Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Christina Smith — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:13:46 GMT

There is another aspect to the argument for giving them something to chew on.It keeps them entertained , diverts them from troubled behaviour and boredom.So many dogs are locked into crates for long hours of sterile boredom. Lying around on a farm chewing a bone sounds like heaven to me.If only!

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:42:16 GMT

[quote user="ceri stewart"]Her teeth remained perfect until she decided, age 15, that she didn't eat kibble any more[/quote]

If perfect teeth, then why the sudden aversion?

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

ceri stewart — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:05:36 GMT

I'll have to break you trend then! We got our dog age 10, she ate kibble, but no interest in chewing stuff and had perfect teeth. Her teeth remained perfect until she decided, age 15, that she didn't eat kibble any more: now I use tooth-brushing, but that is really only slowing the decline in tooth hygiene. When her teeth were good, we did nothing, now they are poor we do something, so do I prove that toothbrushing makes teeth worse?

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Stephen Courtney — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:19:22 GMT

I recommend tooth brushing to all new puppy owners, and every post descale check.

Cats are another story - hard to persuade owners to try as even i probably wouldn't - but i do have a couple of clients who brush their cats' teeth, and very fine teeth they have too.

I practice what i preach, my own dog has her teeth brushed every day,and i am rewarded by a mouthful of shiny white teeth and considerably diminished 'dog-breath'. She is now 13 years old and has super teeth for a small fluffy rat dog!

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Neil Wheadon — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:08:39 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]I can't see how a bone "every few months" is going to influence anything[/quote]

True, but unlike a dentastix, gone in a gulp, these last a long time. We had a GSD and 3 collies at home on the farm and their beds were littered with half chewed marrow bones and they would chew at them almost daily, so maybe it does work.

I have asked quite a few owners with good teeth and all do something in a dog over 6, so the genetic bit, I treat with the same sceptic tone I'm afraid.

As for Martins comment about RMB, made me laugh out loud

Neil

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Christopher Saul — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:01:55 GMT

I would ask Top Gear's Richard Hammond; he has perfect white teeth

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Christina Smith — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:26:05 GMT

I think dogs that chew have better teeth than those that don't. I doesn't seem to matter what they chew on so long as they put alot of effort into it.Also dogs that carry stones around seem to have very little periodontal disease/tartar - of course the crowns eventually disappear to nothing. Chewing on raw marrow bone definitely rids the teeth of tartar effectively but is not without significant risk .Wood seems to be a good tooth cleaner but can leave tannin staining and fragments can wedge in the mouth or between the teeth.The only risk free option seems to be rigorous brushing - a problem for toy breed owners as these dogs generally donnot have any interest in chewing[?maybe due to the brain ache of miniaturisation] and most of their owners cannot get anywhere near their mouths

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:09:28 GMT

Ahem....feed 'em RMB of course.

Back to serious mode I imagine the 'worms' were maggots! Come on Neil all this exposure to the wackos recently on this forum is obviously clouding your judgement.

Re: Shiney teeth - what do your owners do?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:58:48 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]

Vaccination time and the 10 year old dog has perfect teeth.

I quiizzed the last 2 and the resposes were

1) I brush weekly but for 15 minutes making game of it

2) I feed an uncooked marrowbone every few months (This is what I recommend) However this one had a twist, as the owner had read that she should freeze it for 3 weeks before, to kill any parasites and claimed to have found worms in the marrow when scraping it out in the past.

So what do others recommend? Like ringworm treatment in cattle (swinging stinging nettles etc) if lots of recommendations do any work?

and what are the worms??? and yes she wasn't joking (I hope)

Neil

[/quote]

Or maybe the dog's individual predisposition is to perfect teeth.

As in humans.

I can't see how a bone "every few months" is going to influence anything.