Hello Everyone,
We are currently not in a crisis here.  Sydney's heart continues to slow
down, and Kayli is still struggling with her ulcers, but the rest of the
shelter kids are doing fine.
 
Here is what we do to clean teeth.  We keep both malt flavored (kitty)
toothpaste and chicken flavored (doggy toothpaste) as well as an oral plaque
rinse which we apply with a q-tip so they don't swallow a lot.  To brush
their teeth, we use a folded and dampened 4"x4" piece of strong paper towel.
We put the toothpaste on the top and bottom sides of the folded towel which
is now about 1/2" by 2".
 
We slide this in their mouths and encourage them to "chew hard" and try to
get both sides way back and the forward teeth as well.  I started this when
I realized that even the smallest toothbrush is to big for their little
mouths.  By chewing down on the toothpasted towel, they actually "brush"
their own teeth.  We also try to keep the toothpaste to a daub about 1/4"
in size, as all of these toothpastes were created for dogs and cats, and
I fear the little ones cannot tolerate as much of the toothpaste.  So,
between this type of brushing and then applying the plaque rinse with a
q-tip, their teeth stay clean much longer.  Once they got used to the
procedure, they accepted it as part of the routine.  We do the teeth every
two-three days.  Hope this helps others out there who have questions about
keeping teeth clean and minimizing trips to the dentist.  Feel free to
email me if you need further help.  I am sure there are other ways to
tackle this problem and I would appreciate hearing about other folks'
solutions to it.
 
Cheryl
--
The Critterpen by Chemayn
Cheryl M. Nordgulen
Olympia, WA  98506
http://home.earthlink.net/~critterpen/index.html
Walk in peace, speak softly, love much.
[Posted in FML issue 2417]