Kennel Dogs Teeth get nasty?

[Frankug]

My dogs teeth get gross. I have tried ropes, denta-bones, etc. etc.. Anybody have the same problem? If so what do you do? Is it the kibble or What? Thanks.

[MonsterDad]

I don't but a buddy does and he switched over to Eukanuba and the dogs teeth cleaned up nice because of the phosphate added to the food. It seems to work but if they are really bad scale them first.

[mtlhdr]

Raw bones.

[Grousehunter123]

Yup, it's the kibble. Like the post above, raw bones. I feed Dr. Tim's momentum and raw chicken/bones etc... My dogs teeth are white as snow.

[Del Lolo]

One big Pig Ear a day = teeth as clean as can be -- for the life of the dog

[hi-tailyn]

Hard Kibbles.

Find a good dog food with the ingredient you want that has a Hard Kibble.

15-20 years ago I once a year took dogs to vet to get teeth cleaned. I just by chance decided to change dog food for other reasons. About a year went by and I noticed my dogs teeth were clean. Dogs were in just as good of shape and had as much endurance as before. Talked with others and common reason was the Hard Kibble.

[MonsterDad]

Yup, it's the kibble. Like the post above, raw bones. I feed Dr. Tim's momentum and raw chicken/bones etc... My dogs teeth are white as snow.

Dr. Tim's Pursuit & Grain Free kibble is hard as a rock, and heavy, you can hear the crunching from quite a distance.

[PntrRookie]

A setter I got (as a started dog) had the WORST tarter buildup/teeth stains the vet had ever seen - especially for a young dog. A friend of mine suggested giving him a large "Cow Knuckle" bone to chew on. You can find them at Tractor Supply, Fleet Farm, Meat lockers, etc. One week of chewing on that and the tarter was 90% gone! He gets one every now and then just for grins and to keep them clean...cheap and easy to find!

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[Deets]

Once the tarter builds up, bones don't do much. I use a dental pick and scrape my dogs teeth every few months. The tarter just flakes right off.

[Frankug]

Going to start adding bones. Ordered a dental pick to. Changing dog foods as well. Thanks. Getting something done here. Question: I had always heard not to give dogs chicken bones because they could splinter or something? Myth?

[frontline]

Never give your dogs cooked or smoked bones as they can splinter and become a health hazard. Bones can cause fractures of the teeth and "knuckle" ends of large bones can cause impaction, so beware.

Most dogs don't chew kibble and even if they did it doesn't do much to clean the teeth. A kibble that has less carbohydrates and more protein that is derived primarily from meat will be more acidic and less likely to set up an environment where bacteria can thrive causing plaque. A meatier kibble will help. An occasional raw turkey neck (raw food is acidic) will also do the job.

There are many rubber toys available now that you hide treats or kibble in that encourage chewing/gnawing and these also help if given regularly.

Of course you can also brush your dog's teeth. It's not recommended that you scale your dog's teeth unless you polish them afterwards. The scaling can cause minute scratches that give bacteria a better foothold causing plaque to come back sooner.

[Grousehunter123]

Going to start adding bones. Ordered a dental pick to. Changing dog foods as well. Thanks. Getting something done here. Question: I had always heard not to give dogs chicken bones because they could splinter or something? Myth?

Never give cooked chicken bones. While not without risk, if you give any bones make sure they are raw. I've been doing it for 12 years or more without incident.