We sometimes ignore a very important tool to maintain our Aussies's health...the teeth. It is important enough that in the AKC Breed Standard it calls for "strong WHITE teeth." In the breed ring this means that anything less than WHITE would be considered a fault...extremely filthy teeth could potentially be a severe fault. There is really no reason for it. And it becomes a health hazard the longer the condition is allowed to continue.
Dentistry is one of the fastest growing and marketed area of veterinary medicine and is not inexpensive. But you can avoid the cost and trauma of teeth cleaning and potential tooth removal by making the teeth part of your routine with your dog. Keeping and maintaining pearly whites for the life of your dog is possible. Diet has a lot to do with teeth...dogs on a raw diet with plenty of raw meaty bones generally have sparkling teeth forever.
If you do not feed raw, there is a product I recommend called ProDen PlaqueOff. I originally came across the product in France. I was judging the Veteran's class and kept remarking on how clean the teeth were on these old dogs. I had never seen anything like it. A vendor gave me the name of the product. At the time it was was not available in the U.S. Now it is. Put on your dog's food daily. I would also combine with weekly raw meaty bones.
A propensity to dirty teeth has a genetic component as well. Some puppies have dirty teeth at an early age, others have white teeth for quite a while into adulthood. So start checking early and become proactive in keeping your dog's teeth clean.
