Got questions about your dog’s health, nutrition, or oral care? Ask a pet expert!

[LibbyMumsnet]

Whether you’ve got a new puppy or a well loved senior dog, we know that caring for a dog can come with plenty of questions. Is their diet right? How do you keep their teeth healthy? How much exercise is enough?

We’ve teamed up with Pedigree® and Dr Marie-Louise Bennett to help with all your dog related questions - whether it’s about the best diet for them or maintaining their oral health.

• How it works: Post your questions below and Dr Marie-Louise Bennett will be back in a few weeks to answer.
• Prize draw: Everyone who posts a question on this thread by 24th November 2024 will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to treat your dog (or yourself, no judgement!).

Dr Marie-Louise Bennett
Dr Marie-Louise Bennett has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of veterinary oral health and has led research at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute investigating how to help prevent dental issues in dogs and cats through superior nutrition and gold standard home care.

Marie-Louise is the Scientific Communications Director for Mars Petcare Europe and works closely with key external organisations such as the British Veterinary Dental Association to help raise awareness of oral care issues in pets and ensure every animal has access to effective home oral care regimes and supportive veterinary care.

We’re looking forward to seeing your questions and helping you and your four-legged companions!

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Benebones have revolutionised their teeth, family has even asked what we've done!

Dilute according to the instructions. This stuff (much used with horses) can thin the skin. Once every so often shouldn't harm.

My dog has had to have a molar removed due to a nasty fracture we didn't know about for who knows how long. She is now banned from bones by the vet though!

Anything we can do? She seems to build up tartar quickly as it's only been 2yrs since the removal and a clean but she's got badly stained teeth again on one sided of her mouth. She's nearly 9 and a 30kg mutt of dubious parentage.

Our dog adored raw carrots, and anything else crunchy, e.g. cauliflowers stalk. I never tried to brush her teeth, but even when she was old they were still in good condition.

It might have helped that she was never keen on dog biscuits - except for burying them in the garden…

Oh and 8yo mutt of dubious parentage is also arthritic in her wrists, especially her left. She's on long term metacam, YuMove and turmeric paste. She hates gentle exercise and prefers to sprint, but it's enforced for her own good....

Is there any more we can do for her? Physio perhaps? She doesn't do water (long story, involves falling off a ship), so we can't get her swimming but maybe she'd accept a heated pool for water therapy?

I used to buy my cat's renal food on Bitiba https://www.bitiba.co.uk/shop/dogs/wet_dog_food?filters=health_specialcare_dog%3DRenal%20care - maybe with a look? Each product is listed per brand you'll see the flavours and ingredients when you go into the listings, some seem not to be chicken?

What are the best dr and wet foods for dogs? They all make claims to be good up how to tell what is best for them? Does the most expensive mean they are the best?

My dog is on daily prescribed metacam for his arthritis - but some days he is worse than others and is very stiff - apart from regular vet visits which is distressing for him - any tips to alieve pain in small dogs joints. (hes 11)

My last (lovely and old) dog had terrible teeth towards the end. We now have an 18 week old puppy and I want to do better this time.

My questions are, does plaque off work? And is it at all feasible to use a sonic toothbrush on a dog? The manual ones never did anything for my last dog.

The vet says my dog has perfect teeth, and she’s 10! She only has dry biscuits and a Dentastix at night. Should I be doing anything more now she is getting older to look after her health?

I find choosing pet food and dog treats quite overwhelming as it's hard to know what is 'good' or 'bad' for them and I want to make the best choice for my dog. Are there any specific ingredients that i should watch out for or make sure is included? For example, lots of things boast being 'grain free', does that mean grain is bad for dogs?

Also like some others have said, i'd be interested to get some advice on how to keep my cockapoo-shih tzu's teeth clean when he refuses to let me brush them despite several attempts at training. Do chews and dry food really help?

He also suffers with itchy paws / elbows and he has to go on apoquel. Im starting to think it's a dietary issue as i previously had him on Hills prescription diet food, which he hated, and he didn't have issues then, so i'm thinking of trying that again.
Thanks!

My dog has been prescribed Librela - it's very expensive, any alternative treatments which are successful for pain relief ?

What is the single most important thing that can be done when dogs are young to reduce the impact and/or likelihood of arthritis in later life?

We feed our 5yr old (neutered around 6mth) male English pointer (454g) raw meat/bone twice a day and the occasional rabbits ear or puffed chicken foot as a treat on walks.

He’s gone from his average weight of 29k to 35k. You can still see his ribs slightly but he seems a lot fatter with rolls around his neck. He gets walked for at least an hour twice a day off lead. He only seems to keep weight off if we run with him, say 3-7 miles 4 times a week but that’s not usual and not what most people do to exercise their dogs so I don’t think that’s the solution.

Is he overweight? The vet doesn’t seem bothered.

