Pet Supplies: Your Dog’s Oral Health

Pet owners love to buy attractive dog collars, fashionable pet carriers, and all sorts of superfluous and overpriced pet supplies. But how many times has your dog’s breath incited your gag reflex? There are a tremendous number of pet supplies on the market do deal with this stinky problem, but the majority of pet owners would rather “turn the other cheek” than attempt to fix their dog’s garbage breath.
Essentially, pet supplies for your dog’s oral health break down into two main categories; pet supplies that mask the problem, and pet supplies that actually deal with the problem. Brushing your dog’s teeth can be a VERY unpleasant experience for both owner and pet. Many pet owners opt to purchase pet supplies such as food additives, pet breath mints, or chewy treats that are purported to reduce that unpleasant eau-de-garbage odor emanating from Fido’s mouth. Approaching the problem this way is analogous to replacing your toothbrush with a pack of tic-tac’s. Effective for about five seconds, but extremely unhealthy.
A quick search through any online catalogue of pet supplies will reveal that there are a tremendous number of pet supplies designed to actually deal with the problem, rather than just avoiding it. Most of the pet supplies are the pet analogues of our own toothbrushes and toothpastes. These pet supplies range from around $2 for a very usable toothbrush to $10 for a good quality toothpaste. The total cost of pet supplies required to brush your dogs teeth averages out to about $10-$15. What pet owner wouldn’t be willing to spend $15 on pet supplies to keep their dog’s mouth fresh and clean? There are other pet supplies marketed to promote your dog’s oral health, including food additives (large bottles of a questionable liquid), chewy “treats”, and other such pet supplies. But I don’t recommend these pet supplies; products marketed as miracle cures or easy fixes typically promise more than they deliver. There really is no alternative as effective as simply making the effort and actually using a toothbrush and toothpaste.
But purchasing pet supplies to keep your dog’s mouth clean isn’t just about keeping Fido’s mouth kissing fresh. It is important to remember that, just like a human, a dog’s oral health has a tremendous impact on its overall wellbeing. While it may be just about as pleasant as fishing pasta out of the sink drain, purchasing pet supplies and keeping your dog’s mouth clean is an essential and vital component of responsible pet ownership. When we become a pet owner, we enter into a basic agreement to care for our pet. Maybe before you start to drift towards the sparkly collar section of the pet supplies store, you’ll take a step back and consider your dog’s other, more fundamental needs. Please keep reading my Pet Supplies Blog!