What do you reccommend for teeth care? I've heard conflicting stories about most things. Ellie had her booster yesterday and the vet said she will need a dental soon if i'm not careful, i was aware that her teeth were not brilliant, and her breath is not very pleasant. I do clean her teeth on occaision but i'm not very good at remembering, so that the first thing i've got to do. They get rawhide chews regualrly but these have had no effect at all. The vet reccommended bones, but i haven't up til now as one of mine gets quite aggressive over chews and i think if i introduced a bone into the house things could get nasty! I could seperate them, but it wouldn't be easy. What bones are best? I think i read somewhere that raw chicken wings are quite good for their teeth am i right? Ellie tends to get a slightly upset stomach with dietary change so what would you reccommend. They are fed on autarky. Have considered plaqueoff but some people say it works some say it doesnt, so i'm not sure whether its worth the money. I'm in a quandry.

I've tried fragaria (homeopathic), did nothing and neither did plaque off, for my lot anyway!  I find the only ones who seem to get mucky teeth are the Belgians, so I do a dental scrape myself every couple of months.

A few raw chicken wings 2 times a week does the trick for mine. All spotless teeth.

Large recreational bones are best IMO - even some dogs fed raw chicken wings/thighs, lamb necks etc can still get dirty teeth wherease larger bones they really gnaw on for ages (rather than for eating) help chip off any plaque/tartar already visible and keep already clean teeth pristine.  IMO good teeth are bred for just as much as fed for and some breeds or lines within breeds have more or less problems than others.

I don't think rawhide chews would be particularly effective as these become sticky and soft, unlike bones.

If descaling is done, then DAILY brushing is essential to prevent a recurrence of dirty teeth.  Descaling can damage the enamel on the teeth and also leaves tiny particles of dirt, both of which will provide a pitted area on the surface of teeth which then stain even more quickly.  According to my vet, even if brushing regularly every two days it reduces the effectiveness of prevention by as much as 60% ....

FWIW I know some folks have success with using fragaria and plaque off but each have also given their dogs regular bones so personally I'm not convinced these 'remedies' actually work unless perhaps used from the outset - i.e. before a problem has developed.

regards, Teri

Large recreational bones are best IMO Probably should have said that also :-)

My little ones are fine with the wings but my large dog gets bigger bones.

Plaque off didn't do a thing for mine, and I persevered for almost a year.  Waste of money.

Just interested you mentioning about chicken bones so if they are raw they are safe for dogs to eat?

TBH I wouldn't even both with my Snoop as he just swallows things down and never bothers chewing anyway! My other 2 I would give it a go, what about cats?
Snoop had his teeth cleaned at the dentist this year but they said he would have to have it done again next year if I don't start brushing once a day. Which is real hard has he will hold onto the brush and if i use a finger brush chomps down on my finger! :-0

I brush my dogs teeth daily with CET enzyme toothpaste.  They also get treats that are good for teeth, and dental chews once a day.  Toy breeds (which I have) are prone to bad mouths, and dental care is a big thing for me.

What got me hookedf into the daily brushing is that my vet told me about a maltese that had to have its teeth removed because they were so bad from not doing dental care.  I didnt want that for my dogs.

Also, avoid using foods and treats with dyes in them, as they can stain teeth as well.  Also, canned food is really bad for teeth, from what I have been told

Hi magica,

I would go with RAW chicken wings or thighs for the others and all of them occasional large RAW recreational bones as explained further up.

Also for Snoop you could try using Logic Gel - which you can put on the gum line and upper part of the teeth and can be applied with a finger or rag, only needs 'wiped' over the gum and teeth so more finger friendly than a brush :)  It works for cats too AFAIK.  I've just done a quick google and it's a good price HERE

HTH, Teri

forgive my ignorance but aren't chicken bones bad for dogs? I thought they run the risk of splintering etc.

I collected my 8 month pup from the vet yesterday, she had a puppy canine removed as it hadn't fallen out when the adult tooth came through. For the princely sum of £96 she had an ultrasonic descale, polish, varnish and extraction, now, to start with the teeth were pristine I mean they were new for goodnes sake. I reckon it would have been cheaper to take to her our own dentist ;)
Seeing as how her little gnashers have just cost me that amount I'd better introduce her to oral hygiene and a toothbrush of sorts. What's the best thing to use on a small young dogs besides having a bone as well?

a 50p Marrow bone for a few hours everyday would possibly have gotten that tooth out. :-)   Shocking them doing and charging all that.  I would be suprised a dog needing that done at such a young age.

If they are raw they are ok - it's cooked bones that are more likely to splinter.  I have given raw bones to my dog for over a year now with no problems but I always supervise him just incase, and he has a habit of swallowing whole then regurgitating and re-eating it.  Lovely.

I doubt very much that she needed all that doing. The tooth was very firmly set the adult teeth have been through now for over two months and subsequently the adult canine was a bit further forward than it should have been, I was concerned that if it wasn't removed quite soon it would have caused the other teeth to move forward.

The trouble is that at our practice it is standard practice to do all the other stuff (I know this now) when dealing with the teeth, all I had expected was the extraction.

I'll know not to take her for her nail trim she'd probably come out with a full manicure:)

Plaque Off worked for Lastar when he came over from Spain, his teeth were awful, not helped by diving for bricks in water where they'd been chipped etc!  He now 4 years later still has all his teeth and they don't look bad at all.  My lot do also have chicken backs etc.

I give my dogs raw carrot before bedtime which they love.  They also have raw chicken wings (have done since young pups) which they chew well.  Both have gorgeous teeth and long may it last!

I'll know not to take her for her nail trim she'd probably come out with a full manicure:)

Nice one Pinky :-D :-D

Raw chicken wings each day, if you don't feed a raw diet then just give your dog one or two wings every night, or a large marrow bone to much on!