Skip to content

Dog dental chew sticks recommendations

Basenji Health Issues & Questions

Suggested Topics

  • Beware of Bully Sticks

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    2k Views
    elbrantE
    @jengosmonkey said in Beware of Bully Sticks: just open a back door and say "SQUIRREL!" :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing:
  • Dental issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    8k Views
    nodakerdebN
    Periodontal disease is a tough one to get on top of once it takes hold (in both humans and dogs) because the bacteria gets down in the pockets and it is very difficult to keep clean. People have better luck because they have the ability to floss daily, but that is very difficult with a dog – and believe me, I've tried. :D Periodontal disease is not the same as an auto-immune disease that dogs can get (lest I be accused of getting them confused). I believe the reason our furry companions, and especially the dry-mouth (non-slobbering types) often get it is because of a couple things in addition to not being able to floss. 1. They don't slobber so their mouths really don't get a good natural rinse, and 2. they are fed an unnatural diet. In the wild they would be crunching up bones which acts like a natural toothbrush/floss, and they wouldn't be eating cereal grains which are carbs on steroids turning to sugar once it hits the saliva. There are kibbles out there that do not contain grains which may help by keeping the sugars at bay in the mouth. Evo is one, Instinct is another. Feeding raw is a great alternative. I am also a big fan of the PetzLife product and think it works wonders to keep plaque at bay on the teeth, but not sure how well it works with the plague and bacteria already under the gumline. My rat terrier does not have periodontal disease. I feed him Evo and brush his teeth daily (with a three-sided toothbrush) with Petzlife and he has the teeth of a two year old which isn't bad considering he's almost 11. If his gut could handle it I'd feed him raw, but that has not bode well with him unfortunately. FWIW, in a past life I worked as a chairside assistant for a dentist so I do know a bit about teeth and periodontal disease. I came away from that experience realizing that if I were on a deserted island I'd rather have an endless supply of dental floss vs. a toothbrush. I would be more likely to keep my teeth with the first rather that the latter. Now if we could just figure out how to floss a dog's teeth. :)
  • Recommended Vaccinations?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    31
    0 Votes
    31 Posts
    9k Views
    Kris_ChristineK
    renaultf1, I wish the state would also accept titers for rabies, but maybe in the future they will. There is an in-house titer kit available from Synbiotics in San Diego called "TiterChek" that vets can do at their office to check for adequate antibody levels on a pass/fail basis – it won't give you a specific antibody count the way a titer sent to a lab will, but it will let you know if your animal has enough to protect them. We have those done whenever we need to board our dogs rather than having boosters. Kris
  • Pedigree dogs exposed

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    41
    0 Votes
    41 Posts
    19k Views
    I
    Clearly I haven't got stats on Basenjis in Congo, but my colleague has just come back from Basankusu (where the mentioned recently-imported dogs were found, unless I'm mistaken) and she has several photos of at least three separate packs of 6-8 dogs. Who all look much more like Basenjis than Delta ever does :)
  • Dentals….

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    4k Views
    nala121498N
    That is great news!
  • Chewing himself

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    4k Views
    DukeD
    Hi Ripley - Glad you're back and very happy that Ripley is getting better. She may have gotten an alergic reaction - seemingly. Off this topic and out of curiosity, how is Ripley doing with the crate training issue in a previous post. http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=215 I hope you'll let us know if any advice worked for you. :)