Our rescue Border Collie is having an absolutely awful time lately due to the relentless fireworks going off. We’ve tried everything to help him, Classic FM on bonfire night, they put a special programme on for frightened dogs, he’s got a safe area in the house he can go to, we’ve tried distractions and games but nothing helps. We don’t want to go down the medication route if we can avoid it, is there anything else we can do to help him, any tips would be great.
Thank you

I have a whippet and ut seems impossible to keep his teeth clean. He's had them cleaned under anaesthetic but he doesn't eat dog chews and even refused a trachea we bought for him. He has seaweed I'm his food which he avoids until he is desperate and an additive in his food but they still look brown at the back. We do try and brush them but again he's a very long nose so it's hard to keep him still for long enough. What can we do?

We got a rescue dog a month ago, she's very attached to me, which is lovely, but when I'm there she won't do anything for my husband, totally ignores him like he's invisible. When I go out without her (and my husband is home) she howls at the window for 10 minutes before settling down or accepting him doing anything with her.

Is there anything we should be doing to help her bond with him, besides time and patience?

Hi everyone, thank you for all your questions about your dog’s health and wellbeing! I’ll be answering them over the next couple of weeks, so feel free to keep sharing them. I hope the answers will be helpful for you and your dogs!

@pushchairprincess - There is evidence that some well-designed dry kibble diets can help keep teeth clean, in particular dental diets are really good at helping to prevent some plaque and tartar from building up. So no you are not wasting your time, every little helps when it comes to keeping their teeth clean, so dry food, proven dental chews and of course tooth brushing can all help slow down the daily build up of dental deposits.

@littlecottonbud - It is so great that you are trying to help keep his teeth clean, particularly as the Maltese breed is very susceptible to developing gum disease, which is painful and results in tooth loss. The key to successful toothbrushing is to take every step slowly and build up the steps each day. So to start with let him just lick some doggy toothpaste (fluoride free) off your finger for a couple of days. Then reward him with a little treat afterwards. Then you just get him used to you just placing your finger with the paste on his teeth for the briefest of times. Gently hold his mouth closed when you do this so you don’t get nipped! Once you make progress here then you can use this guide to help you through the more advanced stages. It is never to late for a pet to learn to have it’s teeth brushed and if you can reward with something really high value straight afterwards (such as a dental chew or maybe a massive cuddle) then they will soon be asking you to just get on with it!
One other thing to mention is that sometimes dogs may not like their teeth being brushed because they have dental issues already and their mouths are sore, so it is always best to speak to your vet or veterinary nurse if they really do seem very reluctant.

@DrunkTinkerbell40s - Fibre really can help with anal gland issues and although his stools may be firm some dogs just need that little bit of extra fibre to help clear problematic glands – my own dog is the same! One type of fibre that can really help is psyllium husk and some diets contain this special fibre to help with transit of food through the gut and other issues. I would advise that you speak to your vet about which food in particular they would recommend or indeed if they can suggest a supplement for your dog.

@DrunkTinkerbell40s - The Shihtzu is a breed that is very prone to developing gum disease at a very young age so it is super important to have a good home oral care regime for them throughout their life. I will always advise that you try introducing brushing as it really is the most effective way to keep teeth clean – that’s why us humans do it twice a day! Chewing on proven dental chews can help keep the teeth clean also – look for chews with the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of approval as these have been proven to work in clinical studies. There is some research showing that a certain seaweed extract can help prevent plaque build up (rather than scrape it off), again look for products with the VOHC as many claim to contain seaweed but may not always have it at the required concentration or have evidence for it working.

My dachshund has one testical smaller than the others - the vet does not know why this is, and wants to remove both, and send the shrunken one off for histology, they said if it was cancer it would be large and not small - any advice - don't really want to put him through unnecessary surgery. TY

@OttersAreMySpiritAnimal - Itchy paws can be so distressing for both your pet and you watching them. It is important to rule out any infections or infestations which I imagine your vet has already done as you say it is a seasonal allergy. Hibiscrub is an antimicrobial chemical so can help if the itching is caused by bacteria or fungi. There are convenient mousse forms that have the same chemical properties but are easier to use. Since your vet knows your dog’s history the best, they will be best placed to advise whether a regime of daily mousse on the paws is likely to help or not. I am sure they could advise you on a quick phone call.

@prawncocktailcrispss - You shouldn’t feel bad as your vet is absolutely right, dogs are programmed as pack animals to hide their pain very well. We have a really useful leaflet that can help you spot the signs of a problem much earlier. By far and away the most common sign is bad breath which is almost always due to gum disease. Please remember it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks and your 11 year old still has 32 teeth to take care of! For both dogs I would try and introduce toothbrushing very slowly and try to show them that it is always followed by a reward they love – a treat, a cuddle, a game – whatever they love best. Here is a step by step guide on starting to brush. It is important to know that not all dental sticks have been proven to work. It is always worth choosing dental sticks with the VOHC seal of acceptance as they have been independently verified and help keep teeth clean by cleaning those hard to reach spots that you may miss with brushing. Pedigree Dentastix Advanced is a twice weekly chew that helps prevent plaque and tartar build up and has been shown to reduce the bacteria that cause bad breath.