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Brushing Finnegan's Teeth

Who knew that you had to brush a dog's teeth? I've heard people talking about brushing their dog's teeth but kind of wrote them off as "fanatic dog owners". You know, the kind of people that dress their pets and let them sit at the dinner table with them. It wasn't until I had my own doggy that I realized that dogs seriously need to have their teeth brushed. I had no idea! I met people in the waiting room at the vet's office that had pets with serious teeth problems. Some of the pets were getting their teeth extracted and others had contracted other health issues related to poor oral hygiene.

Wanting to do everything right, I immediately went out and bought toothbrushes and some toothpaste for my little guy. Because he has a serious case of doggy breath I opted for the mint toothpaste as opposed to the chicken flavored paste. The kit I bought came with a long toothbrush and a finger brush.

As suggested by my vet I started by putting some paste on my finger and letting him lick it off. He seemed to love it so after a few days of that I put some on the toothbrush and let him lick it off of the brush. He devoured it off of the brush as well. Wow, it seemed too easy. Now that I knew that he liked the flavor it was time to start actually brushing his teeth. Ah, that didn't prove to be as easy. This is my guy who doesn't mind his ears being cleaned or medicated, is pretty good at staying still when I brush him and clean his eyes. I started with the finger brush. He immediately started to lick off the paste but refused to let me open his mouth. After several attempts I gave up and let him lick the rest of the paste off of the brush. I suppose that I wasn't firm enough. I'll have to work on that. Tomorrow I'll try the long brush and maybe have more luck!

Will I ever give him a daily dose of teeth cleaning? Probably not but I would like to do it at least twice a week. I think that I have my work cut out for me!

As I review my blog and look longingly back at my dental care troubles, little did I know this was the beginning of my problems!