By Ron Ayalon
Even the most scrupulous owner can inadvertently neglect their dog's dental care. Many people think that because the dog has plenty of chews, this will keep their teeth clean. Although dental chews do help, they cannot be counted on to provide all the dental care needed. The dogs I have shared my life with have had a wide range of dental needs. Pupper, our Great Pyrenees had the cleanest, whitest teeth imaginable. We attributed this to her habit or running long blades of saw grass through her teeth; this evidently acted as a kind of super dental floss and she never had a speck of plaque or tartar.
On the other hand, my French Bulldog Gabby had the worst teeth imaginable. We got her as an adult and when we took her in for a checkup, we found out that she needed not only a cleaning, but the removal of 7 teeth. Only a few weeks after the cleaning her teeth were already getting coated with plaque again, although she was an enthusiastic gnawer of chew hooves. The removal of the 7 teeth, incisors, a canine, and a molar did not present any problems with eating.