Teeth brushing

[Patty]

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.

[nobarkus]

@Patty:

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.

[DebraDownSouth]

@thunderbird8588:

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!

@Patty:

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.

[thunderbird8588]

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.

[DebraDownSouth]

LOL and you maintain your fingers or their original shape how while she is chewing?

[nobarkus]

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.

[thunderbird8588]

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.

[Patty]

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.

[tanza]

@thunderbird8588:

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....

[nobarkus]

@Patty:

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.

[nobarkus]

@thunderbird8588:

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.

[thunderbird8588]

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.

[nobarkus]

@thunderbird8588:

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.

[valgelammas]

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

[Patty]

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.

[thunderbird8588]

@nobarkus:

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

[thunderbird8588]

@Patty:

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 ?

[Patty]

I personally don't do any soaking but I do ensure that mine have a good drink after their meals - I do this by using juices from their meat mixed with water and any vegetable juice available and with a drop of milk to colour it. (They each have about 6 ozs). In that way I ensure that they do have some liquid as they seldom drink unless they have a temperature. I always feel that unsoaked biscuit is better for them to crunch.

[tanza]

@Patty:

I personally don't do any soaking but I do ensure that mine have a good drink after their meals - I do this by using juices from their meat mixed with water and any vegetable juice available and with a drop of milk to colour it. (They each have about 6 ozs). In that way I ensure that they do have some liquid as they seldom drink unless they have a temperature. I always feel that unsoaked biscuit is better for them to crunch.

LOL… my girls drink all the time (of course they run and play hard... so therefore are ready to drink) and have wonderful intact of water... I have often wondered if a Basenjis lack of water intake has anything to do with health concerns later in life.... I have found that my Basenjis that from an early age have a good water intake do better later in life and found that it really does... Not that the old "you can lead a Horse to Water" doesn't hold true.. but I have found that better health for both liver and kidneys with those that have had good water intake habits early in life, has paid off later in life... this is just my opinion.....

[DebraDownSouth]

@Patty:

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.

As someone who feeds raw, and sees fine powder poo, trust me dogs digest the raw just fine. In fact I don't give sterilized bones as so hard they can crack their teeth and I have had some very aggressive chewers. Take a flashlight and check your dog's teeth occasionally and remove hard bones if you start seeing crack lines.

Dogs eat and process far harder bones than chicken… pork neck and others... Do what you feel comfortable with, but please be aware there are now masses of raw meaty bone feeders and the dogs are healthy and fine.