying teeth.
With that in mind, there are a few simple things you can do to ensure healthy teeth.
- Daily Brushing – This seems like a lot of hard work, but plaque only takes 4-5 days before it starts to turn into tartar. I’d rather just buy gauze and chicken flavored toothpaste. Every morning I just brush my dog’s teeth for 10-20 seconds. That’s all it takes to brush to keep your dog healthy.
- Provide chew toys – Soft toys are great fun for dogs, but you should consider adding nylon teething bones or hard rubber toys to your dog’s toy box. Most dogs like them, and if they chew for 20 minutes a day, they can remove almost all of their plaque on their own.
- Provide Real Bones – Giving your dog real bones with some meat can do wonders for his teeth. Every dog loves real bones. This is my preferred method as my dog doesn’t chew the rubber bones enough to do any good. I like to use beef caps and femurs, which can be purchased at most feed or pet stores. If you buy the bones with meat, don’t let the dog chew them on the white carpet.
- Use water additives – there are many commercial water additives that you can add to your dog’s water bowl daily that will help reduce plaque and keep their breath fresh and clean. These supplements are similar to mouthwash for humans
Here it is. With these simple tips, your dog can literally live years longer. More than 80% of dogs over the age of 4 have some form of oral disease. This can be avoided by taking simple steps. You have to remember to keep up with these things every day because it doesn’t take long at all for tartar to form. If your dog already has a buildup of mineralized tartar, you can try the beef caps for about a month. During that time I would give them about 20 bones. If this method does not work, you should talk to your veterinarian about cleaning the teeth.
#care #Whippets #teeth
