So why did I borrow Salt-n-Pepa’s 2009 song title “lets talk about sex baby”, tweak it and use it for the title of my blog about dog teeth?
I have no idea, but, to me, in my head, it fits!
Teeth.
Essentially, they are a major component for our dogs’ survival.
There is now an entire industry aimed at keeping our dogs’ teeth in tip-top condition. Where and why did it all start…
Let’s delve into our other best friend, google, for some help with our research.
I found this very interesting article… The history of dog food
From reading this, it would appear that the dog food industry hasn’t grown from a direct interest in the health of our best friends but more as a result of commercial demands within the human food chain and the changing economics around world wars.
Due to metal being required for the war effort, a shortgage of tins for storing dog food occurred, and this drove dog food manufacturers to look for alternatives.
The extruded dog food market literally exploded, and the modern way of feeding dogs dry kibble food was born.
I urge you to read the above article, it is very interesting 🤔
What does kibble have to do with teeth…
I always say feeding kibble, a dry dog food, is like cleaning your dogs teeth with a mars bar! (A chocolate and toffee snack bar for the non UK readers)
I have copied the next bit off Paleoridge’s website. (who doesn’t love a bit of plagiarism at times)
I believe this is one of the best and simplest yet effective explanations of why we should NOT feed dry dog food all of the time…
Feeding kibble, which is very high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, helps to create the perfect environment for harmful bacteria to flourish.
Sticky residue stays on the teeth and accumulates at the gum line, leading to
build-up of plaque and tar tar
inflamed and sore gums
bad breath
tooth decay
painful tooth extractions
For the full article, see here Raw food and teeth
Feeding kibble leaves a residue. Fact.
Feeding raw food does not leave as much, if any, reside, Fact.
Let’s look at Panda Eyes Penny. A 13.5 yr old Cairn terrier, she is one of ours and has eaten raw all of her life.
Penny has some tar tar on her teeth. But please bear in mind that Penny is 13.5 years old and never had her teeth cleaned. I have seen dogs. Actually, I see them most days, dogs of 2 or 3 years old with teeth that are in worse condition.
We don’t need to leave the convenience of kibble behind, once a week or so, my lot have kibble.
It is convenient, easy, smells good, and the dogs appear to enjoy it.
Some people dictate how we should feed our dogs and that we should stick to just one particular way of feeding. For me, and maybe you too, feeding a flexible diet, meeting the needs of both my dogs and myself, is how we roll.
My driving force with the feed we dish out daily to our dogs is that they enjoy it, and it gives them the nutrients they need to live a healthy life.
Prevention is better than cure.
We should not accept bad teeth as being the norm. Do we need to clean our dogs’ teeth when nature can do it for us?
We use crunchy things and chewy food stuffs to be our “toothbrushes” of choice.
Pig ears, furry rabbit ears, raw bones, cow hooves, dried tripe, lamb strips, and chicken feet all feature as regular meals to help keep teeth clean and also provide enrichment.
I feed raw, and I occasionally feed kibble. Life isn’t perfect, but my dogs teeth are clean.
There are some excellent resources on google… here are some more links so you can make an informed choice about what to feed your dog
Enjoy!
If you want any more help and advice, email me at kennelcarradine@outlook.com
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