Winnie, Meet Toothbrush...

A few weeks ago at Winnie's Annual Vet Check-Up our vet found that Winnie had chipped a pretty big chuck off of a back molar.  Ouch, right?  Apparently not.  Other than a little pawing at her face Winnie seem pretty unaffected.  Nevertheless, our vet suggested that I get a dogie toothbrush and try cleaning the tooth each week because it will be more prone to collecting plaque and thus causing future trouble.  Sounds like a plan to me so this is what I got...



Chicken flavored toothpaste... yum, right?  :-)

Via my favorite online pet supply supplier - the Drs. Foster & Smith - I purchased the EZ Finger Toothbrush and some Drs. Foster & Smith brand Tartar Control Toothpaste. 

I've tried a regular tooth brush first but Winnie just wanted to chew on it.  I had hoped that a finger style brush would give me more control and when she started to "chew" I would (for obvious reasons) be more immediate in my response to tell her "gentle"... so far I've been right.  I liked the idea of this finger brush extending down to your palm for a better grip and more control. 

I picked the Drs. Foster & Smith toothpaste because unlike the other toothpastes I found that just "polish" the tarter off the tooth this one includes an special enzyme that helps actually "break it down."  Maybe that's total crap but it seems like a sound concept. 

The packaging included some good advice about how to introduce your pup to the idea of brushing her teeth so I won't belabor the point anymore.  I took a short clip "Winnie Meets Toothbrush" just so you could see how it all looks.  Winnie seemed to like it... I guess time will tell!  Enjoy. 

Oh!  Did I mention that the toothbrush is dishwasher safe?  Bonus!  Okay... bring on the slobber. 

Annual Vet Check-up

Winnie had her annual Wellness Exam today and passed with flying colors!  She's a lean 22lbs.  And Dr. Mayer actually commented on how muscle-ly Winnie was... nice, right?  Must be all that pulling on the leash... who knows.  My only concern going into the appointment was that Winnie has been pawing at her face lately and I can't figure out why so I asked.  Ears looked good, eyes looked good... ah ha... her teeth. 

How do you tell a human your tooth is broken, exactly?

Winnie has some pretty pearly-whites.  She's young and is a crazy chewer so she keeps them pretty clean all on her own but apparently she chipped a tooth!  She chipped one of her back molars to be specific.  And after doing a left-side/right-side comparison it seems to be a pretty big piece missing.  Poor Winnie! 

The Vet's official recommendation is to get a dogie toothbrush and be sure to keep it clean since that tooth is no longer smooth and will be more likely to collect tarter and build up.  Otherwise the official prescription is to just wait and see.  Since dogs aren't particularly prone to infections in their mouths she said there was no point in extracting it unless it really started bothering her.  I guess that makes since.  Poor girl.  Too bad you can't just cap it like a human.  :-/

Do you give your dog a multivitamin?

I  have an on-again-off-again relationship with multivitamins.  I like the concept.  You know... help regulate digestion, provide you with the basics despite your crappy diet, build your immune system, so on and so forth.  But then there is all the controversy like... Can the supplements even be absorbed by your body?  How much is too much?  Do they contain any toxins?  Geesh... I could be taking these things for years!  What will THAT build up look like?  Anyway, I assume all the same questions can be said for supplementing our dogs. 

I did my own personal research on the human side of the issue about two years ago and concluded that the GNC brand was the best bang for the buck and was likely to help me rather than kill me so this is what I take.  Where does Winnie come in to all of this?  Right here.

GNC Multivitamin for Dogs

My darling pooch is an on-again-off-again eater.  She doesn't have an allergy and is medically fine.  But every few days she skips a meal.  (Keeping her girlish figure?) And I'm sure as heck not going to supplement her with TREATS at this rate.  So I give her a doggie multivitamin each morning.  This prompted me to ask all my original human-vitamin questions again... doggie style.  :-)  However, as luck would have it, GNC just came out with a pet line of supplements.  So, I got them. 

I feel good about giving them to Winnie.  I'd like to think that because she's a young adult this will help ward off future illnesses and so on.  But what do you think?  Have anyone else done their homework on this?  I guess I could ask my vet but what the heck... why don't you weigh in?  :-)

Here's a smiley corgi picture of Winnie just for kicks.