Dental Disease in Dogs
Dental Disease in Dogs
Facts About This Disease:
According to leading experts in Veterinary Dentistry dental disease is the number one medical problem amongst our pets.
It starts with the formation of plaque. This is a combination of bacteria, bits of food, and saliva that sticks to teeth every time the dog eats.
Flat nosed dogs and dogs that have crowded mouths are very prone to this problem. The British Bulldog is a prime example.
Dental Disease:
This includes tartar build-up, inflammation, gingivitis periodontal and jaw problems. It is a fact that over 70% of all dogs and cats will suffer periodontal disease by the age of two.
87% of dogs and 70% of cats over three years of age will also succumb to this serious ailment. Some breeds are more prone to this potentially debilitating and deadly disease.
These include Yorkshire terriers Dachshunds, Greyhounds and Cavaliers to name but a few. Left untreated dental disease can lead to serious infection, tooth loss, bone and jaw damage and severe pain.
They may also be at a far higher risk of contracting, kidney, heart, liver, lung disease, diabetes and cancer. Yet it is one of the easiest diseases to prevent or cure if caught in time.
Why Dogs Get Dental Disease:
Dental problems are generally associated with highly processed manufactured pet foods, especially those with cereals, corn wheat and gluten. Glutens, leave micro-particles adhering to the teeth. If these are not scrubbed off by natural gnawing quality food and natural dogs treats or then dental disease will flourish.
Commercial pet foods, many of which contain high levels of sugars and carbohydrates are cited as the main cause of the dramatic rise in dental disease in our pets.
What You Need to Do:
Check your dog food. Is it high in cereals, grains and carbohydrates?
Are sugar, wheat, corn and gluten mentioned? If so consider looking for a food that does not have any of those ingredients.
(1) Dog Food and Behaviour This is an article where I list the types of dog food available that I have. tested and the ones I recommend and feed my own dogs.
I rate the ones that scored well, by ingredients and with my own dog’s approval ratings, as healthy tasty and free of grains and artificial ingredients, colourants and dangerous E-numbers.
(2) All Natural Air Dried Treats I also give my dogs totally Natural Air Dried Treats. The best five for dental hygiene are Calves Hooves, Beef Scalp, Bulls Pizzles, Cows Horn and Himalayan Yak Milk turned into a super hard cheese
Dump those hideous Kongs. they are made from rubber and have colourants added to them. They do very little if anything for oral hygiene.
They used to label them as indestructible, which has been removed some time ago after dogs chewed lumps off and became very ill. Read this story (3) Dog Nearly Died From Defective Kong
Pedigree Dentastix there is nothing remotely natural about them.- They contain artificial preservatives, artificial flavours, controversial e-numbers, meat derivatives that could come from anything, though hardly likely to be any muscle meat.
Even the flavour comes from what is called animal digest, which is treated with enzymes and sometimes acids to create the flavour. Why not put real flavour in? My recommendation is to steer clear of anything that has the word Artificial in it, never mind all of these other contentious ingredients.
Conclusion:
Your dog’s overall health and lifespan can be affected by dental disease. Kidney, heart and liver disease is rife in our dogs. many caused by not looking after our dog’s teeth.
I recently wrote an article showing that the overall longevity (lifespan) of dogs has reduced by 11% over the last 10 years. Confirmed by in-depth research by the Kennel Club. (4) Research Showing Dramatic Lifespan Reduction in Our Dogs Over Last 10 Years. Poor quality food and inappropriate ingredients are partly to blame for this shocking statistic, lifespan reduction is also affected by oral hygiene and the various diseases it can affect.
£3.50 – £15.99
According to holistic veterinarian Karen Becker:“ These serious health concerns develop or are made worse by the constant presence of oral bacteria flushing into the bloodstream through inflamed or bleeding gum tissue. The good news is that many of these conditions improve once the dental disease is resolved and good oral hygiene is maintained.”
