Tooth & paw

Oral health for our four-legged friends

If you’ve been listening to your dentist over the years, you know that good oral hygiene is not just for people, but for our pets as well.

Robin Canuel from K9 Gentle Dental is an anesthetic-free dog tooth cleaner operating in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver since 2011.

As it is for humans, a healthy mouth is a gateway for healthy life. “Bonus,” Canuel says. “It freshens their breath, so everyone wins.”

Dogs don’t usually live long enough to get tooth decay or cavities, but they are five times more prone to gum disease than humans and they can crack teeth or try to eat something that lodges in their mouths. Then they often ignore those problems.

Canuel says, “We’ve seen it all. A stick stuck up in the roof of their mouth, infections in the palate from hair getting stuck in the grooves, teeth split in half and both pieces still hanging... the amount of things that dogs will live with without complaint is bizarre, but if you touch their paw the wrong way and they’re screaming on the ground!” Photo: Sharon Compton

The biggest thing missing from most people’s health care routine for their dogs is the diligent brushing. “It’s really the hardest part!”

She says it can be a fight at first, but if you stick with the training, it gets easier. If they run away from you, you need to drag them back to your tooth-cleaning spot and give them at least a scrub of the toothbrush. As with any other training, it also helps if you start as early as possible.

She has a few tricks to help your dog to comply.

For small dogs, you can swaddle them. If they can’t fight, it reduces their anxiety and they stop trying to fight.

For larger dogs, you back them into a corner and put their head through your legs. Another thing Canuel recommends is finding a toothpaste they like the taste of. “I use coconut oil, because I find most dogs like the taste of it. My dogs come swarming to me when I get it out.”

Dr. Sharon Compton, director of the Dental Hygiene program at the School of Dentistry, spot scales her dog’s teeth in between professional teeth cleanings when tartar build-up is visible and accessible. Knowing how important oral health is, she takes her dogs to both anesthetic-free cleaning and schedules deeper cleanings (requiring general anesthesia) with her vet.

Canuel says, “We’re not veterinarians, so we don’t give medical advice or diagnoses.” Nothing they say is meant as medical advice or a diagnosis, and the treatment isn’t intended to be given in isolation, without regular vet visits.

“Every day, we refer a dog or two back to their vets because of serious issues. Our mission is to help people take care of their pets’ teeth, giving them information for their vet.”

For more information, visit k9gentledental.ca and pets.webmd.com/dogs.

Brandi Sliwa

• A raw diet has been proven to reduce bacteria.

• Brush their teeth weekly (more often if you can). Use a children’s toothbrush and either canine toothpaste or coconut oil.

• Supplement the brushing with safe chews (not too hard) twice a week.

• Bring your dog to the vet for a full cleaning under anesthetic at least a few times throughout their lives to see what’s going on below the gum-line.