problems chewing?

[courtnek]

My Foxhound, Laurel, has bad teeth and gums....a resuce, not really well cared for in the teeth department (or ears for that matter...)

I have been giving her rawhide to chew on, and also brushing her teeth,
but I noticed something funny about all of them. Freebee has never liked "hard bones"..she would choose to chew on the rawhide after it;s been softened by another dog, which at the time was Alex (who could have chewed thru cement, I swear it)...Both of them now prefer "soft bones", previously chewed, softened by something else...I can understand it with the condition of Laurels teeth and gums, but Freebees are in execellent shape. White, pink, no issues...yet she wont chew unless it is soft....I have been soaking their rawhide in water to soften if up, and they love it that way, but is it still providing the cleaning properties?

Do some dogs just not like hard bones? do they have teeth that need soft things to chew on? They only chew while I'm here, I put the bones up while I'm gone...

[kendalyn]

It may be that Freebee simply prefers the texture of a soft rawhide versus a hard one. If her teeth and gums are in good shape then I wouldn't think they are the problem.

About the cleaning properties, I'm not sure. I would think the cleaning would be less with a softened rawhide but that is just my first inclination. Have you ever tried greenies? They are not as hard as rawhide and are supposed to be great for dogs teeth.

[courtnek]

:oops: :oops: :oops: what are Greenies?

[courtnek]

I have given all of my dogs rawhide, to chew on while I am in attendance, and the vets have always said that will help to keep their teeth clean and healthy. I dont leave them alone with it, just in case, so it's a night time and weekend thing...all of my dogs have had excellent teeth because of it..strong, white, healthy, even in old age...but they all chewed hard rawhide, not softened...

[TDG]

i wouldn't rely too much on any hard or semi-soft chew bone to keep all the teeth clean, no matter if rawhide, denta bone or "real" raw bones. they don't reach all the surfaces and you'll still have some areas that don't get cleaned thoroughly. "hard" stuff isn't always the key, i can attest to that from experiences with icky teeth in dogs who eat kibble that is supposed to keep their teeth clean.

bones or no bones, personally i believe it's much more important that the proper enzymes and beneficial bacteria (probiotics) are present, which regulate the environment in the mouth. just like with humans, dogs are all different - some need a little extra help while others don't. i'm one of the folks who has to put a lot of effort into fighting plaque despite brushing my teeth 3 times a day, while my husband doesn't do much except brush twice a day.

i've seen a difference in my dog since i started feeding cultured yogurt daily (not just starter cultures tho, since they don't survive the stomach to colonize in the intestine). a friend of mine has great results with wysong "dentatreat" powder on a rescue dog with massive dental problems who also had to have several extractions. the poor guy can't eat anything but soft foods and doesn't want to chew anything either. :(

[Rowie-the-Pooh]

Court :wink:
http://www.greenies.com
http://www.greenies.com/html/about/about.html

The websites won't work for me, though... :-?

[Horsefeathers!]

courtnek napisał(a):

:oops: :oops: :oops: what are Greenies?

8th graders!! At least that's what we called them. *snort*

[kendalyn]

TDG Wrote:

not just starter cultures tho, since they don't survive the stomach to colonize in the intestine

It is true that starter cultures such as Streptococcus Thermophilus and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus don't actually colonize the intestine, but they do pave the way for other microorganims. They are considered transient bacteria that provide a growing environment for other lactobacili or bifidobacteria. There is also some evidence that they boost the effectiveness of the immune system.

[TDG]

[quote name='kendalyn']It is true that starter cultures such as Streptococcus Thermophilus and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus don't actually colonize the intestine, but they do pave the way for other microorganims. They are considered transient bacteria that provide a growing environment for other lactobacili or bifidobacteria. There is also some evidence that they boost the effectiveness of the immune system.

yep, starter cultures definitely do have their health benefits as well, but most cultured yogurts only contain termophilus and bulgaricus and none of the colonizing probiotics, so you only get half the health benefits you could get by checking out which cultures are used in the first place. :)

it's one little minor thing that can make quite a difference.