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The short answer to this
question is "the earlier the better." A puppy should get
accustomed to having his mouth inspected and worked over
by his human companion even before he gets his full set
of 42 adult teeth.
Milk teeth appear in a
puppy at about four weeks of age, and start falling out
about 2-3 months later. By the time a puppy reaches 8
months, he has the adult teeth that he'll be depending
on for the rest of his life. Unfortunately most dogs
have developed signs of dental disease by the time
they're three years old. These problems can lead not
only to tooth loss, they can also introduce harmful
bacteria to the circulatory system through bleeding
gums, which in turn can lead to a host of medical
problems, including heart, lung and kidney disease.
A regular at-home
tooth-brushing program will greatly reduce the risk of a
dog developing dental problems, which is why it's so
important to get a pet used to the idea of having his
mouth fussed over early in life.
Clean your puppy's teeth
at the least two times a week. For the first few months,
keep things simple; just rub your pets' teeth with a
soft cloth gauze. Doing this will get a puppy used to
having his mouth handled. By the time a puppy is 3-4
months, you can introduce a canine toothbrush and a
small amount of canine toothpaste to the home dental
care routine.
By the time the puppy's
adult teeth are in place at eight months, you should
begin a full-fledged dental care program, brushing the
teeth with canine toothpaste and a canine toothbrush
every one to two days. Never use human toothpaste, since
the foaming agents in this product can harm a dog's
stomach. (Unlike us, dogs cannot gargle and spit out
toothpaste.)
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