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My hound has bad breath and by the looks of it signs of gum disease. She's off to the doggy dentist/vet tomorrow for what will no doubt be a cripplingly expensive check up
A quick Google tells me I should have been cleaning her teeth for the past 5 years...I have had numerous dogs as a kid and we never cleaned their teeth, ever. Is it the normal thing to do? (Mine gets denta sticks but that's as far as tooth cleaning regime goes)
It is if you don't want honking vet bills as its one thing pet insurance doesnt cover because its seen as preventative. Mine got an abscess from a cracked tooth which they think was caused by chewing sticks and playing with sticks. I tried to explain that playing with sticks or balls was far beneath her but didn't make a difference.
I used this stuff Toothpaste and she was never bothered by it or kicked up a fuss. You obviously need to be using it every day for about month to see any benefit.
It's diet dependant. If they have lots of processed stuff, then yes. Raw tends to be quite good and not really needed and dry perversly can be better as the crunching can help keep plaque down. Dentastix are aweful though, they are full of sugars goodness knows how they get away with it!..
Also, not many dogs are gnawing on bones these days, so that doesn't help.
cheapo food = brushing def, that said it doesn't harm to get dogs used to it when young anyway.
We have similar with our Springer who it seems has zero interest in ropes/chews/sticks.
She really detests the dog tooth brush/toothpaste stuff.
We have this a try recently and have to say it seems to be doing the trick.
edited to put correct link.
We have two dogs, the 7 year old has no tooth/gum problems, we've never cleaned her teeth but she does chew on a lot of sticks and has a dentistix every day. The 3 year old has a lot of crap built up on his teeth, vet pointed it out on his recent check up and said we should start cleaning before it causes issues. He also has a dentistix every day but doesn't chew sticks.
I guess as with humans, it depends!
My dog had to have 11 teeth out due to her poor start in life.
She still has quite a lot left but only top and bottom on the one side.
This is the side she uses to eat obviously.
The other side only has top teeth and I am not sure they get used much.
Anyway, the difference is incredible. On her good side, the teeth are pretty clean. On the extraction side, there is tartar build up.
I have just started brushing them on that side. Don't see the need to do the other side. She tolerates it but it is not her favourite thing.
She is raw fed, gets bones and natural chews, eg ears with hair on, crunchy tendons, that sort of thing.
As has been said, Dentastix are awful. Full of sugar.
As said above, bones in their diet for good dental hygiene. Mine get a raw chicken wing/duck neck/rib etc. every day and a meaty bone for a treat once or twice a week. Both dogs have never needed their teeth cleaned at 6y/o. I've never fed kibble.
For those feeding Dentastix, have a read of this and make up your own mind:
https://www.poochandmutt.co.uk/pages/dentastix
As has been said, Dentastix are awful. Full of sugar.
That'd be why mine absolutely loves Dentastix! Her obedience goes through the roof when presented with one of those!
To be fair, her teeth are in good condition and she does chew toys a lot but based on this thread I might investigate some healthier options. 🙂
For those feeding Dentastix, have a read of this and make up your own mind:
https://www.poochandmutt.co.uk/pages/dentastix/blockquote >I have no doubt that Dentastix are just junk food for dogs, but that article seems a bit overblown to me. For example, potassium sorbate is a very common preservative in human food and is "generally regarded as safe" by the US FDA (doesn't make it great, but still). Iron oxide is a skin irritant? Yes, but the dog's eating it. Dihydrogen monoxide is fatal to humans if it gets into the airways, but I wouldn't advise avoiding it completely 😉
Unsurprising that the article is published by a company who happen to have come up with a more wholesome alternative.
FWIW Our dog gets her teeth cleaned regularly and Dentastix as treats
Denta stix type things don't automatically have to be bad...I use some stuff from Pets At Home that is supposed to be all naturall and made of sea week. Not necessarily as hard or crunchy as alternatives, but the sea weed apparently has an abrasive affect on theit tech. My dog gets through them pretty quickly though so not sure about how good a job they area actually doing of teeth cleaning. Just got a toothbrush and toothpaste for my dog so will start brushing his teeth.
Also my MIL recently did a dog grooming course and she learned that the fur/hair along the upper jaw line often gets trapped in their mouths if not groomed often and can be a cause of tooth issues. She keeps the hair in that area well groomed. Not sure if this is true...ask ten 'dog experts' a question and you'll get ten different answers, but maybe something to consider if you have a dog with long har along the jaw.
