How to Take Care of Your Whippet’s Teeth

I have owned a Whippet for over 12 years and sadly had to learn the hard way how to properly care for a Whippet’s teeth. My first Whippet had horrible teeth and eventually died shortly after an invasive scraping at the vet’s office. With proper daily preventative care, Whippet’s can live a long and healthy life without periodontal disease.

First, we need to understand why whippets and other sighthounds like greyhounds and salukis have bad teeth. The long muzzle of these wonderful dogs can sometimes block the proper flow of oxygen to the back teeth. This allows plaque to turn into tartar and mineralize on the dog’s teeth. Over time, these deposits settle on the gums and cause damage. If left unattended, your sighthound’s internal organs can weaken over time. For example, liver and kidney function can be affected as they work over time to process excess bacteria from decaying teeth.

With that said, there are some simple things you can do to ensure healthy teeth.

• Brush every day – This sounds like a hassle, but it only takes 4-5 days for plaque to start turning into tartar. I prefer to buy chicken flavored gauze and toothpaste. Every morning I just rub my dog’s teeth for 10-20 seconds. That’s all it takes to brush your dog to keep it healthy.
• Provide chew toys: Soft toys are great fun for dogs, but you should consider adding nylon dental bones or hard rubber toys to your dog’s toy box. Most dogs love them and if they chew on them for 20 minutes a day, they can remove most of the plaque on their own.
• Provide real bones – Giving your dog real bones with a bit of meat can still do wonders for his teeth. Every dog ​​loves real bones. This is my preferred method since my dog ​​doesn’t chew the rubber bones enough to get it right. I like to use beef caps and hip bones which can be purchased at most feed stores or pet stores. If you buy the bones with meat still on them, make sure you don’t let your dog chew them on the white mat.
• Use water additives – There are many commercial water additives you can add to your dog’s water bowl every day that will help reduce plaque and keep his breath fresh and clean. These additives are similar to human mouthwash.

There you go. With these simple tips, your dog can literally live longer. More than 80% of dogs older than 4 years have some type of oral disease. This can be avoided by taking simple measures. You have to remember to keep up with these things every day because it doesn’t take long for tartar to form. If your dog already has a mineralized tartar buildup, he can try the meat caps for about a month. In that time, he would give them about 20 bones. If this method doesn’t work, you should talk to your vet about a dental cleaning.