Few Question...bad Breath, Bones

[adudle00]

So my first question is what can I do about bad breath? He's had a dental done recently (last month) and the vet said his teeth are good. He just has bad breath. I haven't tried brushing yet, but plan to try this soon. What kind of toothbrush and toothpaste? Are there any breath fresheners for dogs? I'm also concerned that it might have to do with a change in his diet since bringing him home, because he does have some very vile gas as well. I've tried to slowly switch him over to the new food I got from the food they gave me when I picked him up...I think it's the same brand, not sure about the same flavor. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Second, What kind of bones/chew things can I try? I've got him a few different types of nylabones and he wants nothing to do with them. I also got him a Kong and stuffed it with pumpkin/kibble and froze it as I saw others said and he'll naw at it a little while until he's bored or gets it all out. There is so much controversy on all the different types of bones, so I really don't know what is safe or good to try. I've also read on here that many people give their dogs Turkey necks, which I'm open to, but would he choke on the bones when/if he tried to eat it? Do I literally just hand over the neck, raw? Thanks!

[Guest LauraB]

Right-just hand it over raw. My dog loves turkey necks and chicken feet as snacks. I am feeding him raw and he doesn't smell at all.

[Time4ANap]

Raw turkey necks are very effective at cleaning teeth. Some people give beef bones, some don't. Bones must be supervised at all times and you should have something of even higher value ready to trade up if you need to take the bone away. Some hounds are very possessive of bones when they get them. Best to have worked on the "drop it" command first.

 

There are several types of toothpaste with various flavors in the pet store. Never use human toothpaste.

 

There are water additives that clean teeth and freshen breath in the same section with the dog toothpaste. These work fairly well.

Edited January 12, 2013 by Time4ANap

[tbhounds]

Brush, brush & brush :-). Brushing is the first and best defense again periodontal disease. Your dogs oral care needs are no different than your own. There are products that will also aid to a healthy mouth such as biotene vet, petzlife, cet chews....there are water additives, gels, sprays and all sorts of chlorhexadine products.

I personally do not condone feeding bones-esp weight bearing bones ie knuckle bones as they are responsible for the majority of tooth fractures.

[Brandiandwe]

A dental bone a month ago isn't really all that recent....

 

For my dogs: we use Petzlife gel two - three times a day and brush twice a day right now (I'm on holidays so we're having an intensive teeth cleaning time right now to get things under control). They get a dental chew every day as well. I like the Paragon ones, a bit cheaper and last longer than Greenies and the girls seem to enjoy them. Their breath is much better, though they've just come back from the kennels after a week and we've got bleeding gums from the lack of brushing.

[krissy]

Brushing daily is the best thing you can do for oral care. Both my guys LOVE the CET Hextra chews. You get them from your vet and are designed for oral care. The dogs are nuts about them.

 

I'll feed marrow bones from time to time, however I do feel some dogs are not good candidates for bones. Neither of my dogs are vigorous or aggressive chewers so I don't worry about broken teeth. They're actually both eating one right now.

 

Turkey necks you can feed raw. My personal experience is that I only feed these frozen because the first time I did not and watched Summit literally choke the whole thing down without chewing. Feeding it frozen forces him to actually chew it into chunks.

[Guest MzBanks]

I give my dogs knucklebones when I can find them (round part of the knee bone split in half, soft and covered with cartilage). The bone is soft and acts like an abrasive, scrapes all the tartar off the teeth as they wear it down a little at a time, pearly white afterwards I dip them in boiling water for just a second or three to kill any surface bacteria (not sure if that's long enough but I don't want to cook it). It took my GH a few tries to like it though, the first time a put a somewhat bloody bone in his crate he looked completely repulsed and pushed it back out of his crate, LOL.

 

I am trying a seaweed supplement now that is supposed to be effective, Plaque Off, too early to know if it works though.

[adudle00]

A dental bone a month ago isn't really all that recent....

