Your Questions About Dog Care
Susan asks…
could a specific dog treat make a dog eat his own poop?
my friend’s dog recently started eating his poop after he changed the dog‘s treat brand. he went looking for his favorite treats and they were all sold so he decided to choose a different kind of treat. his dog started eating his poop ! .i suggested that he stops giving him this new treat (even though its an expensive one) .i told him to just put it aside . suddenly the dog stopped eating his poop and went back to normal!. could a treat do that? like leave a certain strong smell in poop that the dog will start eating it ? . i just find it odd. its one of the dental care treats which have kinda minty smell. any experiences with you?.thanks.
Dog Care Expert answers:
Well you kind of correct.My one dog started doing this and I could not believe it ,it made me sick.So I just asked my Vet why some dogs eat they poop.He told me it goes all the way back to when they lived in the wild.The mom would eat their puppies poop and her own poop because she was afraid of pretators finding her and her puppies due to the smell from the poop.So my Vet told me it,s kind of their Instinct to eat it and yes some smells attract them more then others and thankfully not all dogs do it.Like I said I only have 1 out of my 3 who does it.Thank god. Hope this helped. Nicki
Betty asks…
How do YOU care for your dog’s oral hygiene?
-Do you brush your dog‘s teeth? (How often?)
-Do you feed dental treats to your dog? (How often? What kind?)
-Are there any snacks you particularly steer clear of, like peanut butter or other sugary “treats“?
-What breed(s) do you have? Age(s)?
I’m not going to “thumbs down” anyone. This isn’t “what’s the proper way”, it’s “how do YOU care for your dog“.
Dog Care Expert answers:
-Do you brush your dog’s teeth? (How often?)
No, never
-Do you feed dental treats to your dog? (How often? What kind?)
Raw meaty bones, 3-5 a week. I also play tug-o-war with a rope toy and I think that cleans their teeth pretty well.
-Are there any snacks you particularly steer clear of, like peanut butter or other sugary “treats”?
I steer away from anything that contains grains or preservatives/chemicals.
-What breed(s) do you have? Age(s)?
Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Zhena, 2 yrs.
Boxer named Jasmine, 9 yrs.
George asks…
How should I care for my dogs teeth?
Apart from regular cleanings at the vet, which is best in between cleanings?
brushing with doggy toothpaste?
Using those dental wipes that you wipe over the teeth?
The cleaning liquid that you add to their water?
“dental treats“?
Which one works the best for you?
Dog Care Expert answers:
I’m a big fan of brushing. My dog is 7 and daily brushing has kept her from needing to have a professional veterinary cleaning yet.
ETA: I’ve never tried the dental treats, but have seen many complaints about the Pedigree brand dental treats making dogs extremely ill. No personal experience with them and you can’t believe everything your read, but Ive seen enough complaints about them that I’d be concerned about using them. Greenies also have a lot of complaints.
Donald asks…
What to do for my toothless dog?
I have a papillon (he’ll turn 13 next week) with awful teeth. He’s lost quite a few teeth, and yesterday we finally got him some serious dental care. They pulled ELEVEN teeth.
The vet sent home a bag with some dental dog food (to give him as treats), a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a couple greenies. Unfortunately, I don’t think he really has enough teeth for the dog food, and he won’t let us near his mouth. He’s never let us mess with his mouth or his paws.
So, I guess I have two questions. The first is, can he eat the greenies? He only has some molars and a lower canine left as far as we can tell.
Also, what can we do for his remaining teeth? I heard you can put dog toothpaste on chew toys, and it’ll do the same thing, but Max doesn’t like chew toys. He only plays with a stuffed animal and a ball, both of which would make a mess if I put on toothpaste.
Dog Care Expert answers:
My dog had most of his teeth pulled when I got him at age 11. He is 14 1/2 now. He would not eat soft food – he wanted the crunchy dog food. He crunches it with his remaining teeth but mostly with his gums! The vet said that some dogs do this.
His gums will toughen up and he’ll be fine. It will take a few weeks before you’ll be able to go near his mouth – it is plenty sore right now!
I don’t brush my dog’s teeth or any of that and they are fine (he wont let me either). Just see how your dog does with the food and the greenies. If he can chew them, he will.
Good for you for getting his teeth done – it will add years to his life!
Sharon asks…
Removing tartar without going to the vet?
Hello,
My rescued dog has tartar, the previous owner did not care for her teeth.
She is a shih tzu x maltese.
I’ve been brushing her teeth daily for 2 weeks and have noticed a reduction in the tartar, but not a significant change.
If i keep brushing her, giving her dental treats, and feeding her dry dog food would the tartar disappear completely? Or do i have to go to the vet to get it professionally cleaned?
Thanks.
Dog Care Expert answers:
I recommend a raw diet including raw meaty bones to improve and maintain canine dental health. The natural abrasive scrubbing of the raw bones and muscle tissue on teeth is much more affective than a tooth brush.
That said, if her teeth are completely caked in tartar, I would suggest having them professionally cleaned, as it can be difficult to remove large amounts of tartar with even with bones or brushing.
For more information about properly feeding a raw diet, here are some excellent links to check out:
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/whatisrmb.php
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/diet/exp-diet-guide.pdf
http://www.ukrmb.co.uk/images/ww.pdf
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/
Hope that helps! Good luck with your dog!
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