ANAL GLANDS, TEETH, TEETH SCALING

ANAL GLANDS:

The anal glands are two glands located on each side of the dogs rectum. These are located at approx. 8:00 and 4:00, about 1/4 inch on each side. The purpose of these glands are to leave that dog's specialized sent upon depositing his/her solid waste. The pressure of the stool passing, squeezes on the glands and forces a small amount of the sent oil out onto the stool. Larger dogs should have these checked to be sure they are emptying at least three to four times per year if, there are signs they may need it. Small (er) dogs should be checked once or twice per month if signs show a need. Some breeds are more prone to needing this done than others. Your Vet. or a "qualified" dog groomer can show you how to empty these glans so that any restricted accumulatiom will be released if you desire. It is a "smelly job" so be sure you have shampoo to wash it all away and off you and the dog. Plugged anal glands can abscess, cause lameness and even hindquarter paralysis.

Be sure your dog groomer checks and/or empties these glands if you have seen the "signs". The excretion should come out as a thin gravy. If it is very thick like mud, your dog could be heading for a problem and may need the glands released more often. A dog with this type condition should have his/herglans emptied every two weeks and if the condition worsens, the glands may need to be removed by your Vet. DO NOT SEE THIS AS A "MILD" PROBLEM! IT IS NOT!

The main sign that will tell you that your dog may have an anal gland problem or their needing to be expressed or worse, would be his/her dragging their butt on the ground or carpet. Years ago, this was thought to be something a dog did if he had worms. The dog would have to have worms so badly that they would literally be coming out of their rectum by the handfuls for this to be so. WORMS DO NOT MAKE A DOG DRAG HIS BUTT! Chasing their tail is another falsity. Dogs doing this dose NOT indicate worms.

NEVER,NEVER, NEVER SHOULD A PUPPY'S ANAL GLANDS BE EXPRESSED. THIS CAN CAUSE GLAND PROBLEMS. Anal glands should be left alone unless there is reason to believe they are not being released as they should. Our 14 year old lab has never needed us to empty her glands. EVER

TEETH:

Dog's teeth are one of the single most important, yet generally over-looked areas of a dog, by their owners.

I understand that it's not something we think to do, but at least once per week we need to make an asserted effort to actively brush our dogs teeth. Humans, normally do ours twice per day so --------- is once per week asking too much?

There are a variety of gadgets on the market for "brushing" you dog's teeth and all of them do some good, I suppose, but through all our experience there is only one item out there that will actually do a good job of cleaning off the non-hardened substance called plaque and general food debris from the teeth and that is the Oral-B "Vitality", Precision Clean, oscillating power tooth brush made by Braun. Although this is a power tooth brush created for humans, we have been using it for several years for our Westies and big dogs plus, all our grooming clients. We have two units, in our grooming shop that are especially for dog use. This unit (the Vitality model) can be purchased at WalMart for around twenty six dollars. It comes with only one brush head but, you can purchase more of these (in single or three packs) off the rack in the store. The head changes very easily by just slipping off and the cordless unit recharges in it's stand.

If you have ever used one of these on your own teeth, you know what a fantastic job it does. If you haven't, you should try it for yourself. You'll find your teeth have never been so clean. Now, I know, I sound like a paid salesman for this unit, but I/we receive nothing other then our own and our dog's clean teeth for bringing this great device to your attention. Here, on either of our websites, or any other endorsement you hear about from us is offered TOTALLY BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN IT AND USE THE PRODUCT. For yourself, you should use this brushing device at least twice per week and it is best not to use any toothpaste with it. Human toothpaste has a grit to aid in cleaning and that grit will wear the brushes out rather quickly. Without toothpaste, a single brush, used twice per week will last 6-10 months. With toothpaste, about 2 months. Three of these brush heads cost about $20.00 but, with all things considered, they are worth every dime. Your dental hygienist will notice a major reduction in tarter on you teeth at your next check-up. When I mentioned only needing to use this unit twice per week without toothpaste, I should also state that we should always brush our teeth twice per day WITH toothpaste. We use the "Vitality" and then follow-up with a regular brush and paste. This combination works. Try it! You'll love it!

Getting back to our K-9 friends, it takes a little work on your part to bring the dog to a point where he/she is willing to accept the "buzzing/rotating action of the brush but, don't give up. After 5 to 10 practice stints, all will go rather smoothly. We encourge all our dog people to use a good quality dog toothpaste with this brush. We highly recommend and use "Petrodex" enzymatic toothpaste which can generaly be purchased at your local Vets's office or pet supply.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER USE HUMAN TOOTHPASTE FOR YOUR DOG! IT COULD KILL HIM!

