# Mouth Deformities and raw feeding



## maplewood (Apr 14, 2011)

My big girls are still on kibble till we run out and I'll most likely switch them to raw. 

I've read dog with mouth/facial deformities sometimes have trouble with raw. One of my girls has a "WRY" bite, basically her muzzle is crooked. The top half goes one direction (left) and the bottom half goes the other (right)

Has anyone here have any experience with feeding raaw to dog with facial/jaw problems?


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## RaisingWolves (Mar 19, 2011)

I'm not sure if this will help. My girl (now in heaven) had a wry mouth. She could chew smaller bones like backs and wings, but I also fed ground mix back in my early raw feeding days. It took her longer to eat but she managed just fine. 

Here are photos of her mouth...not the worst wry mouth I've seen.


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## maplewood (Apr 14, 2011)

That's about what Lilly's face looks like. She also has a problem of gulping/inhaling her kibble. I guess one of my main concerns is if she tries to swallow a to large piece or not being able to chomp pieces so they're small enough to swallow.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Chelsy has a jaw malformation. She has the worst overbite I have ever seen. Basically her top jaw sticks over her bottom jaw by almost an inch. She almost has no bottom jaw to speak of and her tongue is normal length so it hangs out the side of her mouth. She has a lot of trouble actually just picking the food up so she has to gulp down what she eats and I hand feed her a lot. She can't chew bones at all so I grind her food, but not too fine. She does best with chunks that are just small enough for her to gulp down. 

The funny thing is that she ate kibble just fine. I think maybe it was dry enough to stick to her tongue and let her gulp it down in batches.


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## RaisingWolves (Mar 19, 2011)

I think every dog is different and you have to know your dog. My girl was extremely patient chewing and was never in a hurry to swallow. 
My mastiff puppy who has a perfect mouth tries to swallow before chewing thoroughly, and when she swallows pieces that are too large, she yaks it back up.
You can try giving her a wing or back and see how it goes. I use to hammer the bones for my mastiff puppy until I learned to feed larger pieces!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

chowder said:


> Chelsy has a jaw malformation. She has the worst overbite I have ever seen. Basically her top jaw sticks over her bottom jaw by almost an inch. She almost has no bottom jaw to speak of and her tongue is normal length so it hangs out the side of her mouth. She has a lot of trouble actually just picking the food up so she has to gulp down what she eats and I hand feed her a lot. She can't chew bones at all so I grind her food, but not too fine. She does best with chunks that are just small enough for her to gulp down.
> 
> The funny thing is that she ate kibble just fine. I think maybe it was dry enough to stick to her tongue and let her gulp it down in batches.


i have the exact same issue as Chowder - dog with few teeth, horrible overbite. I am grinding food with bones in it, chopping up very small bites of chicken, and giving her a bone larger than she can swallow to gnaw on, for her teeth.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

My Emmy has a jaw that is crooked too. Doesnt slow her down one bit! Only thing is she gets tartar buildup on one side because it doesn't line up right for natural tartar cleaning from bones


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## RaisingWolves (Mar 19, 2011)

My girl had tarter build up on one tooth that was turned all the way up. It was a canine tooth. She never lost the tooth to decay or anything. She had all her teeth and they were in pretty good shape when she passed away.


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## maplewood (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks.

I guess I tend to worry about them too much.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

maplewood said:


> Thanks.
> 
> I guess I tend to worry about them too much.


Haha - then you're normal!


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## Kofismom (Sep 14, 2010)

maplewood said:


> Thanks.
> 
> I guess I tend to worry about them too much.


Since I have an English Bulldog, I had some concerns also.
I was encouraged by Dr. Lonsdales advice in his Raw Meaty Bones Book:
"It is true that dogs with flat faces such as Bulldogs and Pekingese may experience a degree of difficulty with chewing and swallowing. Due to their misshapen jaws these dogs need more, not less chewing in order to cleanse their oral cavity. I do not believe flatfaced dogs should be denied the benefits of a more natural diet.
[BHowever where increased risks exist increased vigilance is necessary.[/B]
I just watch her closely, and give her what she handles best.
Relax and have fun, and watch them thrive.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I really think that every dog that is CAPABLE, should get as many raw meaty bones and whole meats included into their diet as possible. To know if their capable, you have to give them a fair chance. 
In all honesty, my Boxer has a perfect bite for her breed. BUT, it still can take her over an hour to eat her dinner. I don't baby her, I don't cater. She is a capable canine, and she does eventually get it down. If she loses patience and swallows too soon, her body knows to bring it back up and try again. I feel like her prolonged meals provide much needed extended mental stimulation, and she seems to enjoy herself the entire time. 
Granted, SOME dogs may prove to be incapable. I just think things should be kept as whole as the dog can manage.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Well, I'm not sure how successful Snorkels is - but she's darn sure willing to give it her best shot. I gave her a chicken wing yesterday - all three joints, and I heard her hack a little bit and looked over and she had it ALL swallowed but about 1 inch.

Rebel is still having some issues - maybe I am babying him too much. He will sometimes walk off and leave a piece of meat, and then it's a race to see if I can beat Snorkels to it - she is usually lurking somewhere just waiting for an opportunity.

We'll get the hang of it, i am deciding it just takes a little practice, on both sides.l


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

xellil said:


> Well, I'm not sure how successful Snorkels is - but she's darn sure willing to give it her best shot. I gave her a chicken wing yesterday - all three joints, and I heard her hack a little bit and looked over and she had it ALL swallowed but about 1 inch.
> 
> Rebel is still having some issues - maybe I am babying him too much. He will sometimes walk off and leave a piece of meat, and then it's a race to see if I can beat Snorkels to it - she is usually lurking somewhere just waiting for an opportunity.
> 
> We'll get the hang of it, i am deciding it just takes a little practice, on both sides.l


Yeah for Snorkels!!! I"m thinking of maybe trying to smash a chicken wing with a hammer and let Chelsy have a go at it. The one time I tried her with one, she just mouthed it a lot and finally gave up. Did you smash the wing for Snorkels?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

No, i cut the skin off though and sliced around in the meat so she could grab it - she kind of gummed it for a long time and got it all soggy. She can't actually crunch the bone, I think maybe that's a good idea to hammer it up and I may do that, but i think I will hammer it so much she doesn't get any big pieces. 

Today I noticed she is actually using her teeth a little more, putting her foot on the bone for a brace.

How is the storm recovery coming along?


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