A dog called Ares has melted hearts on social media after her owner shared a clip that quickly went viral of the woman brushing her pet’s teeth with an electric toothbrush.
In the video, shared on TikTok last Friday under the username @eyesonares, the Doberman pinscher can be seen sitting quietly in the bathroom as her owner brushes her pet’s teeth with an adult-sized electric toothbrush and a dog-friendly toothpaste.
If you are wondering whether your dog needs their teeth brushed, the answer is yes, they do. VCA Animal Hospitals experts say that more than 80 percent of dogs over the age of 3 have periodontal disease. This starts out as gingivitis caused by plaque and often progresses to involve the bony tooth sockets.
The experts suggest brushing your pup’s teeth at least three times a week to help remove plaque and prevent tartar accumulation, for at least 30 seconds each time.
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In the caption, the dog’s owner wrote: “My dog uses an electric toothbrush to get these pearly white teeth. But before that, I had to make sure she was comfortable using a normal toothbrush.
“The first step I did to make her feel comfortable was [to] make sure that she was good with me handling her mouth. I would lift her lips, touch her teeth, rub her gums, also open her mouth, just to get her used to that handling. Introduce her to this dog-friendly toothpaste. I would put some on my finger and put that on her teeth.
“The next thing I did was introduce a toothbrush. I would put that to her teeth and reward [her]. And I would keep putting on her teeth,” the caption adds. “Reward, same pattern. It’s important to go at your dog’s pace, again. This process might take weeks, months, and if your dog is showing some signs of being uncomfortable do take some steps back.”
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 738,000 views and more than 48,000 likes.
One user, Olga, commented: “I will try that on my toddler.” And Natasha Jaundoo posted: “I tried that toothpaste and my dog hated it soooooo much I had to switch.”
Yaguatikatu added: “My dog doesn’t care if you touch her mouth but she just wants to eat everything. I brush she eats the toothpaste.”
Newsweek reached out to @eyesonares for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.
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