Hi C.M. Just a little note about clean teeth and kibble. Actualy kibble does not keep dog's teeth clean or get them clean any more than eating popcorn or crackers would do for us. It can actually increase tarter and plaque build up. After your dog eats a bowl of kibble check out the inside of the back of his mouth,...you will see pulverized kibble stuck all in and between his back teeth. If you are opposed to feeding raw meaty bones...and many are...the best way to clean teeth is a combination of products but start with Bully sticks...the spiral shaped being the most effective. Also use of a dental product: Pro Den that i wrote awhile back...here are some links for you to investigate:
Bully sticks are great for dental chews and helping to keep their teeth clean! I know one lady who feeds pre-made raw food where they actually do not ever "chew" on raw meaty bones. She has yorkie's and she doesn't even brush her dogs teeth, just gives them bully's to chew on and their teeth are sparkling white! Not advocating not brushing your dogs teeth but, just wanted to bring up a case where raw bones are not being used for chew purposes and bully's are being used instead with great results. www.bestbullysticks.com Dogs saliva contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys harmful bacteria...that and their short digestive tract is one of the reasons they are able to eat raw meat without getting e-coli, salmonella, all the nasty things us humans can get from eating raw meat...I'm sure you already know all this stuff...but, when a dogs teeth starts to get a build-up of dental plaque on the teeth near the gums that is soft, there is bacteria in that dental plaque. Over time that gets harder...when a dog chews on something, whether that be a raw bone, a bully stick or a dental chew, that chewing action gets more saliva in their mouth at one time and tends to "sit" there as they chew on their treat. That saliva is what helps to eat away at that bacteria that is sitting on the teeth. Of course with the shaped bully sticks (I use the curly ones) they also can "scrape" and clean your dogs teeth while they are chewing on them because of the shape that they are. There are enzymes in both the bone and raw food that do help with clean teeth and good breath for dogs, however, whether that bone is ground up or not, the enzymes are still there. They are in the bone and in the raw food so, so long as they are eating raw, they are still going to get those enzymes... I am a big believer in raw feeding, I loved the change I saw in my dogs when I made the switch and I can truly see that they are thriving from their diet which makes me happy. But many are opposed to raw, so I am NOT advocating or pushing raw...but unfortunately these are just the dental affects of raw so they need to be mentioned. After a few visits/phone consults with Dr. William Krug, a board certified canine dentist, here are the conclusions I have come to: Whether you feed raw or not, I do think a dogs teeth needs to be brushed daily ...I don't actually like dog tooth brushes anymore, as Dr Krug actually suggests NOT using a dog tooth brush because the bristles are not soft enough and when you try to brush your dogs teeth you actually end up damaging the gums and more bacteria is able to get under the gum line that way. He suggests using a dental pad, like the Doctor Fosters and Smith ones or even some gauze wrapped around your finger. It's a much safer and more effective way of cleaning your dogs teeth. The first ingredient in the dental pads I use on my guys is Chlorexidine: http://www.drsfoste rsmith.com/ product/prod_ display.cfm? c=3307%2059% 209819&pcatid=9819&ProdTab=1 I use these on my pack almost everynight. Three other products he recommended are: Oravet, Maxiguard and Proden Plaque Off. Oravet is a biologically inert polymer that bonds to the surface of teeth and inhibits plaque and calculus adherence. It really does create a "seal" around the teeth which creates a barrier against the plaque. It's not the easiest to apply because it's sort of "waxy" feeling, but, I can say that it does seem to work well. I do use Proden Plaque Off with my guys!!, you sprinkle a tiny amount on their food every day and it's 100% natural. I like their company, they are willing to disclose all of their ingredients, their "protein containing amino acids" is Ascophyllum Nodosum, which is a good seaweed. They get their seaweed off the coast of Norway and they never use any products from China. I've been very pleased with my results of using Proden Plaque off and I personally think it's one of the best dental supplement/cleaning products out there. I'd still suggest brushing/wiping with dental pads or gauze every day while using it but, it works wonders for getting rid of and keeping plaque of their back teeth that are hard to get to sometimes. The only caution with Proden Plaque Off would be for dogs that have