So apparently, November is Adopt a Senior Pet MonthNaturally, we here at Kol’s Notes think anything that helps senior pets find a home is a great thing. I mean, good dogs deserve good homes in their golden years. Sadly, with so very many dogs in the shelters, often senior pups get passed over for the younger pups. It’s really sad.
We didn’t even realize how sad it really is until we realized: Felix is a Senior Dog.

Holy Woof. You could have knocked the Mama over with a feather. I mean, I guess she knew, in theory, that Felix was…more experienced. Worldly. He has mad street cred. When the Mama and the Daddy brought him home, they were told he was two. The vet said that they had nothing to worry about. Felix was out of the “terrible twos”. Fast forward to today and the best guess is that our Felix is probably 7 or 8.

By today’s standards: Felix is a Senior Dog.

You wouldn’t know it to hang out with him. Felix is every bit as jumpy and fun and “puppish” as the day he came home. He totally rocks and if those senior dogs sitting in shelters are even half as cool as him, they are going to be amazing pets and someone should totally adopt them right now. Not convinced?? Check out 10 more reasons Senior Pets rule.

That isn’t to say that senior pets don’t have some issues.

Typically, as your pup ages, they will need better care for aging joints, decreased mobility and periodontal disease, amongst other common issues. If you watch for these things and deal with them, thight might never be a problem. Luckily, one pet company is taking the health and comfort of senior pets seriously, introducing their new Silver Tails Senior Pet Products.

The Tooth Hurts

Felix had grimy rescue dog teeth when the Mama got him. In fact, the poor guy already had to have one tooth out, after it broke. Judging by the plaque on the tooth, it had a hairline fracture for years and no one realized it. Poor Rotten Teeth Fe.  the has spent 4 years and a tail-load of work trying to get his chompers clean. Periodontal disease is the #1 problem affecting dogs and it’s a bigger deal than bad breath and yellow teeth. Left untreated, bad teeth can affect major organs like the heart and liver, not to mention, it can be really uncomfortable for your pet!

The Silver Tails Dental Care System is specifically designed to address on of the Mama’s big tooth-brushing concerns.

When the humans brush their teeths, the last step is to rinse their mouth with clean water, swooshing it to get all the yickies out then to spit. If you don’t rinse and spit, don’t the plaque germs just stay in your mouth? Um…GROSS. (TIP: The Mama uses a children’s cough syrup syringe, fills it with water to rinse our teeth after brushing).
Pro: The absorbent microfiber brush soaks up the gick in your mouth. This neato tool is designed to help suck all the leftover cleaning solution AND the harmful plaque germs out of your mouth. BONUS? It has a cleaning head and a polishing head.

Con: The absorbent microfiber head was bigger than the average kids toothbrush (what we use now). If we had trouble fitting it in Felix’s big mouth, than the brushes might be a little big for say a Yorkie or a kitty.

Pro: Professional Quality cleaning solution instead of toothpaste. The clear fluid that came with the Dental Care System is supposed to do a bang out job of cleaning your teeth. 

Con: The solution smells awful and there was no way the Felix was putting it in his mouth. We’ll be sticking with our regular “chicken” Toothpaste.

Pro: Easy to Use. The Dental System was easy to use (just like a toothbrush) and easy to change the head. We had no problem at all with making this toothbrush work.

Con: The plastic casing what a little flimsy. We managed to break one of the heads, but that could have been our “bull in a china shop” nature.

While the Felix certain;y didn’t enjoy getting his teeth cleaned anymore than usual, we will definitely use this product again to polish the Felix’s pearly whites!