Best Dog food for bad teeth?

kwitt22

My 5.5 year old (guess she was a rescue) pug mix recently had 10 teeth pulled. I would like to make sure it doesn't happen again and would like to get a better dog food for her. Any suggestions for dog food that is better for the teeth?

closapio

There really isn't a good food for teeth. I mean, you could buy a dental food, but it is probably going to be kibble, and it is going to do the same thing for your dog's teeth that any other kibble will (nothing).

Brushing your dog's teeth and giving her something on which to chew will do the most to help her teeth. My dogs love Nylabones and antlers.

aggiebug

Vohc.org

Is like the ADA for veterinary medicine. They review scientific studies and put their seal of approval on products that can help with oral health. As well as appropriate chew toys as many popular toys, including nylabones, are too hard and break teeth.

The site has a ton of great info and a long list of approved products

Sillygirl45

I agree with pp's. Any quality dog food and chew toys/nylabone will help. I would ask the vet what caused this in the first place and go from there. Small breeds often have issues because their teeth can end up crowded and prone to decay. Your pup may need more frequent dental cleanings and tooth brushing.

stokesm21

A raw diet will help with that.  Even with fewer teeth you can always feed ground.  I know it's a stretch, a lot of people aren't open to raw and fear it because they aren't properly educated (including vets!)  I hesitated mentioning it here for those that would go off on me about it.  But hey, I'm a huge advocate because it has done wonders for my cats.  (Take note my cats were kibble fed before we went raw so I've been on both sides of the fence)   

It would also limit the amount of dental cleanings and tooth brushing you would need to do.  Anyways if you're interested in learning a bit more don't hesitate to PM me!  And if not, well I understand!   

aggiebug

As a veterinarian with a strong interest in nutrition I have done a lot of research into all diets. There is no scientific proof that raw diets help dental disease. There are actually reports of increased dental fractures fed some raw diets. As well as a severely imbalanced diets and higher risk of bacterial shedding and septicemia in raw fed dogs

RedheadBaker

aggiebug said:

As a veterinarian with a strong interest in nutrition I have done a lot of research into all diets. There is no scientific proof that raw diets help dental disease. There are actually reports of increased dental fractures fed some raw diets. As well as a severely imbalanced diets and higher risk of bacterial shedding and septicemia in raw fed dogs

Because scientific studies are sponsored by kibble companies, and the raw diet has no marketing machine to sponsor studies. 

Gnawing on bones helps scrape tartar off teeth. 

aggiebug

RedheadBaker said:

aggiebug said:

As a veterinarian with a strong interest in nutrition I have done a lot of research into all diets. There is no scientific proof that raw diets help dental disease. There are actually reports of increased dental fractures fed some raw diets. As well as a severely imbalanced diets and higher risk of bacterial shedding and septicemia in raw fed dogs

Because scientific studies are sponsored by kibble companies, and the raw diet has no marketing machine to sponsor studies. 

Gnawing on bones helps scrape tartar off teeth. 

A) just because scientific studies are done by a company doesn't make them bad.

not all studies are done by food companies, in fact most of the nutritional guideline studies were not sponsored by food companies and all the raw research I have seen was done at universities with no grant money from the big bad companies.

C) chewing bones fracture teeth. I see it all the time. I had to removed a fractured tooth in a healthy 2yr old dog who came in because "she just won't chew on her bone any more" just last week.

The recommendation is to not let them chew on something you can hammer a nail with.

DaniGirl1372

aggiebug said:

aggiebug said:

As a veterinarian with a strong interest in nutrition I have done a lot of research into all diets. There is no scientific proof that raw diets help dental disease. There are actually reports of increased dental fractures fed some raw diets. As well as a severely imbalanced diets and higher risk of bacterial shedding and septicemia in raw fed dogs

Because scientific studies are sponsored by kibble companies, and the raw diet has no marketing machine to sponsor studies. 

Gnawing on bones helps scrape tartar off teeth. 

A) just because scientific studies are done by a company doesn't make them bad. not all studies are done by food companies, in fact most of the nutritional guideline studies were not sponsored by food companies and all the raw research I have seen was done at universities with no grant money from the big bad companies. C) chewing bones fracture teeth. I see it all the time. I had to removed a fractured tooth in a healthy 2yr old dog who came in because "she just won't chew on her bone any more" just last week. The recommendation is to not let them chew on something you can hammer a nail with.

My vet just mentioned this yesterday - his rule of thumb was "If I can hit you in the leg with it and it would hurt, don't give it to your dog to chew on." He said the issue is that the chewing causes small fractures like spiderweb breaks in a car windshield. At some point, those spiderwebs come together and the whole tooth breaks.

marleyjustine

Since making the switch to a raw diet, we have noticed many improvements with our dog's health, including her teeth

Marley
www.marleyjustine.com

Mrs.Hizzo

You might consider a dehydrated or freeze-dried diet. They're very easy to chew, much like canned food. Grandma Lucy's or The Honest Kitchen are both good ones. They are quite expensive, compared to kibble. however.