# teeth



## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

My dogs have been raw fed since middle of August, yet their teeth aren't free of the tartar yet. What am I not feeding them that could help this. Or does it take a long time?

Thanks!
Carol


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What cuts are you primarily feeding?


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

Yeah, I didn't want to say this, but Ania's teeth never really got pearly white. We got her as a puppy and fed her high quality kibble before we switched her to raw when she turned one. Obviously, I blame the kibble.

We've fed her the same as you all do, but the tartar never really scaled away. She hurt her little leg a couple weeks ago and had to have the pus drained away. So I asked the vet if while she was out, they would clean her teeth. ANd they did! For free!!

So now they are white. And I think they'll stay that way with the raw diet.

But I wonder why the never cleared up on their own?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Emmy has perpetual tartar on one side of her mouth because her teeth don't align right. Shiloh will also have perpetual tartar on one side of her mouth because she broke a major chewing tooth on that side on a knuckle bone so she doesn't chew much on that side anymore. Bailey has tartar only on her canines because she doesn't use them to chew. Akasha has a small amount of tartar on her teeth because she gulps everything and doesn't spend much time chewing well LOL

As long as your dog's gumline is not red, swollen, bleeding or receded at all...mild tartar isn't really causing harm to the actual tooth. You'd be surprised how pearly white teeth are buried under a thick layer of tartar!


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## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Oh, thought it was just my dogs.

So, my dogs eat:

chicken backs,
pork riblets - kind with cartilage
stewing meat
chicken quarters
pork roast
etc.
pork shoulder (bone in that only Toffee eats. Jellybean can't manage it with her worn teeth

I guess, the only things they eat with bones is the chicken. 

What specifically are the best meats (cheap too) for teeth cleaning? I guess I could go more expensive if it will clean their teeth.

I really would like for them to have sparkling teeth. But I can see now that it might not happen. C'est la guerre.

Thanks everyone.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

If you can find turkey necks or frames I would feed those. They provide a good decent chew for even a gulper type dog.


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## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

Okay. That'll be hard to find. I guess the closest I can find is the chicken backs (2 for $3.00). They're quite large - each one is about 3 lbs I think. It takes them quite a while to chew them up.


Carol


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I don't know, my dogs teeth are awesome looking and they've been raw fed for almost 2 yrs and kibble fed for just over a yr. I do always have some sort of a bone for them to chew on available though, whethers its lamb, venison, or beef rib bones and they also have the deer antlers too.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

1. Turkey necks

2. Pork spare ribs

:biggrin:


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

BrownStandardPoodle said:


> Okay. That'll be hard to find. I guess the closest I can find is the chicken backs (2 for $3.00). They're quite large - each one is about 3 lbs I think. It takes them quite a while to chew them up.


I don't think you are going to find a chicken back that weighs 3lbs. Most whole chickens you find in the grocery store weigh about that. Maybe they are turkey backs?


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

I like beef ribs, the dogs don't eat much of the bone but have a blast pulling the soft stuff off and gnawing on the bumpy end. Once a week this would knock a lot of nasty stuff of the dog's teeth back when they were kibble fed.

Some people really like pork shanks. Never found any of those but the lowest bit of a pork picnic roast has the skin with very little fat under it and a nice bone to gnaw on. Max says they are very yummy.

Max is 10 years old and his teeth have a few brown deposits, mostly on the canines. His gums are in really good shape.

If you want to do it whole prey might do more. I should check Max's teeth before he gets a llama head and after, suspect that thing is really good for teeth.


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## hcdoxies (Sep 22, 2010)

I have been feeding RAW for 26 months now. I have two dogs who were in kibble for 5 years prior to RAW, so their teeth have lots of tarter and mess on them. The RAW has helped some, but it's still pretty bad. I think you may have to start with a clean slate.

On the other hand - my 10 month old girl, Lizzy, was born here and has been fed PMR from 5 weeks old. Her teeth are pearly white, awesome... not a speck of tarter or plaque on them.


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## BrownStandardPoodle (Aug 22, 2010)

hcdoxies - yeah, my brown poodle was only fed kibble for a year and a half. His teeth are good. Might be one spot of tartar. But my black poodle was fed raw for 5 1/2 years. But, her bottom teeth look fine now. There has been an improvement. Only her top teeth don't look good. But her gums look fine.

sassymaxmom - I've never tried beef ribs. Are you talking about the ribs from prime rib???? Sounds pretty expensive.

Rawfeddogs - two chicken backs are in one package. So each chicken back is 1 1/2 lbs. or thereabouts.

I've never given my dogs recreational bones yet. What would I start with. And turkey necks are impossible to find. Believe me I've tried everywhere.

Thanks!!

Carol


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Have you given beef ribs yet? Those are great rec bones for them to chew after they've gotten the meat off. The venison I ordered I also got some leg bones for them to chew on and also the lamb order came with bones. These are all good bones for rec. chewing, and good luck with finding turkey necks in the future.


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## deb9017 (Aug 31, 2010)

I use beef ribs for rec bones. I just buy a big slab of beef ribs like you would put on the BBQ pit and then cut them apart and give him a little at a time. My Dane tears all the meat off and then chews on the bone FOREVER without really even making a dent in the bone. Some dogs do eat the bones from them though.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Those are the bones but there isn't much meat attached so they are cheap. I buy them on sale for $1-1.50 a pound as BBQ ribs. 

There is a wiggly bone at the top from the vertebra the ribs attached to that is a swallowing hazard. Max generally gives them to me but Sassy would have swallowed them so I cut them off before giving the bones to the dogs. 

Two ribs has enough meat to count as a full day's meal for Max and is at least 4 times more fun to eat than a single rib for both of us. I enjoy watching him wrestle with them and he sure enjoys the challenge.

I take away the bare bone and sometimes the ribs can be eaten for some reason so as always be prepared to trade for them if you are worried about how it is going.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

Beef ribs... :wink:


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

I second beef ribs and turkey necks.

Also you might want to try something like Petzlife to help get it started.


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