Know Your Pooch
VK Joshi
The writer is former director, GSI, and an avid animal lover. His understanding of man's best friend comes from over six decades of dedicated association with it
Most dog lovers remain blissfully ignorant about the teeth condition of their dogs and the consequences of poor oral hygiene. But yes, everyone remains scared of the fangs of the dogs because of the stigma of rabies they carry. Let me end one hype here, that all dogs are not rabid. They get infected by the virus if bitten by a rabid dog. Regular vaccination of dogs keeps them safe from the infection. I said it because many people seek my advice if accidentally bitten by their puppy during play. As I said, if your pup has not been bitten by a rabid dog there is hardly any chance of his catching rabies. Hence be assured of this aspect.
Coming to the issue I have raised this time, that is the teeth of your dog; first, you must know that, unlike your 32 teeth, he has 42 teeth. His four canine teeth are extraordinarily large and curved inwards to puncture and hold the flesh. One of the oldest breeds, Chow-chow has 44 teeth. You may be surprised that one of the smallest breeds, Chihuahua, and large-mouthed Mastiff, both have 42 teeth each. Like our children, dogs too have deciduous teeth. Initially, they have 28 teeth. By the time they grow 7 to 8 months old, these teeth fall and, in their place, 42 strong teeth appear. This period is very tough on the owners because the ‘teething troubles’ the pups a lot and like our children they too need ‘teething rings’ in the form of bones and chewable toys etc. In the absence of such toys, anything chewable within the reach of the pup becomes a target. Many pups get injured or lose their life by chewing the harmful objects, including the live electric wires.
Your pooch needs dental care as you do. Earlier we managed by providing them with strong bones, but now with readymade dog food available, and fast life, it is difficult for the owners to get those bones. Calcined raw-hide bones do act as a good substitute, but they are difficult to get. The only better option is to regularly brush the teeth of your pooch. Here comes the real problem, how to reach the mouth of the pup, because he seems to bite anything and everything which he can catch hold of? In the case of an adult dog, it becomes more difficult.
But one needn’t lose heart. I will share some easy hacks to achieve this task. The first step in this direction is to offer a titbit to the pup/dog on a flat open palm. Mind you no dog will bite a plate (read palm) with a tasty morsel. Gradually, start fussing with the muzzle of the pup/dog. In a few days, he will start associating your palm and fingers as something that gives a reward. In the same effort, one day while stroking the muzzle, open the mouth of the dog and peep inside, with a pleasing smile and talking softly to him. After that please do offer him a reward on your palm. You have won the first battle.
The next is to close his mouth with your fingers and lift the lips on one side, while doing so check the condition of gums and teeth on that side. Thereafter, reward him again on the flat of your palm. Then repeat the procedure for the front and the other side too. And as usual, do reward him again. You will notice that very soon your pup/dog will associate this exercise with pleasure. Once this association is established, it is a child’s play to brush his teeth with sweet-smelling toothpaste with a taste that he loves. Each time you brush his teeth, please reward him again by placing a treat as usual on the flat of your palm.
Dogs cannot express their pains easily. You have to be alert and observant to recognize what is he trying to say by rubbing his muzzle repeatedly on your boy or his mattress and often burying his muzzle between his paws and whining. If you have already trained your dog for brushing, he will easily allow you to examine his mouth, gum, and teeth for bad breath, and sore or bleeding gums. If you have a toy breed with a tiny mouth then you can expect greater teeth or gum problems. The reason for this is that so many teeth have to be accommodated in a congested space and the food particles stuck between his teeth can be a real menace for the dog. Please do not hesitate to take your dog to a vet, because only he can treat the sore teeth or gums.
In toy breeds, often the problem of double dentition also bothers them a lot. The milk teeth do not fall in time, while the permanent teeth erupt in front of them. In Chihuahuas, I have seen this as a very common issue. The best option is to get the remaining milk teeth extracted by a vet. Mind you after the trauma of this exercise, you have to again teach your dog to accept your fingers around and inside his mouth! Some brachycephalic breeds like Pugs have a kind of ‘punched in’ muzzle. Their teeth are often misaligned and create problems for the dog. Such teeth need daily brushing and care. Their mouths are small and so are the teeth, yet food particles remaining between the teeth decompose and bacterial infection spreads inside the mouth.
Many ailments start from the mouth itself and many times a bad breadth is also indicative of troubles deep inside the body of the dog. The mouths of dogs heading for kidney ailments start smelling bad much before the real problem is diagnosed. Therefore, please do maintain of schedule of regular check-ups of your dog’s mouth. That will save him from serious consequences in the days to come and save a heavy drain on your purse too.
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