We begin by placing a neet pile of the dog toothpaste on the brush head bristles. Then pull up the side lip (over the molars) and place the brush onto those teeth and, without turning it on, move the brush around a couple of times. This allows the dog to realize something's going to happen and it gives him a moment to taste the chicken or beef flavor of the paste. Now, turn it on and try to visualise each tooth as you move the brush in all directions. The dog will generally chew somewhat and this is good, because the top teeth overlap the bottom and the mild chewing action exposes both sets of teeth to your brush. Be aware, there is one more small tooth behind the last big tooth you see so, you must operate the brush back there to clean it also. This will entail moving the brush head in all kinds of motions. Work your way from the back to the front. When you reach the K-9 tooth (the big long one at the corner of the mouth) It is time to add more toothpaste. The K-9s and all the front teeth are the most difficult to do. We believe, that the vibrating causes the dogs eyes to "jitter" or something like that so they will always give you a problem (wanting to move from it) until they become VERY use to it. Generally, it takes one person holding the dog's head and one person doing the brushing. That's the way we do it here in the shop.

The outside of a dog's teeth is where most plaque and tarter build. Seldom you will need to brush the inside. The tongue and good crunchy kibble keeps this area quite clean, but not always. Note: Soft canned dog food and table scraps (we hope this never happens - are very bad for your dog health) will surely build massively more plaque and tarter then dry kibble. So you understand the terms, plaque is the softer stuff that gets on our's and our dogs teeth from eating and natural bacteria. Tarter is un-removed plaque that becomes hardened. This is the stuff, that when it begins to move up under the gums, causes irritation, gingivitis, gum infections, bone loss, tooth loss, heart problems, liver problems, kidney problems and a general poisoning of the entire body. As with humans ---- it is very important to keep our dog's teeth and entire mouth in good condition. Bad breath is "generally" a strong sign that something is not well in your friends mouth.

We work with dog's teeth considerably so --- if you have a question --- drop us an email or better yet give us a call. Don't forget you can also ask your local Vet.

The only way to remove tarter (the hardened material on the teeth) is to use "Scaling Tools". This process falls under Veterinary care and in most states, if not all, must be done by a licensed Vet. Now, that is not to say that an individual can't do this on his own animals without legal ramifications but, as we recently found out in a "Cease and Desist Order" sent to us from our Idaho Veterinary Board, we can no longer offer our, very reasonable teeth scaling service to our K-9 grooming clients. We feel it's a terrible shame we can no longer offer this service. All the dogs that we removed tarter build-up from their teeth, were dogs that their owners either were strongly concerned with putting their pet to sleep for the procedure or felt they couldn't afford the $150 up to a possible $300-400 (depending on the breed, age and health condition, we never charged more than $35.00) that most Vets charge to do this. This cost is influenced considerably by the use of anesthesia. We never use any kind of drugs, yet we accomplished the same result. NEVER, with any of the dog's that we did teeth scaling on, did we have any problem with any type of infection. We always did a "phone follow-up" on each client the next day to be sure all was well with their gums. We feel it takes: 1. a "way" with dogs. 2. a lot of patients. 3. considerable effort. 4. An "ALPHA" status in the dog world (to gain their respect) to be able to do what we are able to do in their mouth. Because of this "Order" there will be many, many dogs around here and throughout the country, who will never get their teeth cleaned and will end up like those in the photos below. Such a shame! Such a waste! Is this type of thought REALLY CARING ABOUT DOGS???? We think not!!! It's about "Protecting Turf" and our poor, innocent dogs pay the price. Where is the equity in that, I ask???

If you can learn to scale your dogs teeth yourself (with an assistant's help) there is nothing illegal in that but, you can't do it for others. It dose take a couple of specialized, custom designed tools, which I created for our use (we still use these on all 10 of our own dogs) and there is no law that says I can't make tools for someone else.

I would be more than happy to assist anyone "out there" in learning what it takes to keep your dog's teeth in great condition. Drop me an email or better yet give us a phone call. HERE ---------- WE REALLY DO CARE ABOUT DOGS!!!!! IT'S NOT ABOUT "TURF".

Periodontal disease effects 8 out 10 dogs over 3 years of age!

Periodontal disease including gingivitis and periodontitis includes inflammation and/or an infection of the gum/bone which support your dog's teeth. These problems are caused by bacteria. With the addition of food material to propagate, the bacteria forms soft plaque that, if not removed while soft, hardens into a cement-like material called tarter. Tarter build-up on the tooth itself is not a major problem. It becomes a problem when it builds and reaches the gum-line where it begins to push it's way under the gum (see the first photo below) As the tarter opens space and affords a conveyance, bacteria finds a home. The dark, damp, warn conditions allow it to multiply quickly. The tissue along the teeth becomes swollen and a "red line" appears at the meeting of teeth and gum (second photo down). This red line is a strong signal that the first step in periodontal disease beginning. Gingivitis.

In the (second) photo it is difficult to see the tarter but, it is there. Something had to disturb the seal between the teeth and gum to allow bacteria to enter.

Below are photos that may help you in your effort to use the power tooth brush on your dogs teeth. You must realize, the rotary action and the vibrations are extremely foreign to a dog. It takes time for them to accept it but they will, eventually.