 

For my dogs: we use Petzlife gel two - three times a day and brush twice a day right now (I'm on holidays so we're having an intensive teeth cleaning time right now to get things under control). They get a dental chew every day as well. I like the Paragon ones, a bit cheaper and last longer than Greenies and the girls seem to enjoy them. Their breath is much better, though they've just come back from the kennels after a week and we've got bleeding gums from the lack of brushing.

...how often are they supposed to have a dental done??? I thought once a year at the most...so a month ago seems recent to me? Correct me if I'm wrong...

[RedHead]

Mine chew on bones at least 5-6 times a week (not usually the big knuckle bones, but smaller edible ones) and I am trying to brush each day. I wouldn't imagine a dental bone once a year, or even once a month would do much, if anything at all. Whether you brush, or feed chewies, it has to be daily, or at least 3-4 times a week to be really successful IMO.

[tbhounds]

...how often are they supposed to have a dental done??? I thought once a year at the most...so a month ago seems recent to me? Correct me if I'm wrong...

Think there is confusion with a misspelling?? Done and bone :-)

Speak to your vet-a prophy having just been done should not make for dragon breath yet unless your hound had gingivitis or deep pockets etc... Did your vet perform dental radiographs? If your hound still has a red angry gum line you might want to try applying a product called Biotene Antiseptic gel daily. It's very effective for gingivitis.

Can you post a pic of your hounds teeth?

http://www.petkingbrands.com/products/bioteneAntiGel.html

Edited to add-you can purchase this product on Amazon etc....

Edited January 14, 2013 by tbhounds

[RedHead]

Think there is confusion with a misspelling?? Done and bone :-)

 

 

Lol! That makes more sense now!

[Brandiandwe]

Yes. I misread. I'm hoping mine never have to have a dental done, but get dental bones every day. :-)

[a_daerr]

We use an enzymatic water additive called "Dental Fresh" that works great. We do LOTS of bones and chews in our house (knuckle bones, knee bones, and rawhide rolls). Henry is five, and he's never had a dental. The vet always comments on how good his teeth look. Same with the puppy.

 

Just a few things, I wouldn't introduce any new bones or raw parts until you're 100% finished switching foods. A food transition is sometimes hard on the dog's GI tract, and the gas you're describing is an indication that he's already having some issues. Introducing a new food on top of that could exacerbate things and cause even more digestive upset. Because he's already had a dental, it may be a good idea to just start brushing his teeth and integrate bones and chews later. Also, you may want to consider the size of the kibble you're feeding. Some people say it doesn't matter, but I feed the "large breed" version of our kibble, and I find that it forces them to actually chew the food instead of swallowing it whole.

[Guest Eyeblaura]

I brush Enzo's teeth (although it only gets done 3-4 times a week) and use Petzlife spray and his teeth were decent and his breath fine.

 

However we just started giving turkey necks and holy cow his teeth are sparkling white! I give them frozen as well which makes him work harder at it and have been giving him one every 2-3 days. He loves them and they haven't caused him any GI upset, in fact I think it is helping in all matters GI related.

[Guest BlueCrab]

So where does someone buy turkey necks? Are there bones or anything that you have to be concerned with as they chew it down? And I guess I'll ask the same queston about chikken feet...just feed the whole thing and not worry about it?

[Guest Eyeblaura]

I was able to pick up turkey necks around thanksgiving in the grocery store but they seem to be a seasonal item there.

 

I found a local butcher that can order them for me in bulk (30 lb.) and the local pet boutique treat store sells them but they are pricey there. They eat the bones and all. I don't have any idea about the chicken feet. They gross me out too much.

[adudle00]

We use an enzymatic water additive called "Dental Fresh" that works great. We do LOTS of bones and chews in our house (knuckle bones, knee bones, and rawhide rolls). Henry is five, and he's never had a dental. The vet always comments on how good his teeth look. Same with the puppy.

 

Just a few things, I wouldn't introduce any new bones or raw parts until you're 100% finished switching foods. A food transition is sometimes hard on the dog's GI tract, and the gas you're describing is an indication that he's already having some issues. Introducing a new food on top of that could exacerbate things and cause even more digestive upset. Because he's already had a dental, it may be a good idea to just start brushing his teeth and integrate bones and chews later. Also, you may want to consider the size of the kibble you're feeding. Some people say it doesn't matter, but I feed the "large breed" version of our kibble, and I find that it forces them to actually chew the food instead of swallowing it whole.