I have owned dogs for over 47 years and never once have any of my dogs had to have their teeth cleaned or an operation to clean or descale them. Over that time I have owned almost 45 dogsThe picture at the top of this page if you reading it on a laptop, tablet or standard computer is of my current dogs 5 Working Cockers and a Miniature Dachshund
Stan Rawlinson February 2017
Last updated 2021
(2) All Natural Air Dried Treats
(3) Dog Nearly Died From Defective Kong
(4) Research Showing Dramatic Lifespan Reduction in Our Dogs Over Last 10 Years
Comments (8)
Air dried treats.
My rescue 2yr old dog terrier had a fair bit of tarter on his back teeth when I got him .He has a knuckle lamb bone to gnaw for half an hour twice a week which has sorted the problem out and his teeth are sparkling.The chews you suggest Stan sound ideal as the bones are not always pleasant and the butcher does not always have one.My concern is with the chews are if a piece gets chewed off and the dog chokes. Is this likely to be a problem.? I have heard of trouble with rawhide chews.
Air Dried Treats
You are right the concern especially with treats like Rawhide which I never ever give to my dogs because it clumps up into a soggy mess and if swallowed can choke.
The treats I use are natural and therefore do not clump up like Rawhide that has been treated. The treats I sell are 100% natural and just air dried in special ovens. Though I always monitor my dogs initially to make sure they are not gulpers. Type into Google Natural Dog Treats I come 1st after the ads.
Which chews
I have a 5 year old Cocker Spaniel with I.B.D. she is on a specific food obtained from my vet.
They have advised no other food or treats to be given I brush her teeth although she doesn’t like it so feel I’m not doing a very good job.Do you have a treat that will help her teeth and she will not break into lumps and then swallow them and it gets lodge in her stomach which has happened in the past.
Many Thanks,
Christine.
Which Chews
Beef Scalp, Bulls Pizzle End Pieces and Chicken Feet and you could also see how she gets on with the Hooves but initially monitor her when she is first given them you will soon see if she should be OK with them.
Whimzee edible toothbrush for dogs
Someone asked me what I thought of Whimzee edible toothbrushes for dogs. I cannot see how anyone would find this natural or healthy. Sorry, but I would not touch them with a bargepole. This is the ingredients
Potato Starch, Glycerin, Powdered Cellulose, Lecithin, Yeast, Malt Extract, Lupine, Annatto Extract Colour, Alfalfa Extract.
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein 1,10%, fat content 2,0%, crude fiber 13,7%, crude ash 2,4%, moisture 12,0%.
Seaweed/kelp and parsley for teeth
What are your thoughts on the above, please? I used to use Plaque-off for my old boy, but it became hideously expensive, so now use CSJ ‘Seaweed and Parsley’ powder — the theory is it softens plaque, so that when the dog chews, plaque is removed.
I use quality Air-dried natural dog treats for all my dogs and their teeth are all intact white and healthy including Fizz my 12-year-old Working Cocker who still works that is the natural way of oral hygiene
Seaweed/kelp and parsley for teeth
I think all are good though certain types of seaweed are not so good Carrageenan for instance.
Carrageenan is an extract of seaweed that has been used as a food additive for hundreds of years. It is widely used in the pet food industry, especially in wet foods, as a gelling, thickening, and stabilising agent. Despite its widespread use and long heritage, though, carrageenan is cited by many as one of the most potentially problematic additives out there.
A whole host of studies have linked food-grade carrageenan (also known as un-degraded carrageenan or just GCN to gastrointestinal inflammation as well as higher rates of intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and even malignant tumours. Degraded carrageenan (dCGN), though, is far more potent. It is a widely recognised carcinogen and is routinely used to induce inflammation in lab animals so that scientists can test anti-inflammation drugs. There is some concern that the acid environment of the stomach may degrade food-grade carrageenan to form dCGN.
While food-grade carrageenan is still permitted as a food additive for both animal and human consumption, it has been banned from infant formula in the EU for precautionary reasons.
I recommend giving it a wide berth. You may be surprised at some of the wet foods that have Carrageenan in them Lilys Kitchen, Naturediet, Natures Harvest and Forthglade. I find the best teeth cleanersare Air Dried Natural Dog Treats especially the longer-lasting ones.
Comments are closed.