Has anyone managed to get their dog's teeth really clean again?

[misspiggyluvskermit]

I have an 8 year old Cairn terrier and I must confess I have never brushed his teeth!

Having had a GSD growing up and knowing various other dogs with great teeth and no brushing it never really occurred to me.

I also never feed by Cairn sweet human food. Dog food only. When he was younger though, I used to feed him Dentastix until I found out they were not really so good for him (the vet also mentioned this).

Anyway, the vets have been mentioning his teeth when I have brought him in for other minor issues. I don't know what to do.

I was all set to book him in for teeth cleaning under GA and then read about how dangerous GA can be for dogs. It's really put me off! He was under GA when he was young for an embedded testicle and was fully castrated then with no problems.

I just don't know what to do! He eats Royal Canin kibble and wet pouches and gets carrots for treats and the very occasional ostrich tendon or dried chicken breast and roasted salmon skin.

I have been doing a bit of research in ostrich bones and that special water and plaque off (he won't eat it, but I could smuggle it into his food?) and so on. Plus, actual tooth brushing, though I can almost guarantee he will fight me every inch of the way on this.

I am willing to do whatever it takes/spend whatever I need to if I can help him avoid a GA. Also, even if he gets it done, I still have to find a way of preventing recurrence.

HELP, please! I would be most grateful to hear your thoughts.

So i swear by marowbones to keep their teeth clean. The dog rescue I volunteer for also recommend them for the dogs they adopt out. My dog has 2-3 marrowbones a week, is 5 years old, and the vets always comment how taken aback they are about how clean and white his teeth are and when i mention the Marrowbone they agree that it likely a big reason for it

I don’t know about other things like his food, he’s never been fed kibble (only wet food) but my best friends dog (same age as mine) who has only been fed the cheapest kibble, has horrific yellow teeth, thick plaque and awful breath. Not sure if there’s a correlation, just letting u know what seems to have contributed to my dogs good teeth (may just be down to luck, I don’t know!)

Thanks so much for your helpful reply.

I have always worried about bones with my dogs, but marrow bones are obviously safe. I was reading about ostrich marrowbones to try.

I do wonder about the kibble I'm feeding him. Royal Canin costs plenty, but I'm not sure about the quality of the ingredients really. I have a lot of research to do!

Can I ask if you have a bigger dog? I read somewhere that smaller dogs can have more trouble with teeth, but then my partner had terriers in the olden days and he says their teeth were fine, so I just don't know.

Thanks though, I'll look into the marrow bones.

I’m no expert but I believe royal canin are one of the worst, ingredients wise. There was a website which listed ingredients of all types of food and royal canin consistently comes up as one of the worst.

my dog is a chocolate lab, so medium/large size for a dog. The friends dog I mentioned is a spaniel, so half the size.

my other friend has a 6 yr old labradoodle and she buys top quality natural chew treats (sadly very expensive! Things like deer legs etc). He also has immaculate teeth. He also has only ever been fed wet food. As I said, no idea if there’s a correlation, just saying from my own experience.

the other thing about marrowbones and other natural treats is that they keep the dog seriously occupied for aaages! One marrowbone will keep my dog occupied for a good hour or more

We’ve brushed since she was a puppy, but also use the whimzees dental chews which are healthier than the dentasticks- though this is more of a time waster/boredom breaker, idk how much teeth difference it makes.

Dog toothpaste has enzymes in it, I was told this means they break down the plaque so you don’t need to scrub much? My dog loves the taste of the toothpaste (I cover her worm tablets in it to trick her!) maybe you can put some dog toothpaste on a chew of some kind and then at least the enzymes are in about the teeth that way without you having to brush?

The website is called allaboutdogfood

I had a quick look… Royal canin is coming out around 35% nutritional/ingredients value compared to forthglade wet (which my dog has)which is coming up around 85%, so a big difference (again, no idea If there is a correlation to the teeth!)

personally, the fact royal canin is so expensive and has quite a low nutritional value, might be worth you thinking about switching it up?

i also checked another royal canin mix.. the ‘cocker’ one and that’s classed as ‘awful’ with a nutritional score of only 14%!! Shocking

Thanks, Milliemoos5.

I thought kibble was supposed to help clean teeth, but that's probably some myth put about by the manufacturers when they started making it in the 1950s. Even then, I'm not sure how many people used the kibble straight away. Having to brush dog's teeth seems to be a thing now that I never heard about in the past - perhaps there is a connection between that and the kibble?

I remember when he was a pup trying to do research for his food and I was just overwhelmed with confusion and reading one thing and then another. I think I just gave up and started him on RC at that point.

The marrowbones keeping my dog occupied would be most welcome! He's a full-on dog. He gets walks of between 1.5 hours and 2 hours a day and games and still comes back for more. Energy wise, he has no problems😆

That's a great idea Mousespace!

If the tooth brushing fails (and I can't help feeling it will), that would be something worth trying. I have toothpaste and a brush and tooth wipes all ready, but I have been putting off starting. I just know he'll hate it and snap away.

Thanks for find that site for me, Milliemoos5.

Those are shocking results!

My terrier is always hungry. They are greedy little dogs, according to the vet, but perhaps he's hungry because he's not getting enough nutrition?

