Poor Nutrition=weak Teeth

[Guest SusanP]

A new vet at our clinic announced to the staff that the reason our old girl has broken off 2 teeth in the last year is that she had poor nutrition on the farm/track diet, resulting in weakened teeth. (This vet has made other proclamations to me about racing greyhounds).

 

I've had 5 hounds, and only this one has broken teeth off. Do retired racers have more delicate teeth due to poor nutrition, or is this vet simply spouting off?

[Guest LynnM]

Some breeds tend to have great teeth and some have problematic teeth. The quality of a dog's enamel is both inherited and environmental. Same with the other structures of their teeth and mouth. By and large, a greyhound pup receives better nutrition than the average pet dog from the get-go. Pet dogs are weaned early and sold off at 8 weeks (usually) to whatever commercial diet the new owner decides upon. Very few dog owners are as consciencious about what their pet eats as those of us that cruise message boards like Greytalk, so it's pretty safe to say that price is the motivating factor in what feed is purchased. Greyhounds, in contrast, nurse longer, receive meat (and usually other supplements) to their kibble, which is generally no better or worse (though usually higher in protein and calories), than any other kibble.

 

Dogs with poor teeth beget pups with poor teeth. The same thing happens in people. Nutrition and cleaning can help preserve what he/she has been given, but there is only so much that can be done.

 

Toy breeds tend to have equally problematic teeth. I'd be curious if she attributed that to diet as well. Shelties are another breed that tends to have dental problems.

 

I've had fosters through my house that at 4 years old had the teeth of a pup and others that needed extensive dental work. Most are somewhere in the middle and well in line with any other healthy purebred or mix of a similar age.

 

Lynn

Edited March 23, 2008 by LynnM

[Guest SusanP]

That's kind of what I thought. This vet seems determined to show off her "expertise" re greyhounds and frequently lectures me about things that don't jive with what I've learned in the 7 or so I've had hounds.

[Guest Emma0422]

I have no clue as to why their teeth are the way that they are (although Lynn's explanation sounds good!), but wanted to tell you that our vet's office has one vet that I refuse to see. She commented on how wonderful Lexi's teeth looked one time when we brought her in. She said that I must've been brushing them a lot and I said that I did brush them, but I felt that her teeth look so great because I feed her raw bones and turkey necks regularly. I thought the vet was going to flip a lid! She gave me a huge lecture about feeding raw food, salmonella, etc. I've never seen her again...I always request the one vet who has owned a retired racer because I like him and he doesn't nag me about what I feed. He says that my girls are healthy and look great and doesn't ask anything else. :-) He agrees that Canidae is a great food and that raw bones are fine as well. My long, rambling point is-I wouldn't go back to that particular vet next time.