hypothyroidism, you wouldn't want to use it for them because it contains iodine, which is fine for a regular healthy dog, but, not good for a dog with hypothyroidism. The last product he recommended was Maxiguard, and it's similar in the way you apply it to Petzlife, it's a gel based system but, the ingredients are 100% better and safer... http://www.discount petdrugs. com/maorclge4oz. html The ingredients in it are: Deionized water, zinc gluconate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), methylcellulose, taurine, methylparaben, and propylparaben. I would stay away from products such as Petzlife...I don't care for that product for a couple of reasons...I know a lot of rescue's and people swear by it, and I myself used to use it a while back until I found out about the grain alcohol content and some other things.... The second ingredient in Petzlife is grain alcohol and I've heard of a lot of dogs getting very sick from consuming too much of this. Petzlife is suppose to soften the tartar so it can be brushed away at a different time and a lot of people brush with it and the dog ends up swallowing much more of the product than they should. It's supposed to sit on the teeth for a little while which is why the bottle says not to let them drink anything for 30 minutes afterward but, a lot of people don't follow the directions perfectly and their dog ends up swallowing more of the product than they should. Depending on how much they swallow of the product and how much grain alchohol is in the product, since the company will never give a definitive answer on that, you can't really know how much grain alcohol they are ingesting, which especially for a small breed can be VERY dangerous. The fact that it's the second ingredient listed says to me that it makes up a good portion of what is in that bottle and your pet can get really sick if too much grain alcohol is ingested. It would be similiar to you swallowing a bunch of mouth wash instead of spitting it out. You can read all about ethanol poisoning here: http://www.veterina rypartner. com/Content. plx?P=A&A=2059 The other reason I don't like Petzlife is because they contains rosemary that's listed under the "proprietary blend of herbs and natural oils" and the company won't disclose how much rosemary is in it or what kind they use, the herb or if it's an extract/oil from the herb... Rosemary is used in some dog foods in very small amounts as a natural preservative; still rosemary oil and extract are poisonous and can also cause seizures. Cheryl L. Chrisman talks about the dangers of Rosemary in her book "Problems in Small Animal Neurology" There's an excellent article to read about rosemary and it's dangers here: http://www.dogfoods coop.com/ pet-food- neurotoxins. html Also, concerning Petzlife, there's been no long term studies done on it, so there's no one to say whether it does adversely affect your pet in say a 10 year span... in talking with a certified canine dentist on the phone, Dr. William Krug, and he said concerning Petzlife that it should be avoided. He told me that he had been contacted to sell it and after reviewing it, he said he would never sell it. He does advocate the use of Chlorexidine like many other board certified canine dentist do.Chlorexidine is the most effective product to inhibit plaque formation in humans and pets. Chlorhexidine produces bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects against bacteria, fungi, and even some viruses as well. Once absorbed it continues to be effective for up to 24 hours.. So to sum up all this stuff...Bully Sticks, Dental Pads and ProDen Plaque off...no matter what you feed. Most importantly realize that kibble will not prevent "Chihuahua mouth" LOL I am sure this is way more than you ever wanted to read about dental stuff but it has taken a lot of time, $ and energy for me to figure this all out...and if it can help you??? wonderful!!!! Of course...if you ever want some info about raw and the wondeful things it did for my guys I'll be happy to share that too! Waggin' Tails in The Dog Park, Deanna and The Dog Park Pack: Nugget, Shuai-Li, Bella, Mouse, Myrtle, Mable, Caleb and Maxine www.joys4toys.com ________________________________ From: C.M. <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, September 26, 2010 10:55:40 AM Subject: [Chihuahuas] Thank you all Hi folks I'm the newbie that wrote about two weeks ago about the sad little rescue chi I got. After reading all your posts, I've seen that this seems to be a common problem and I've learned so much already. I wanted to thank the person that kept it very simple and just suggested I boil a chicken and feed my little guy that along with cooked carrots and peas. I've been doing that and mixing it with his dry organic food and he has gained 7 ounces!! THANK YOU. The vet suggested I make sure he gets dry food to keep his teeth clean so that he doesn't get "chihuahua mouth". Gracias!!