I will totally be checking out that site. Thanks so much. I'll also take a look at Forthglade wet now.

My little boy has hit his mid-years and I really need to get a handle on all this before he gets any older.

Nothing apart form ultrasonic scaling under anaesthetic will remove all the tartar once it has built up. The risk of GA for routine procedures in cats and dogs is 1 in 14,000 so very low and that is any complication no matter how minor so the risk of a major complication is really low.
Plaque off and cleaning off teeth will prevent the build up of plaque which when left will turn into tartar.

Thanks, Lonecatwithkitten.

That is reassuring to know. I may have to go that route in the end, as I think he does have tartar and the vet has mentioned a cleaning already.

The other tips and ideas are great as I will need to set up a proper regimen for him to keep the chances of him needing it done twice to the absolute minimum, if we have to do this.

@Milliemoos5

I am just on Forthglade's site answering questions to look at their suggestions for a feeding plan.

Can I ask if you feed your dog wet food with or without grain? I wasn't sure which to pick.

Thanks!

Thanks, bleughgreen

I'll totally check that out, thanks. My dog likes pretty much everything. Well, not quite. He won't eat one of those yak chew things. But he's usually pretty easy to feed.

A fair bit of how clean your dog's teeth are is due to genetics and smaller dogs struggle with it more than bigger ones, generally.

Personally, I would opt for the GA and professional clean while he is still a relatively young dog and then put in a regime to keep them as clean as possible.

Natural chews can help. Ostrich bones are a great option.

Once they are clean, training to accept a toothbrush is easier because you are not pressured by trying to fix a problem at the same time. Even just 30 seconds training a day, building up from a very slow start.

eg. show him the toothbrush then give a treat. Repeat for 30 seconds.

Day 2: show him the toothbrush and move it halfway towards his head. Repeat.

Day 3: move it close to his head.

Day 4: move it specifically close to his muzzle.

Day 5: do the same as day 4 but also move your other hand halfway to wards his head (this will eventually be used to lift his lips).

You get the idea. If he ever looks uncomfortable, go back a stage for a couple of days then try to move forward again.

Pick a very small toothbrush head with soft bristles. Like, one for a baby.

I have been unable to keep my Sheltie's teeth clean, doing them with the toothbrush is just impossible as she puts up such a fight. About two years ago she had them cleaned under GA and she was fine. Unfortunately she is such a greedy girl and hoovers up her food rather than chewing so they are discolouring again.

The first two Shelties I had did not have a problem. The two after that used to gave their teeth cleaned with an electrical toothbrush with no problem. Misty would have an absolute breakdown if I trued to put the electric brush in her mouth!

Strange how five dogs all the same breed differ.

Thank you for your advice, SirSniffsAlot

You bring up a good point. Perhaps get the cleaning out of the way now, before he gets any older and develops any problems (he's healthy in every other way, seemingly).

When I have a clean slate, I can start taking care of his teeth like I should have been doing before. As you say, trying to get all the nasties of his teeth now will be nigh on impossible.

He's a sweet natured boy and affectionate, but also a bit feisty. He wouldn't actually bite me, I'm sure, but he will put up a fight, so your guided plan of how to introduce the toothbrush will be very helpful as I will need to go slow.

I must confess he is a little spoilt. He moans about getting brushed and runs away, but he'll stay if he's getting a treat. He plays me!

I also have cairns. No teeth brushing but we add this www.amazon.co.uk/ProDen-Plaque-Off-Food-Supplement/dp/B0047VWPNI to their food and give them chicken wings one a week. Raw - crunching the bones is really good for their teeth. You have to be careful with big bones (nothing weight bearing from big animals) as they can break teeth. Chicken wings, thighs and drumsticks are fine.

Ours have raw food - we use honeys. Their teeth are very good and they are 10.

Thanks, FiveShelties

Yes, it is interesting how different they all are even within the same breed.

I will try introducing the brush when he's tired after a walk. He bounces off the walls with energy and is very hard to control. Luckily, I have a partner to help hold him still.

Thanks, ZoeyBartlett

I have the Plaque Off and sprinkled it on his food, but he wouldn't eat it. I will have to mash it in a bit and that will probably do the trick.

I am looking at changing the food I currently feed him so may be able to find something that "absorbs" the powder a bit better to hide the stuff.

Thanks for the tips on bones. I have always been nervous about bones. I know it's the most natural thing in the world for them, but I am quite an anxious person. I know not to give them cooked, but even with raw I'm never sure how to choose. Thanks for the advice.

@ZoeyBartlett when you say chicken wings, do you mean the kind you can buy at supermarkets? Or some kind of dried version or manufactured especially for dogs version? I'm just wondering about bacteria I suppose.

He moans about getting brushed and runs away, but he'll stay if he's getting a treat.

I'd take this as a good sign! A dog that has grasped the concept of do this = get treat, and is often prepared to make that deal - is a dog that is usually easier to train

Beware of any nasty £ surprises.. Ddog needed 1 broken tooth out and vet said they needed a clean.
All in cost me £800 nd ddog has 8 teeth less now.

We just buy from the supermarket - fresh or frozen.

Thanks @ZoeyBartlett will give them a try!

If the dog is not keen the first time, heat a frying pan and drop the wing in so skin just starts to turn - no more than a minute. Once ours got the taste they love them!