9 replies to this topic

[amkuska]

 

I've been hugely lazy about brushing Leia's teeth since signing her up for a dental. You can imagine how surprised and pleased I was to see the huge chunk of calculus missing from Leia's tooth. This is especially impressive because I went through great lengths (contacting the C.E.T. toothpaste company, various vets, etc.) in order to determine whether or not toothbrushing will help remove the build up. (It won't) which leaves the raw food as the potential cause of this calculus removal.

 

What's particularly impressive to me is that Leia doesn't chew. Nothing presses on her teeth hard enough to pull that crap off. I've tried with my fingernails. She is offered bones but never takes them. This is all enzyme action I think.

[Prey Model Raw]

That's great!! I love seeing progress photos of teeth.

[Britt0325]

That's great!

I feed premade too and I've been trying to get my dogs teeth better. Thankfully, he does like to chew but there hasn't been a complete clean up of his teeth since I switched over. I think, because he's older, that all the years being fed kibble did too much damage to easily undo.

Now I've been looking into a bunch of other things I can add into his diet as well to see if anything makes a difference. I read on mercola.com That the Dr had a lot of teeth issues and tarter that cleared up by 50% with the introduction of fermented foods. Something about the good bacteria and enzymes making a huge difference.

I started brushing with coconut oil and applying it to the gums. I'm also thinking about trying to apply raw honey to the gums as well.

If I don't see any noticeable improvement by the beginning of next year I'm going to have to get a dental done and I'm not looking forward to that. He hasn't been under anesthesia since he got fixed at age 1 and I really don't want him to be put under.

[amkuska]

How long has he been on raw? Do you have any photos of his teeth yet? Which food are you feeding?

 

I wouldn't worry too much about how long it's taking. I gave up on Leia's teeth and scheduled a dental only to have it all start flaking off all of a sudden. She's now got 3 clean teeth instead of just one. Can't wait for that canine to clean off

[Britt0325]

He's been on raw for a year with the inclusion of bones, bully sticks, antlers, and a bunch of other chewing things. I think it's just too hard so now I'm trying this coconut oil thing which is supposed to soften tarter. I'm hoping that and the raw diet and chews will all work together to do the job and get his teeth clean.

I haven't been taking photos, never thought to do it, but I'm thinking it might be a good idea. Maybe there has been some improvement and I'm just not realizing. Having something to actually look back at as reference would probably help me out a bit.

[amkuska]

Hmm, I would think at a year you'd see a difference. Let m eknow if the coconut oil seems to help.

[Prey Model Raw]

I would expect to see a difference after a year as well....does he seem to chew things thoroughly? 

 

Taking photos is a great way to track progress

[Britt0325]

I figure even if the coconut oil doesn't do much to soften the tarter is should help kill off and bad bacteria in the mouth at least. I'll let you know if it seems to really make a difference though

Natalie,

He does seem to chew pretty thoroughly. I think the best thing has been the antlers I give but he isn't always interested in those. The bully stick he likes pretty well and he seems to put in a lot of effort chewing it so I think I'll probably have to get those more often. Just not sure they'll be the best thing for his stomach if he had one every day.

I'm thinking I might try freezing some turkey necks to make them harder for him to chew. He only gets those every once in a while but maybe I'll try cutting down on his food for a month and give one daily to see if that helps.

[Prey Model Raw]

I would definitely go with turkey necks (or chicken or duck depending on size) because the composition and shape of the neck vertebra is perfect for scaling tartar buildup on teeth. I like to call them a "dog's toothbrush" 

[amkuska]

More big news for Leia. Her liver enzymes are WITHIN NORMAL RANGE!!!!! XD

 

Eat this expensive but useless vet visits!: