I have never and will never give rawhide, ever. One of the worse experiences in my life was watching a dog choke to death with 4 of us adults trying but failing to get a wet lodged piece of rawhide out of his throat… 40 pound dog. Horrible death.
I should say btw, in my entire life have never brushed my dogs teeth and have never had to have them cleaned thanks to feeding raw meaty bones. Arwen is the only dog ever.
1. Pet Health Info
FROM: >>Seaside Animal Care was recently awarded the 1999 National Practice of Excellence Award (click here for details) from Veterinary Medical Publishing and an educational grant from Pfizer. We are one of just over 50 practices ever to receive this honor!<<
WE DO NOT RECOMMEND GIVING YOUR PETS RAWHIDE CHEWS. They expand when wet and are the number one cause of intestinal obstruction at our hospital. They are poorly effective at "cleaning the teeth". Instead, we recommend chew-safe toys such as Nylabone? and Kong? products. Contact the hospital for additional information when selecting safe chew-toys for your loved one.<<
While I find it LUDICROUS that they first state they are harmless then say they have seen it ALL, this does indeed support that they are not uncommon:
2. >>From the
AAHA: American Animal Hospital Association
Miscellaneous Pet Care: Are raw hide chews safe?
Answer
Rawhide chews are pretty harmless. The problems come when they swallow them whole. They either choke on them, or the rawhide balls up in the stomach and causes gastritis or blockage. We've seen it all. Moderation is the key. One every once in a while is OK, but they shouldn't be included as a regular toy or part of the diet. In addition it's usually best to supervise or at least be nearby when your pet is chewing on any toy. <<
Dr. Mike on Vetinfo.com
3. >> Diet - Treats and Snacks
It is interesting to me that a number of veterinarians I have spoken with do say that they have seen problems associated with these toys. Their experience differs from mine. I practice in a rural area and sometimes I think that I just don't have enough patients to see all the problems that vets who practice in more crowded areas do. <<
4. OMG, they sell it yet their vets admit it is dangerous!!!
Acme Pet - Pet Health Questions Ask Acme Pet'sExperts
Q. I have a one year old mix JRT, she is a great dog. But the problem I have with her is that, whenever I give her a chewy like those basted sticks. I have to watch her because she will make it all soft, not bite a piece and eat it. She makes it soft and swallows half while she is still chewing the other end. She has almost choked on me twice. This happens with the square chewees too.
A. I would suggest you not give them to her anymore. Many dogs die of intestinal obstruction each year due to rawhide. Find something else, which is safer, to give her.<<
5. petcare
Okay, this is a petstore, not a vet but thought their concern worth noting!
In addition, we don't carry rawhide chews in order to assure the safest play experience for your pet. Rawhide chews, when gobbled or eaten in large quantities, can cause choking or possible obstruction in dogs. <<
6. vet@dog - Holidays - Chocolate and other dangerous goodies
FROM:
Dr. Lucy L. Pinkston, D.V.M.
Rawhide chews can lodge in the throat and cause choking, or a large piece may be swallowed, scraping and irritating the throat and esophagus on the way down. Once in the stomach or intestinal tract, a large piece of rawhide can also create a physical obstruction. An additional danger that is less widely known is the practice, in some countries, of using an arsenic-based preservative in the processing of rawhide toys. We recommend that, if you do purchase these products, stick to brands processed in the U.S. There has also been a recent FDA alert about the risk of Salmonella accociated with dog chew products made from pork or beef-derived materials: refer to the FDA advisory or call 1-888-INFO-FDA. See below (discussion on pigs' ears) for more details.<<
I could go on, but obviously it's up to you. To me, having actually seen what can happen, if it is something many vets say can be dangerous, and it isn't NECESSARY, why do it? I just know that we were THERE, watching the dog, talking... and none of us could save him. I had nightmares for a long time. It was truly horrific and my friend got chewed up terribly trying.
I tried those doggie tooth pastes back in the early 90s with my last 2 and it just upset their stomach from swallowing it. The water works best and its non toxic (I use spring water) and they like anything wet anyway. Buddy is 2 now and his teeth are white. I do it in the morning everyday and it only takes 2 minutes. A pack of 4 tooth brushes from Target is about $4.
We use Plaqueoff with Malaika, can't say wether it works or not as her teeth are great due to her age but i certainly think it's worth giving as long as the Dog has no thyrous issues.
I also clean her teeth with a microfibre thingy that fits over your finger, you dip it into water and apparently the silver ions in it clean the teeth without the need for toothpaste.
Have to say she loves it and has a real good chow down whilst i clean her teeth.
Neem Products produce a Neem Chew for teeth health.
I have tried Plaque-off and I too am not entirely sure that it worked. I tried the human version myself and wasn't really impressed with that. Before I clean my dog's teeth I give them Fragraria for 5 days and it loosens the plaque. I don't think that frequent brushing is good for a dog's teeth. Jewel at 16+ has only just in the last month had trouble with her teeth although they look perfectly healthy and the vet says she has the best teeth he's seen on a dog her age.
Neem Products produce a Neem Chew for teeth health.
