Cleaning Teeth

[jamesc94 2]

Recently (about 3 weeks ago) I started feeding my dogs a raw diet and their teeth have cleaned up pretty well without me doing anything else. Except their upper canines and the upper molars on one side of one dog which look as bas as ever and I haven't noticed her favouring one side to chew with. Will these teeth clean themselves up too given more time or is there anything I should do? I've tried scraping them with my nail but the plaque/tartar (not sure which) is pretty solid and not going anywhere. They don't look as if they use their canines to eat with so I'm not sure how they'll clean up

[robadoo 212]

You can get dentists plaque scrapers on eBay for a few quid mate , he prob not like it at 1st tho . Once you get on top of it the bones should keep the majority of the plaque off. Atb .

[jamesc94 2]

cheers mate i'll se if I can get one of those and give it a try

[Matthew Phillips 36]

Feed raw WITH bones. Chicken carcass is a good one as it's got plenty for them to crunch on.

 

Another option is raw carrot chunked or strips(like for dipping). They need to crunch it and at the same time cleans their teeth. Cheap as chips, nutritious and all you need to do is give it to them....simples!

[skycat 6,173]

Getting the tartar off canine teeth and molars is best done with as small blunt knife. Easiest if you get the dog to lie down next to you with its head on your lap, so you can exert the necessary pressure, which may be quite considerable as you have to prise the tartar away from the tooth. Hold the dog's head steady and put the edge of the knife at right angles to the gum right at the top of the tooth just below the gumline and prise away, going ONLY away from the gum, so if you slip, you don't slice into the gum itself. If your dog trusts you it is easily done, though needs a bit of patience. Just be very careful not to go into the gum, and stop immediately if the dog shows signs of pain. In very bad cases, or if the tooth is chipped or broken, it may have exposed the nerve which of course will hurt like hell.

If the gumline is red and swollen it means that there is an infection there, caused by the tartar. This is called gingivitis and needs veterinary treatment.

[jamesc94 2]

Ah right thanks guys i'll give that a go. But they won't eat veg that I give them. One eats small bits of fruit but the other won't touch any fruit either. Is there a way round this?

[skycat 6,173]

Mince it very finely, or steam it lightly then mash into their food.

[jamesc94 2]

i'll try that cheers skycat and just used the blunt knife on the first dog and his canines are now spotless!

[jigsaw 11,863]

have you considered a power washer,not industrial strength of course,just get the lips parted and give a fast blast,you also find they become less likely to retrieve their prey dead to hand.

[jamesc94 2]

Haha they don't retrieve prey anyway