What is your routine for dental health?

M

mavendark

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I'm starting to notice little black stuff near my pups' gums and some yellow stuff on their back teeth (only their back, not on canine). Both my pups get both rawhide chews and bones all the time but their teeth is still a bit dirty. There's yellow stuff that I can't scrape off from their teeth so I want to try to get a good routine for them going before it gets worse. They are only 7mo and 1.1 year old.

So far, I'm using the Nylabone drops in the water, and giving them Greenies and brushing their teeth 2-3x a week. It doesn't seem to be enough.

I know there's tons of other products out there like the gel you put in their teeth and other types of chews, what worked for you and do you see improvements?
 
I feed raw to two of mine and dry food to my sheltie Merlin (he refuses raw) and I buy big beef knucklebones for them to gnaw on. None of my dogs have any gunk on their teeth or dental problems - Cadbury is six and a half and always has his teeth complimented by the vet. I have never brushed their teeth.

I personally think a decent bone that they can really gnaw at is the best way to keep teeth clean. I don't think rawhide does a lot as it goes mushy (or maybe that's how my dogs eat it?) and I avoid the commercial chews because of the calorie values of them, though I do offer Merlin the odd Dentastix as a treat.
 
Let me tell you . . . I have tried it all from brushing to enzymes to water additives to Dentistix to greenies.

My Shay at age 3 was SO bad I should have scheduled a dental. My husband and I are absolutely not wanting him to go under. I started a regimen and his teeth and gums are now near perfect. They would be perfect but I stopped for awhile and it built back up.

Once a week each dog gets a chew session with a bully stick. I like the thick ones that are 12 inches (oh dear, that might sound bad). This is for the shepherd mix, the sheltie older dog, and the sheltie pup. Next round I will also try buffalo ones! I get the USA made ones and they don't smell bad nor do they make a mess on the floor (can't figure that out, they just nibble the ends).

I am an absolute bully stick fan after using them. Better than bones, better than greenies, better than rawhide which is totally not even digestable. I tried beef tendons and they are great for the shepherd but too much for the shelties.

Once a week about 1/2 hour. The bully sticks last for several sessions. Being longer they turn their heads from side to side and chew on those back teeth and the ends really scrape those teeth. They are near perfect.

BEST regimen ever.
 
I don't think we get Bully sticks here. But there is a big box in the pet shop labelled Bull Pizzles. I'll let your imagination work on that one. Let's just say I am too delicate a lass to want to touch one of them:wink2:
 
Sophie - they're the same thing.

I use nylabone - which Emma will chew, himalayan cheese chews. I also have mixed baking soda, coconut oil and cinnamon into a tooth paste, which I use one to two times per day. Emma has the worse teeth and hers are starting to clean up. Natalie and Liam are my chewers and their teeth are really good.
 
No starches, apart from the small amount of sorghum in his dog food. High-protein diet. Raw chicken thighs and meaty short-rib bones. Bully sticks, definitely; they really require a lot of work to chew. Every few days, take an old cotton sock and run it back-and-forth across the teeth. No starches. No starches.
 
I give Watson Rae meat to chew for his dinners and he gets one greenie smeared with enzymatic toothpaste. He teeth look like the nasties slowed down but I wouldn't say they are getting better?

I've looked at the bully sticks before but always thought they and raw hide would be similarly indigestible. It appears that may not be the case.. I'm going to need to give these a shot.

Watson is three and has had I think 3 cleaning so far. He had the first when he went in to be neutered.... if I can cut back on how many times he goes for that, I'll try just about anything. I hate having to put them under.

Cara- how long did were they on the bully stick regimen until you started to notice a difference in the teeth looking cleaner?
 
It was only a couple sessions before I noticed that the big surfaces were clean and a few more to really get to the gums and in the crevices.

LOVE bully sticks (never thought I would admit that publicly).
 
Thanks for all your suggestions guys, unfortunately only one of my pups likes to eat bully sticks. The other turns his nose up at them big time. Their diets in general are very healthy, high protein, premium food, grain free, etc. etc.

Even when I give one of my pups bully sticks, his back teeth is still a bit yellow. Huh.
 
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