My 5 year old mixed-bred dog, Noble, has tartar on his molars, and its so dirty. Should I brush his teeth every single night? How often? :(

sounds yucky but i think you should my grandma did that with her dog each nite and she was 85 so i think you can do it

OKay thanks for the advice. :)

You can and should brush your dog's teeth. Daily is ideal. For my dog, Schmoo, I did it just once a week. He was only cooperative during his bath.

If the tartar is hard on there, the only thing that's really going to get it off is a dental cleaning at the vet. They have to put the dog under to do that. I had my dog's teeth done once (he was having other surgery at the same time).

You can offer certain chew toys and treats that may remove some tartar as well. Greenies helped Schmoo. He really loved them. Now, there is some worry that some dogs can choke on them though.

Yeah I saw Greenies at my store before. Maybe I should get my dog one for Christmas, hehe. He's a small dog who likes to chew, 5 yrs old. Any suggestions for the size I should get him?

one wont do. its not like usual toys that last a long time, they are eaten in a short time, about 3-5 minutes with my dog. i think greenies the company recommends one daily.

Get the small size. Schmoo ate one a day as a treat. If your dog is under 5 pounds I think, they recommend the bits which are chips of greenies instead of the bone ones. They do run about $1 a day but Schmoo ate them until the last few months of his life. He was on them for a year or two, and they were one of the few things besides people food that he would eat and look forward to. He never choked on them but did hack a few times. By hack, I mean he would make nasty noises to dislodge pieces.

Okay, thanks for the advice. (My dog is over 5 pounds.)

I heard somewhere that greenies were bad for dogs, I'm not sure though.

They're in the realm of 'parental supervision'. Like Robyn said, there's a choking issue with them. Just like string toys, you gotta watch.

How about cat's teeth? Anyone know anything that helps keep them tartar free?

My daughter is studying to be a vet and she has on occasion used her finger nail to pop off tarter deposits from my cats teeth. Sure it depends on the temperament of your cat and what they will tolerate. Cat bites are nasty and become infected easily. Even if you use a cloth to wipe them, it should help.

FM3

I tried to brush my cat Gino's teeth years ago but he really didn't cooperate! I buy CET chews from the vet which Elvisina and Gino (only) eat. They are supposed to help prevent tartar. They also eat feline Greenies but I don't know if those really help at all. The vet basically said to feed dry food for dental health (although not good for urinary tract health, diabetes, etc. because of the lower water content). The vet also, of course, wants you to pay for dental cleanings. I don't think it's worth risking general anesthesia for a dental cleaning unless there are teeth problems (decay, teeth that need removal, etc.). I did have my dog Schmoo's teeth cleaned when he had an operation to remove a lump (so he was already under). That was only about half a year before he died pretty quickly from liver failure.

I don't think any of my three cats would tolerate my finger in their mouths, and I know from experience how nasty a cat bite can be. FM3 your daughter must have the magic touch!
Years ago I tried brushing my (German Shephard mix) dog's teeth and that was such a flop that I never tried again. Would just buy all the dogs greenies, which they loved, and things like that. Although due to life's sad experiences I don't have any of them now.

This is a topic I am experienced on as I was a veterinary assistant for 5 years and have actually performed the dental cleanings myself. If your pet's teeth are nasty you are slowly affecting the health of their internal organs ~ liver, kidney, etc. The bacteria from their mouth actually travels through their entire body which is very unhealthy!! If the teeth are very yucky a professional dental under anesthesia is your only option. Depending on your vet you should decide if this is worth your pet going under or not. A good vet will discuss things like pre-op bloodwork and ekg and actually discuss the anesthetic procedure with you. If you take your pet in, sign a paper and that's it, you may need to consider a different vet. Just like human medicine, veterinary medicine has came a long way and the clinics that are up with the time are MUCH safer!! If your pet is healthy and you use proper anesthesia there is little risk. You also do get what you pay for so consider some reverse price shopping. To prevent tartar from building back up everyone has great ideas. Dry food, greenies, CET chews, any form of chewing ( plain or pressed rawhide, kongs, nylabones, etc.) Also science diet makes a rx food called TD. It is expensive to feed as the whole diet but I buy a bag and use it for treats. It is a large crunchy treat designed to scrape tartar from the teeth. It actually is cheaper than buying treats when you get the 5 lb. bag. If your dog will tolerate daily brushing that is your best option. Also ask your vet about water additives and rinses for the teeth that have antibacterial qualities to slow down bacterial growth in the mouth. Sorry I can ramble on about small animal medicine for hours~ Hope that helps!! :D