Brush brush brush your pet’s teeth!
Keep your pet’s mouth healthy with daily brushing. It’s easy to get your pet accustomed to tooth brushing, so long as you take it slowly and have patience. Allow yourself 4 weeks, with slow and gentle training.
Week 1: Sit with your pet and gently stroke her/his face. Lift up your pet’s lip and gently rub the gums and teeth with your finger. Praise and treat!
Week 2: Introduce the toothpaste as a treat on your finger. We recommend only pet-safe toothpastes, such as Virbac CET Enzymatic Toothpaste. It comes in Mint, Poultry and Beef flavors. Pets tend to favor the meat flavors (yum, yum!) over the mint Avoid toothpastes made for humans as they can be poisonous to pets. For toothbrushes, a child’s toothbrush or a simple pet toothbrush such as this one works great. Just make sure that the toothbrush you use has soft bristles.
Allow your pet to lick the toothpaste off your finger, gradually transitioning over the week to having your pet lick the paste directly from the toothbrush. Praise and treat!
Week 3: Show your pet the loaded toothbrush and gently brush the pet’s front teeth. Let the pet lick the rest of the paste off the brush. Each day, brush the front teeth a little longer and always end the session with the pet licking the remaining paste from the brush. Praise and treat!
Week 4: Show your pet the loaded toothbrush and start brushing the front teeth, then move to the back teeth. Keep the brush between the cheek and gums; eventually, you will be able to brush all surfaces of your pet’s teeth. Finish up with the reward: pet gets to lick the last of the toothpaste off the brush. Praise your pet and yourself for doing such a good job!