I have tried Plaque-off and I too am not entirely sure that it worked. I tried the human version myself and wasn't really impressed with that. Before I clean my dog's teeth I give them Fragraria for 5 days and it loosens the plaque. I don't think that frequent brushing is good for a dog's teeth. Jewel at 16+ has only just in the last month had trouble with her teeth although they look perfectly healthy and the vet says she has the best teeth he's seen on a dog her age.
What is frequent brushing? Vet recommends 1x per day, 3x a week minimum.
I also clean her teeth with a microfibre thingy that fits over your finger
I tried one finger thingy, and nearly lost a finger. What is the brand you are using, maybe I can get Arwen to like that!
Neem Products produce a Neem Chew for teeth health.
I don't know about neem teeth stuff, but I can attest to it for preventing spread of sarcoptic mange (I used to do a lot of chow puppy rescues with mange being the norm… none of my other dogs ever got it thanks to spritzing them continually with neem. My daughter also used it for insect control. It was so good (and nontoxic) the other kids at horse camp kept using her's up to keep off horseflys because their stuff didn't work.
Debra,
the manufacturer of the tooth cleaner is Lintbells, it's made out of bandage type material and of course when it's wet she feels the need to dry it and like i say chows down whilst i rub it over the tooth surface.
LOL and you maintain your fingers or their original shape how while she is chewing?
I wouldn't stick my finger in Buddy's mouth with something on it as he would not know the difference and bite. :eek: Forget it! Use a brush. You can get further back with a brush too.
Debra, i have been using the finger thing since she was a tiny pup and i keep my finger moving whilst she chews. Strangely she doesn't seem to chew hard and has never hurt me.
She didn't tolerate a brush very well and this works for us.
Dan - various vets have different ideas. My vet too recommends daily brushing but I've never brushed more than three times a week - often less, and my dogs mostly have had good teeth. Mine all chew on Nylabones which seem to help and eat a lot of raw vegetables including stalks of cabbage cauliflower etc.
Debra, i have been using the finger thing since she was a tiny pup and i keep my finger moving whilst she chews. Strangely she doesn't seem to chew hard and has never hurt me.
She didn't tolerate a brush very well and this works for us.
I just order a few…. of course they have to ship from UK as they are not available in the US... and while I usually use a brush, I have in the past used finger tip types and like them better. Never been bitten....
Dan - various vets have different ideas. My vet too recommends daily brushing but I've never brushed more than three times a week - often less, and my dogs mostly have had good teeth. Mine all chew on Nylabones which seem to help and eat a lot of raw vegetables including stalks of cabbage cauliflower etc.
Yes, diet is a factor.
Debra, i have been using the finger thing since she was a tiny pup and i keep my finger moving whilst she chews. Strangely she doesn't seem to chew hard and has never hurt me.
She didn't tolerate a brush very well and this works for us.
What ever works for you and the B and you're keeping the teeth clean then that's great.
Re diet and teeth, we nearly always soak Malaika's kibble having been told to do so by the breeder, i believe the Dog's trust also advocates this. I do occassionaly feed it unsoaked but give half the ammount as it swells quite a bit. She eats quite a wide variety of foods including raw meat and veg.
I am always unsure about bones, again we have been told never to give her bones. I have tried her on Chicken wings but have stopped these as i wasn't happy that she cried out as she swallowed the last bit. I know weight bearing bones are a no no as these can cause fractures in the teeth.
Re diet and teeth, we nearly always soak Malaika's kibble having been told to do so by the breeder, i believe the Dog's trust also advocates this. I do occassionaly feed it unsoaked but give half the ammount as it swells quite a bit. She eats quite a wide variety of foods including raw meat and veg.
I am always unsure about bones, again we have been told never to give her bones. I have tried her on Chicken wings but have stopped these as i wasn't happy that she cried out as she swallowed the last bit. I know weight bearing bones are a no no as these can cause fractures in the teeth.
I avoid giving the bones as well. Looks like like you're feeding well mixing it up. I stopped giving Buddy any dry some time ago.
I have used the humanbabies silicone finger-toothbrush. It is very comfortable and soft and you can feel the dog's mouth by your finger. I did not use it to by my own baby, but it fits better to my dog 
http://www.bambinipronto.com.au/Product-silicone-finger-toothbrush-974.aspx
Mine are rarely given bones and I'm sceptical about chicken wings as if they're from free range chicken they can splinter. Chickens reared in crates or enclosed spaces are sold for meat at a very early age when the bones are still relatively soft. These should be ok. Mine only have artificial or sterilized bones. They love Nylabones which do seem to be good for the teeth.
I avoid giving the bones as well. Looks like like you're feeding well mixing it up. I stopped giving Buddy any dry some time ago.
Thanks, seems the more you know the harder it is to feed 
Mine are rarely given bones and I'm sceptical about chicken wings as if they're from free range chicken they can splinter. Chickens reared in crates or enclosed spaces are sold for meat at a very early age when the bones are still relatively soft. These should be ok. Mine only have artificial or sterilized bones. They love Nylabones which do seem to be good for the teeth.
Your explanation about chicken wings explains a lot to me. When i decided not to feed them to her i scraped the meat of them and broke several bones, i was shocked at how needle sharp they were.
What do you think about soaking kibble ?
