What is your routine for dental health?

Ann said:
My dogs don't like bully sticks and I don't feed raw. I use ProDen Plaque Off daily in their food (you only need a pinch) and after about two months the improvement in their teeth was enormous. It's an Icelandic kelp product that works with the saliva to eliminate plaque.

I also spay Oxyfresh in their mouths a few times a week and brush weekly with a dental toothpaste. This regimen works well for us.
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That's a great endorsement Ann on the Plaque Off. We just started carrying it in my store and I admit I've not been pushing it because it is untested by me and my staff. Thanks for this!
 
Ann said:
My dogs don't like bully sticks and I don't feed raw. I use ProDen Plaque Off daily in their food (you only need a pinch) and after about two months the improvement in their teeth was enormous. It's an Icelandic kelp product that works with the saliva to eliminate plaque.

I also spay Oxyfresh in their mouths a few times a week and brush weekly with a dental toothpaste. This regimen works well for us.
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Great tip, I'm going to look this up and see if I can try it next.

I've used the additives for a while already and it is not helping at all. I'm going to probably remove that from the routine and try doing a more routine bone/bully stick gnawing session and try this ProDen thing.
 
BarbV said:
That's a great endorsement Ann on the Plaque Off. We just started carrying it in my store and I admit I've not been pushing it because it is untested by me and my staff. Thanks for this!
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Mavendark and Barb, as we've discussed in other threads, the only caveat for using ProDen is that it's a kelp product so it shouldn't be given to dogs with thyroid issues.

I feed regular kelp to my show dogs also but all of mine have had bloodwork done and I know there are no thyroid problems, which can be common in some Sheltie lines.
 
I give mine bully stick's or pizzle's and they love them. I let them chew it for 15 to 30 min. and they also get petzlife teeth gel everynight.

We also have dried chicken feet at the shop where I work and I cut the nails off and give them one everynow and then. They also get a Whimzee's once a week when they got to work with me.
I do not care for greenies at all or rawhide- had a freinds sheltie get very sick off of a greenie- had a piece stuck on her intestines. Plus Maggie used to vomit a chunck up the next day after eating one.
 
My friend ordered the odor free from Bestbullysticks.com. Those are Brazilian cows. However, they also have American ones.

I had a super duper discount from Petflow because that is where I get my food. However, the bestbullysticks people look good.

There are many chewy products available, tendons, rabbit sticks, vege disc wafer things, curly pizzles (yikes), bison pizzles (we want!), vege chews, and of course a wide variety of bones out there.

Anything that gets them really working those back teeth and the front teeth scraping and gnawing is going to do wonders quickly. They may not be perfect perfect, but good enough to prevent gum disease and prevent the need for all those cleanings (other dental issues may arise of course -- I just mean that plaque build up).

Remember the OLD days when dog food bites were large and dogs took a piece and crunch, crunch, crunch which scraped and worked those teeth? Yea, tiny swallow whole useless pieces and rapid tartar buildup. I have made a huge project of dental care.
 
I was thinking about years ago (probably 40 or so) when Mom would go to our local butcher and get bones for the dog. There was enough meat on them that she could use some for soup for us. Our lab would get a raw one - I don't remember much tartar on her teeth.
 
I get my bully sticks from Bestbullysticks.com, and the prices are very reasonable, especially compared with pet shops. I usually order ten at a time, and they're around $2 each for thick six-inchers. That's especially good for me, because Dickens is a self-regulating chewer; he'll chomp on one for a few minutes, then leave off.

Incidentally, Dickens refuses to take a fresh bully stick from my hand. He sniffs and sniffs, but until I throw it or put it down, he'll have nothing to do with it.
 
Mom2Melli said:
Remember the OLD days when dog food bites were large and dogs took a piece and crunch, crunch, crunch which scraped and worked those teeth? Yea, tiny swallow whole useless pieces and rapid tartar buildup. I have made a huge project of dental care.
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I remember being 6-7. My dog's gravy train chunks even looked good enough for me to try:biggrin2:
 
I try to brush Shelby's teeth 3 times a week. And if I don't get to brush them she gets a greenie to eat. She also always has raw hides laying around that she chews on occasionally. I feed her kibble but it is so small she doesn't chew it. She LOVES bully sticks which we give her on occasion when we need to keep her distracted. I prefer the long fat ones. She chews through he thin ones in no time.

Our new vet could not believe how good her teeth were for a 4 year old Sheltie. She told us to keep doing whatever we are doing. I was worried because she has an under bite and her back teeth also do not line up properly. Her bottom front teeth are discolored but the vet says that they are stained, not decay. Maybe from the antibiotics she was on as a pup. She says nothing would get them white.

I just contain your routine and hope she doesn't need a dental for a long time, despite what our old vet used to tell us.
 
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