My Failure at Delia’s Dental Care Routine and How I Plan to Fix It

Delia has horrible breath. It is my fault. We used to brush her teeth at least three times a week, but she put up such a fight, I felt terrible, so I stopped, which was worse for her in the long run. I’ve bought countless dental treats, water additives, and numerous flavors of toothpaste. I’m convinced she’s got to be one of the pickiest dogs on the planet. She won’t eat any of the chews, stops drinking the water with the additives and runs at the sight of a toothbrush. It doesn’t matter if it is a brush, a finger brush, or what. She wants no part of it. The only thing she accepts is swabbing with Arm & Hammer Clinical Pet Care Swab Tooth Treatment swabs. This works in a pinch, but I know she needs regular brushing.

Groomers and veterinarians have all said she’s an angel for them when they brush her teeth. Thankfully, PetSmart gooming services offers walk-in teeth brushing, which we use twice a month. I recently watched her groomer at PetSmart as she brushed Delia’s teeth. She didn’t know I was watching, but I saw her standing there, oh, so nice and quietly, letting the groomer brush her teeth as if it were her most favorite activity in the world. She was indeed angelic. I couldn’t believe it. I was proud of her for being such a good girl, but a wee bit irritated, too. Why couldn’t she be as good for me, her mom, as she is for a woman she sees a couple of times a month? I even mentioned this to the groomer. Her answer, “Because you’re Mom.” Yep, it was my fault. I’d let her get away with teeth brushing tantrums.

So, I’m following Fidose of Reality’s 10 Tips for Dogs Who Hate Teeth Brushing to re-introduce regular brushing into our routine. We’re going to go slow and easy. It may not be much fun for either of us at first, but I’m determined to make it a positive, healthy routine for the best dental health for my best girl.

I love this smile, so I’m going to do my best to take care of it from now on.

Do you follow a dental care routine with your pet? How do you tackle teeth brushing?