Hi All, Cleo's teeth have gotten progressively more yellow since I got her 4 months ago. I brush her teeth with my finger almost every night but I don't think that's enough. She is not too fond of me using a toothbrush or even a finger brush. I started using Petri-Science perio powder which a friend uses that breaks up and softens tartar and freshens breath. But you still need to get the tartar off. I would love to give Cleo a chew that will promote healthy teeth and gums. She is such a food inhaler though that I'm so worried about her ingesting pieces that are to big. I also know that rawhides can be bad too so I don't want to give them to her. I did buy a Whimzee stick today at the pet store and wanted to ask if anyone has used them? It is shaped like a star and is made out of only 6 ingredients and is gluten free. It's completely digestible and the stick is pretty big. I'm still concerned about it breaking off. She's not a big chewer on toys...she gets all her meals frozen in Kongs but she licks them rather than trying to chew them. I think part of it is that I'm a brand new pup mom so I'm like a helicopter mom. lol. I'm so concerned with her hurting herself or eating something she shouldn't (even though I know all dogs do!) or eating a piece of something that's too big. She chews her biscuit treats and has never choked on them and she sometimes gags on kibble but just coughs it back up. She's never actually choked but I don't want to give her something that will potentially make her choke! Sorry I rambled a bit there! Anyways...if anyone has any experience with Whimzees or any other suggestions for a chew that will help promote better oral health for Cleo without having much of a choking hazard I'm all ears! Thanks all!
Hi there The best thing you can do for teeth is clean them properly. No chew, or bones, or anything else is better than cleaning her teeth properly. I personally don't give chews and so on for the benefit of teeth (I give some chews just because my dogs like them). My older dog can crunch up a duck neck and gobble it down in microseconds. No-one can tell me that's doing anything much for his teeth. And big bones are (I believe) far too much risk for teeth. So, I'd concentrate on getting her used to a good toothbrush, and if you are cleaning properly, any yellowing is just caused by the teeth getting older (unless you are feeding something mad which is staining them, I'm sure you are not).
Mine have a Bonio and a piece of dried tripe every night, the nearly five year olds teeth do not have a trace of tartar because of this. I didn't do it in the beginning of the 10 year olds life, but they are in excellent condition now with a little tartar. Vet is pleased with their condition.
Our labs have always had rawhides, nylabones, and sterile bones to chew on. Rawhides are gone pretty quickly but the other two last for a long time. We don't brush their teeth, and the vet has never cleaned them or suggest that they needed cleaning. Ginger had one bad tooth when she died at 16 but the rest looked great. (the bad one had died but it did not have anything to do with plaque or cleaning, and it did not cause her any problems) Tilly's still look very white at almost 11 yrs, though not a white as they did when she was a pup. Cooper's are very white also.
I think teaching your dog to have her teeth brushed is a very valuable thing indeed. Most dogs don't like it at first, so you have to approach it gradually in order that they don't freak out. Here's a great thread with discussion and videos. http://thelabradorforum.com/threads/charlies-june-training-teeth-cleaning.6321/
