Teeth

How important is teeth care ? Reason i ask is i have seen alot of bulldogs with bad teeth. Imo teeth care is very important. Teeth are your dogs tools an they should be keep healthy .

Whats some of the things that you do an dont do to keep your dogs teeth strong an healty ?

 

not much.i only feed kibble and i make sure they always have a bone to chew on.occasionally i will brush there teeth,but not often.never had a dog with bad teeth.

 

Along with a suitable chew toy being great for teeth care, the most important factor is not letting them chew what they shouldnt. One thing i certainley dont do is the tyre thing. Many people do, and I used to, until some one advised me against it. Not only do they have horrendous steel beads hidden away inside them, but they dull your dogs teeth. Some say wheelbarrow tyres are good, and yes, they dont have the steel in them, but they are still going to dull the teeth. Think what would happen if you rubbed a blade up and down a rubber car tyre all day long. Your gunna end up with one blunt blade.

 

where were you when I posted a thread about ropes and tires then luge? :mad:

 

I think genetics plays a big part in the quality of teeth.

I have fed 12+ dogs the same food and occasional bone and noted the teeth on them all. Some get dirty and tartared within a few months and need to be cleaned; others have NEVER had their teeth cleaned and you can't find a thing on those teeth at 5 year of age. Size of teeth does vary as well, sometimes with the biggest dogs having the smallest teeth! Missing teeth are a problem in some lines as well....

Dreamer

 

Aaaw im sorry joey&zoey, ill try hader next time! . Dont panic and go run and tear down your tyre just on what i have said though lol! It wont kill your dog or make all its teeth fall out over night. I know some pretty knowledgable people who dont see anything wrong with tyres. But personally i dont like them, given what i said on the subject. Thats my perception of it, you can take it or leave it. Remember what works for you works for you.

 

haha it's fine but well I haven't given any tires to her just yet they did give me a heads up regarding the wires and or such in them and I had figured before I had even asked, that there would be some down fall regarding that perspective. Very true about what works for you work for you statement though :dogkiss:but I will take this into consideration to give or not to give thanks Luge!

 

I always found that if you give the dog a good femur bone that you can pick up at the butchers it does a fine job of keeping the teeth in top condition.

 

I've never had a dog with dental issues; short of one of mine shattering a molar recently. This was taken right after it happened, he went to the vet that day and we had it extracted.


He is weird, though. He chews/attacks chains, bricks, anything that even looks like a stick (Including trying to take an older gentleman's cane).

But as far as basic upkeep... Feed a good diet and give them healthy things to chew on; like Old Timer said, beef femurs are excellent.

 

thanks everyone . I guess I will stick with good ol femurs lol.

 

i agree 100% thats what i have found in my
''semi-research'' lol what do you all think does genetics play a big part in the health of your dogs teeth

 

Dont worry...a wheelbarrow tire will not dull your dog's teeth. But a steel belted radial can.

 

wheelbarrow tires last like 30mins before my dogs have them ripped all up into little peices

 

Personally I'd stay away from the big beef femur bones/dino bones from the butchers.These bones are extremly dense and may cause teeth damage.I've found the best bones for teeth cleaning are bones that have a thick covering of meat like untrimmed lamb shanks or turkey drumsticks,both of which I can get pretty cheap.

 

Those might work well, But I just felt the need to elaborate on the femur bones and how they might cause teeth damage.

I have been using femur bones going on about 60 years now and I have never had a dog get any tooth problems from them, In fact it is just the opposite. Their teeth are perfectly clean and healthy from chewing them. But with that said a person can't just give them the bone and forget about it, You need to keep a watchful eye to them and be sure and take the bone away. Only problem I have even heard of folks getting with the femur bones are some bacteria if they don't wipe the bone down and store it right when the dog isn't chewing it. I haven't experienced anything like that thank the Lord but I always wipe them down and store them right, I also make sure that each dog keeps their own bone.

Like I said what you use may work well but I just felt the need to elaborate a little on the femur bone subject.

 

how do you store them ? an do you just wash off with clean water ?

 

Yeah I just wipe them down with water and I usually put them in a plastic box and write the name of the dog on it. Reason I like plastic boxes are they are cheap, last a good long while, you can put a lid on it and they can be cleaned out.