best thing for cleaning dogs teeth
Discussion
Actually studies are showing that raw bones make little difference to keeping cats teeth clean than dry food diets. Comparing teeth of wild cats eating mice, birds etc to domestic cats. Admittedly not done on dogs yet but you'd have to think the same is likely.
Gold standard according to animal dentistry experts is still showing that brushing teeth is the most effective way of keeping teeth clean.
However I suppose what you could say is that if you have easy access to raw chicken carcasses then this would be a compromise, try it but introduce slowly, a dog thats never had one before may end up with digestive upset if suddenly fed a load of raw ckn bones.
Gold standard according to animal dentistry experts is still showing that brushing teeth is the most effective way of keeping teeth clean.
However I suppose what you could say is that if you have easy access to raw chicken carcasses then this would be a compromise, try it but introduce slowly, a dog thats never had one before may end up with digestive upset if suddenly fed a load of raw ckn bones.
I'd love to see who undertook those studies. IME nothing beats chicken carcasses and we have a dog who had over 3k worth of dental treatment needed over two years (and we had to brush his teeth daily) when we rescued him who now the dental specialist says has lovely teeth. And you should hear the praise we get at dog shows from judges and other competitors alike when they see how glowing white the other mutt's teeth are. ALL down to purely using raw chicken carcasses.
Dogs have been killing and eating small raw animals for most of their evolutionary history - I might worry about a toy breed, but I find it hard to imagine any good sized dog having problems. My folks used to feed their GSD on raw chicken carcasses, and I always thought an audio recording of it would make a great burglar deterrent.
It's said that cooked bones are more of a risk than raw ones, but I don't get the impression that stealing cooked chicken carcasses out of bins does many foxes in.
It's said that cooked bones are more of a risk than raw ones, but I don't get the impression that stealing cooked chicken carcasses out of bins does many foxes in.
Having seen several dogs in serious trouble and dying due to eating bones, then no I'm not an advocate of feeding bones to dogs. However raw chicken bones don't tend to splinter.
Dogs are generally not brought up on a wild food diet these days and due to our intensive breeding many dogs are no longer well designed to cope with such a diet and are far removed from their 'wolf' ancestory so they are not the same and shouldn't be treated as such. Less messed around breeds prob not so significant though.
The study was in my most recent Veterinary Nursing Journal (I'd have to look it up to find the detsils of the study).
I have seen 13yr old dogs with spotless teeth due to daily brushing. I'd still advise this over bones to avoid any risk of causing the above!
Dogs are generally not brought up on a wild food diet these days and due to our intensive breeding many dogs are no longer well designed to cope with such a diet and are far removed from their 'wolf' ancestory so they are not the same and shouldn't be treated as such. Less messed around breeds prob not so significant though.
The study was in my most recent Veterinary Nursing Journal (I'd have to look it up to find the detsils of the study).
I have seen 13yr old dogs with spotless teeth due to daily brushing. I'd still advise this over bones to avoid any risk of causing the above!
GeraldSmith said:
I was always told to avoid my dogs getting chicken bones because they splinter and cause problems, is that not the case?
Cooked bones yes. Raw, no. Do you think over the last 20,000 years dogs have been eaten wheat and other cr*p which is what kibble is!?!? No.We spoke at length with the dentistry expert on this who has never heard of a raw chicken bone being a problem for a dog, including the well renowned "stuck in throat". A raw lamb bone fed to a 6 month old puppy damaged his teeth but that's really just stupidity on the part of the owner.
I feed mine raw too. I agree with Bex that there are always risks, but I think that can be true of everything 
My main fear is with people chucking sticks for their dogs and them being impaled on them.
Anyway - the general rule with feeding bones is raw only and avoid weight bearing bones. Cooked and weight bearing bones can splinter. Raw and non-weight bearing are usually softer.
My main fear is with people chucking sticks for their dogs and them being impaled on them.Anyway - the general rule with feeding bones is raw only and avoid weight bearing bones. Cooked and weight bearing bones can splinter. Raw and non-weight bearing are usually softer.
Jasandjules said:
bexVN said:
He may not have but I have. Needed an endoscopy procedure to remove the offending bone from a half choking westie.
A raw chicken bone?bexVN said:
I remember it was a raw bone but tbh I can't recall if it was a chicken or not.
I think that there is some problem with raw pork bones but I have no idea where I have that from or why, nor even if it is simply because raw pork can be an issue with dogs (though I am unclear why that is the case, I've just read it a lot without anyone giving any firm foundation as to why!).Be interesting if you found out though, as if it is chicken that will be something for us to keep an eye on (though we feed lamb bones too but also tripe and beef mince and chicken mince)
bexVN said:
He may not have but I have. Needed an endoscopy procedure to remove the offending bone from a half choking westie.
A westie is a little dog, though - and little dogs are an example of neoteny (the retention of juvenile characteristics) through selective breeding. I think I'd no more give a little dog bones than I would a puppy.Actually, on the cooked bones thing - I always miss having a dog when I sieve out the chicken remains from making chicken stock in the slow cooker - you can crumble those in your fingers, even the wimpiest dog would be able to cope with them. I guess the concern is cooked but not cooked to that extent.
Best results are usually from daily tooth brushing if the animal will tolerate it. Unfortuntely there seems to be a lot of individual variation in how quickly animals teeth decay - it's not at all uncommon to see 2 animals both fed the same diet and one have much more decay than the other.
I've had to remove several bones from dogs, not just small terriers, so I wouldn't advise feeding any bones.
Jasandjules said:
I think that there is some problem with raw pork bones but I have no idea where I have that from or why, nor even if it is simply because raw pork can be an issue with dogs (though I am unclear why that is the case, I've just read it a lot without anyone giving any firm foundation as to why!).
Be interesting if you found out though, as if it is chicken that will be something for us to keep an eye on (though we feed lamb bones too but also tripe and beef mince and chicken mince)
Chicken bones are generally smaller and less strong than the bones of a lamb, cow or pig so should be less likely to cause problems.Be interesting if you found out though, as if it is chicken that will be something for us to keep an eye on (though we feed lamb bones too but also tripe and beef mince and chicken mince)
I've had to remove several bones from dogs, not just small terriers, so I wouldn't advise feeding any bones.
Another vote here for raw bones, the difference is astonishing, see some examples here of dogs who are fed a raw diet. The proof is in the pudding
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/10633-cal...
As jasandjules has pointed out, RAW chicken bones are absolutely fine to feed your dogs, and I mean feed the bone in its entirety; the dogs will crunch them up. Cooked bones are NOT to be fed as they do splinter.
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/10633-cal...
As jasandjules has pointed out, RAW chicken bones are absolutely fine to feed your dogs, and I mean feed the bone in its entirety; the dogs will crunch them up. Cooked bones are NOT to be fed as they do splinter.
Whilst the Raw and anti Raw brigades battle it out, this product is very good and I have used it on my own dogs in the past...Great results: Plaque-Off! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Molar-Proden-Plaqueoff-Ani...
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