Thank you for all the helpful advice. Where do you purchase the Dental Fresh? I got on here and started reading this AFTER I just gave him a new bone, lol...guess I should take that away, oops. On the plus side, I got him one of the American Rawhide bones at petco and he is in love with it. I've heard that they should only be given the bone shaped ones, not the rolls, but since you give rolls, I'm assuming this is untrue? Yeah, I can see where introducing anything new could further upset his stomach. I've switched him over to this food (I didn't have much time to do so, because the shelter didn't give me much of his original food) http://www.naturesdomainpetfood.com/about-natures-domain in salmon & sweet potato. Even though it hasn't been very long, I have noticed he is less gas-y these past couple days. I also picked up a toothbrush, so I'll see if he lets me brush his teeth later. =)

 

Think there is confusion with a misspelling?? Done and bone :-)

Speak to your vet-a prophy having just been done should not make for dragon breath yet unless your hound had gingivitis or deep pockets etc... Did your vet perform dental radiographs? If your hound still has a red angry gum line you might want to try applying a product called Biotene Antiseptic gel daily. It's very effective for gingivitis.

Can you post a pic of your hounds teeth?

http://www.petkingbrands.com/products/bioteneAntiGel.html

Edited to add-you can purchase this product on Amazon etc....

I'm not sure exactly what was done, it was done through the shelter before I got him. I gave all the paperwork to the vet, but I will ask them what exactly was done. I'll see if he lets me take a picture of his teeth later. =)

[a_daerr]

Thank you for all the helpful advice. Where do you purchase the Dental Fresh? I got on here and started reading this AFTER I just gave him a new bone, lol...guess I should take that away, oops. On the plus side, I got him one of the American Rawhide bones at petco and he is in love with it. I've heard that they should only be given the bone shaped ones, not the rolls, but since you give rolls, I'm assuming this is untrue? Yeah, I can see where introducing anything new could further upset his stomach. I've switched him over to this food (I didn't have much time to do so, because the shelter didn't give me much of his original food) http://www.naturesdomainpetfood.com/about-natures-domain in salmon & sweet potato. Even though it hasn't been very long, I have noticed he is less gas-y these past couple days. I also picked up a toothbrush, so I'll see if he lets me brush his teeth later. =)

 

I get Dental Fresh from Amazon. You can buy it at Petco, but I think it's way overpriced there. The one I usually buy on Amazon comes in a huge jug, and I just add a cup to our three-gallon gravity waterer. It ends up lasting forever. The one thing about the enzymatic water additives is that once you stop using them, you can DEFINITELY notice the difference. Even if I fill our waterer one time without the Dental Fresh and they go without for a few days, their bresh gets a little jenky. So if you're going to start using it, be prepared for that if you ever decide to stop. As for the rawhide rolls, the reason we use them as opposed to the rawhide strips is because one of my hounds gets impatient and tries to swallow the strips whole. I've never heard anything about the rolls vs. strips, except for the fact that you should always purchase rawhide that clearly states on the packaging "Made in USA." The rawhide made in asian countries adds chemicals and perservatives that are dangerous in high amounts. We get a huge package of the rolls at Sam's Club for $11. The knuckle/knee bones I get shipped from bestbullysticks.com.

 

How is the ND Salmon and Sweet Potato working out? One of my friend's greys was on it and doing just fine for about six weeks, then got chronic diarrhea and lost close to 10 pounds.

[adudle00]

How is the ND Salmon and Sweet Potato working out? One of my friend's greys was on it and doing just fine for about six weeks, then got chronic diarrhea and lost close to 10 pounds.

 

Well, he's only been on it for a week so I guess I can't comment there, but I'll definitely let you know if something like that does happen. There are so many foods, that I just honestly didn't know where to start, so my husband picked this up at costco.