The Right Way to Take Care of Our Dogs Oral Health

Can you imagine, waking up in the morning to something other than your dog staring you down with that eager look, impatiently anticipating your awakening so they can go out for their morning walk. Our pets are one of the most important aspects of our lives, as dear to us as family, and quite honestly the best part of our day. There is an obvious trend towards humanizing our pets, as our desire to make our pets more like us and give them the things we want, we need to be mindful of how we approach this. With this movement, it’s probably safe to say that the “modern family” cannot exist without including our pets. 

Giving our pets the best life we can is important, but that doesn’t always mean giving them human products because we think it makes them more like us. I’m all for humanizing pets, but it needs to be done the right way, with the focus being on our pets needs first, not ours. As cute as we might think it is, strapping baby shoes onto a dog’s paws is probably not the best thing for them. Our dogs’ anatomy is obviously not like ours, so those shoes probably do more harm than good.

As responsible pet parents, we need to make sure we educate ourselves and make conscious choices on our pets’ behalf. This includes knowing what we feed them, ensuring they get the exercise they need, and of course taking care of all aspects of their health—especially their oral health. 

Pet oral care is very important. Unfortunately, bad oral health is one of the biggest problems that plagues our dogs and cats, with 80% of dogs and cats having some form of oral disease by age 3. There are tons of dental care products for dogs on the market that try to tackle this issue—from dog dental treats, to dog dental toys with odd shapes that claim to “be as effective as toothbrushing”—but the fact remains that dog dental care is still a huge issue, and these dog dental products haven’t even put a dent in the problem. So it’s probably safe to say that these dog dental toys don’t work as well as they should.

The progression of dog dental disease is a very obvious one. The initial stages show tartar build up, which can be identified yellow spots around the gum-line.  It gets worse from there, with loss of tooth mass, and swollen gums, bleeding, pain, and of course dog bad breath.

Nothing is more effective for maintaining good pet oral health than toothbrushing.  It not only helps with maintaining good dental health for dogs, but it also fights dog bad breath.  We know current dog dental toys don't work well because we still see this progression of dental disease in our dogs.

So how can a product claim to be as good as a toothbrush when it’s not a toothbrush? We don’t chew on jerky and skip brushing our teeth. We don’t chew gum and expect never to get a cavity, or gum disease. So why is it that we think that works for our dogs? How can giving them a dog dental toy or dog dental treat is going to fix all their oral health problems? 

Maybe it’s because we want to take the easy way out, and just take comfort in the idea that we are doing what we think is good for our pets oral health? Are we lazy, or just Naïve? Or maybe it’s a combination of both? One thing for certain is, we do want the best for our dogs, and we will do what we can to give that to them. The truth is, brushing dogs teeth is a challenge. They don’t like it; we don’t like it. It's an uncomfortable experience, and most of us, almost all of us, don't have the time! 

We need to be good pet parents and empower our dogs to do things that are good for their health, just like we do. This is the true meaning of humanization—to be more like us—and what better way than to have the independence to do things on their own; to accomplish goals that enrich their lives.

There are many great dog products out there that aim to do that. Dog toys seem to have come a long way, providing wonderful options for dogs to entertain themselves. The Tickr by Sbark is one great example of a dog toy that keeps them busy and entertained, when we aren’t around. Yet still, there has been a lack of innovation in the pet oral care space, an area that’s one of the most crucial for our dogs health.

Empawer, seeks to change that with it’s innovative product, the Bristly. The Bristly brushing stick is specifically designed with a dogs’ anatomy and behavior in mind, allowing dogs to actually hold it and effectively brush their own teeth. This product has some cool and unique features that provide a lot of benefit for your dogs’ teeth.

 

Bristly has specially designed grooves that allows your dogs teeth to get submerged and bristles along the walls so that it cleans their teeth from all sides. One of the coolest features is that it self dispenses toothpaste! That’s right, as your dog bites; toothpaste is dispensed from the body, and works along with the friction of the bristles to clean your dogs’ teeth. Just like you do when you brush. It also has specially designed paw handles to allow dogs to hold it while they brush.

Good dental care for dogs does not have to be hard; it does not have to be a struggle. It can be easy, fun, and stimulating for dogs. Bristly puts the power of tooth brushing into the paws of the dog, where it should be.