Hey Woofa’s,

Getting your dog’s teeth cleaned at the Vet seems to be a popular thing these days.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this!  However when I was younger and we had dogs this was unheard of.

Nor did we ever clean our dog’s teeth with doggy toothpaste and toothbrush, or put stuff in their water for good teeth and breath???

Dental hygiene is important both for us and our dogs, don’t get me wrong.

AND I’m all for modern advances and technologies in the medical professions including Veterinary Practices, I’m just wondering what our other dogs had BEFORE this became a thing!!

Dogs have been a part of my life for a good 40 something years!!  I can’t remember ever having any of our dogs teeth cleaned at the Vet!

So this got me thinking, what did we do back then?

We didn’t do anything, the dogs did it themselves – by chewing!

Now I’m not talking the annoying chewing that puppies do when teething, I’m talking adolescent and adult chewing.

I’m talking raw bones and chew toys!

None of our dogs ever had to have their teeth cleaned or pulled and this is why!

HOW DO OUR DOGS GET BAD TEETH AND BREATH IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Because of their food.

We give them wet food and it can stay in their teeth and gums and cause decay and rotting if it’s allowed to build up.

Dry food aka kibble does help a little to get the wet food off their teeth because they have to chew it, it’s harder.

However, that can get stuck there as well.

It’s not like our dogs run their tongues over their teeth to remove the excess food, it just stays there.

They don’t rinse their mouth with water or mouth wash to remove it either.

So all this excess build up can cause issues with mouth and teeth hygiene.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO LET YOUR DOG CHEW!

My cousin’s dog AJ is 10 and has a perfect set of clean white teeth!  Even their Vet asks if they clean his teeth because they’re so good.

They never have!

Their secret is they let him chew!

He chews raw bones and his chew toys everyday.

And his dental hygiene is perfect.

Billy is 11 and he has a little discolouring on some of his teeth but the Vet always says his teeth are fine.

Because Billy is a chewer, not so much of bones anymore but he loves his chew toys, mainly balls.

He puts in a few good chew sessions throughout the day/night and we let him.

It’s a dogs version of cleaning their teeth, so to speak.

STAGES OF CHEWING!

Throughout their life your dog will go through certain stages of definite chewing.

1. Puppy Stage – puppies like to chew everything, similar to the way babies/toddlers put everything in their mouth.  They’re checking it out, tasting it, seeing what it is.

Puppies also go through teething, similar to the way kids do.  They start to lose their baby teeth as their adult teeth come through.

It’s why it’s good to have a lot of toys, raw bones or dehydrated foods for them to chew on, instead of you!

I don’t believe it’s painful for them it’s just a stage of life.

2. Adolescent Stage – Your dog may still have some puppy teeth to come out but sometimes this stage is where their chewing can be more on the naughty side, testing our patience.

They may steal shoes, kids toys, chew the lounge, their bedding, anything on the floor or that they can reach.

My Pop always said, ‘Never take something away from a child without replacing it with something else!’

So for me it’s the same for your dog, you don’t want them to chew something, move it out of their reach but give them something they are allowed to chew on instead.

Ideally more than one thing.

3. Adult Stage – I think you get the idea by now that chewing is a good thing for your dog.  So yes allow them to chew, the right things, throughout their life.

This will give them great dental hygiene.

WHAT SHOULD I LET MY DOG CHEW?

• Chew Toys – you can get them on-line, from pet stores or big department stores.  You’ve got to make sure you get toys that are appropriate for your dog’s jaw size.  With Billy’s toy balls, I always get them a little bigger, they can fit in his mouth but there’s no way he can swallow it.   You also want hard chewing materials, not stuff that if they bite it will come off in their mouth and they will swallow it.  For Billy the KONG brand is a good strong toy in the balls (he got through the bone shape).  He used to have a Pooch Puff Ball but I haven’t been able to find them anymore.  In the picture he has his Soda Pup Toy which is strong. There’s cheaper versions I’ve tried but he gets through them too easy.

• RAW Bones – if your dog will chew on a bone, give them a raw bone.  Again make sure it’s the right size for your dog’s mouth.  I always get them so they’re much bigger than Billy’s mouth so it won’t get stuck in his throat and he’s got to chew on it.  The whole reason you want to give it to them is so they chew.

• Dehydrated Dog Treats – I prefer to give Billy dehydrated treats because they’re also nutritional.  Dentastix and other things like them have no nutrition in them.  Billy currently has Shark Cartilage because it’s also good for him.  There’s heaps of dehydrated products out there, just make sure whatever it is is not too fatty and is good for your dog’s health as well as keeps them chewing.  We get our dehydrated stuff from both Primal Prey K9 Nutrition and Clear Dog Treats.

• Raw Carrot – is another option to try.  A customer used to give their dogs a dentastix every morning but his Vet told him there’s no nutrition in them and to try them with a carrot.  Now Billy won’t eat one so I no longer try, but if you’ve got a small dog with a small jaw, why not give them a go?

I’m sure there’s plenty of products out there on the market but these are just a few ideas to get you started.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

It’s important that our dogs have good dental hygiene.

Allowing your dog to chew assists with this.

Chew toys, dehydrated treats, raw bones and even a raw carrot are all things you can try with your dog.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHAT YOUR DOG CHEWS ON?