On a vets recommendation we use dried fish-skin treats like those from Fish4Dogs. Crunching on them helps remove the tartar.
similar to me trying to clean my dogs teeth
Dentasticks and the like really are the worst thing to give a dog for its teeth - they are probably causing all the problems... this has an explanation of why https://www.doglistener.co.uk/dental-disease-dogs
this one also https://www.doglistener.co.uk/why-some-dog-treats-can-cause-concerns
We have never had teeth problems with 4 dogs and never given them dentastix (and the like)
similar to me trying to clean my dogs teeth
WFT possessed that chap to climb into a ditch with an allegator?
Our dog has raw food and antlers to chew on to keep plaque at bay. For a while she lost interest in the antlers and plaque started to build up. We used a powder called plaque off added to her food once a day to help shift it.
Now she’s back to gnawing on antlers it’s really helped clear it up.
Another WTF to the old boy in a ditch with an Alligator
vet pointed it out on his recent check up and said we should start cleaning before it causes issues. He also has a dentistix every day but doesn’t chew sticks.
My vet doesn't chew sticks either....
All my dogs have been on dry food only, all their life. Never cleaned any teeth and all have reached mid teens with no issues at all.
Soft food has a lot to answer for imo.
Dentasticks and the like really are the worst thing to give a dog for its teeth – they are probably causing all the problems… this has an explanation of why https://www.doglistener.co.uk/dental-disease-dogs
/blockquote>Well that site only mentions Pedigree Dentastix and Kongs. Pedigree Dentastix might very well contain stuff that is not good for teeth...I guess just like food you eat yourself make sure you understand what's in it (and as we know many people don't take an interest in the food they eat themselves and causes all sorts of health problems). There are many natural products and stick shaped treats out there without added stuff that are probably not problematic. Wether they're performing any benefit regarding teeth health is another matter, but if your dog enjoys them as a treat then why not. I think a common theme coming out here is make sure your dog is eating stuff that is crunchy and chewy as part of their diet.
My dog also loves frozen chicken feet which are probably pretty good at keeping teeth clean. I guess anything boney and crunchy. Also loves frozen sprats. Now his big teeth are through might start him on Antlers and uncooked bones.
Indeed there are, the already mentioned fish4dogs dried fish skin treats are good as are many other natural treats mentioned. As you say keeping it natural seems to be the best advice - much the same as our diets.
I think the disturbing/unfortunate/sad thing it that dentastix do the opposite of what they advertise, and they do spend a lot on advertising them as helping dogs teeth and people believe it and end up causing problems. Like many other things in the Pet/Vet industry, often money over dog welfare.
All my dogs have been on dry food only, all their life. Never cleaned any teeth and all have reached mid teens with no issues at all.
Soft food has a lot to answer for imo.
Worth reading up on dry food. The worst thing you can feed your dog on. They may be lucky with their teeth but they won't be as lucky with anything else on a dry food diet.
Soft manufactured food is no better.
Give them meat, vegetables, bones etc,. rather than crap made in a factory.
Worth reading up on dry food. The worst thing you can feed your dog on. They may be lucky with their teeth but they won’t be as lucky with anything else on a dry food diet.
Mine has quite a sensitive stomach, she's on hypoallergenic / sensitive dry food although I give her various bits of cooked meat as treats. Anything more than that and she becomes umm... "messy" at the back end. 🤢
Worth reading up on dry food. The worst thing you can feed your dog on.
35 yrs of dogs in perfect condition that never see a vet tells me otherwise.
I have greyhounds who often seem to have sh*t teeth. Electric toothbrush with just water on, then I just have to expose the gumline and move the brush head along it - much easier. A treat after (usually a dentastik).
Not all my dogs have had horrid teeth though so I suppose there's a genetic component.
Current hound gets ostrich bones (blech) but I still have to brush as he has nooks and crannies that gunk builds up in otherwise.
Worth sorting though as gum infections can cause kidney problems and special kidney food is £££
I find mine does well on those chicken breast treats.. Basically like a kind of chicken jerky but tougher so it takes a bit of chomping.
Wife took our two cockers for annual vet trip last week. Oldest (4yrs) got commmented on for plaque build up. They have been having Lidl dentistik things everyday for a fair while now as post walk treat. TBF they are gone in like 20 seconds, so not much cleaning action!
Found local butchers has bags of raw bones for 50p. Had a couple so far each, totally crunched and eaten in 30 minutes or so, and teeth do look better.
I'm slightly concerned if there's any risks from bones?
I guess they would tolerate electric tooth brush, might try that route.
Took her along today. Whilst it looks bad to me apparently it's not all that bad in context of dog mouths. She'll need a scale and clean, which will require anaesthetic, but hopefully no teeth out.