Question(s) about teeth cleaning.

[bckrazy]

When Gonzo was around 4 years old, I was considering getting a dental for him, because he had a cracked molar that was collecting tons of plaque and it was plaquey along his gumline. I spent AT LEAST $10/week on dental chews, and I brushed his teeth daily. The plaque still inevitably kept gathering.

Once I started feeding raw bones regularly, Gonzo's teeth were instantly white again, even that awkwardly cracked molar. When I have to go through periods of feeding just kibble, I supplement with good raw meaty bones, like turkey necks/wings, chicken carcasses, lamb shanks, etc. Knuckle bones are AMAZING for keeping teeth clean... all of that cartilege and tendons are nature's toothbrush. One or two knuckle bones a month keep their teeth plaque-free, which is no more than $3. It's easy, healthy, and good mental/physical stimulation for dogs.

Gonzo did chip one of his tiny bottom front teeth 6 or so years ago... I think it was on a hard frisbee, or a sterilized/cooked bone. The Vet said it would fall out, but it still hasn't, and it's a bit discolored. I really want to get it pulled but my Vet is very hesitant to do it because she says he does NOT need a dental at all, and they would have to put him under to pull it. She wants me to wait until he does need a dental, but I doubt that the day he does will ever come.

[ChrisH]

Yep, bones work really well, if not being the best way at keeping teeth clean. I used to regularly give each of my RB dogs raw bones but unfortunately I can't give them to Bob, at least the bigger ones. He gets too territorial and obsesses over them, anyone really runs the risk of getting badly bitten on getting too near.

I hope Gonzo's tooth does fall out so he does not need surgery to remove.

[lovedogs]

teeth cleaning -
my late friend, who also raised many dogs, taught me to give dogs dry food and bisquits. because my funding is short, i cook my own bisquits. it is so easy. you can use the best ingredients-whole grains,milk..the secret-have you ever made such terrible cookies they were so hard and impossible to chew?--dont use any oil..the only oil(olive) i use is on the cookie sheet.you dont have to make fancy shapes just drop from spoon...no sugar.no leavening...just.flour, water and meat juice......store in a PAPER BAG..this will dry them out further....my dogs love them....they stand at the back door waiting in line like kids waiting for halloween trick or treats.

[bckrazy]

While cookies are definitely delicious... they can hardly be considered teeth-cleaning devices. Are crackers good for cleaning our teeth? Not really. In fact, they get stuck to our teeth, and the same goes for dogs. It's a common misconception that kibble/biscuits will scrape teeth when, actually, a premium soft food is much less likely to stick to the molars and promote plaque.

Have you tried trading Bob for bones? Like... what is something he finds irresistable? Fozzie used to be a brat about his bones being taken away, as a puppy. He even growled at me once, and he would always take off with it. I started bringing an over-cooked hotdog out to take his bone away. I would simply drop the hot dog a few feet away, take the bone when he went for it, and praise him. Now he leaves his bone when he knows I'm taking it away, albeit reluctantly. Teaching him that when a bone is taken away, something equally tasty is given to him really helped him to stop guarding.