[nagdu] dental care and raw feeding

[Sam Hogle]

Hi Robert. As for the tooth brushing, as you've probably noticed, there 
are many different opinions about what method is best. As for the 
toothpaste, there is no right or wrong answer. It all depends on what 
the dog will let you do. For instanse, I can't use any flavored 
toothpaste with Mason because he spends all his time trying to eat it 
and won't let me do any brushing. However, there are some dogs who are 
more cooperative if the paste is more appealing. I'm sure toothbrushes 
are more affective than the wipes. However, seeing as I have a 
headstrong golden who does not like stuff being stuck in his mouth, 
wipes are the only thing I've had luck with. In our case, I figure that 
a good cleaning with a wipe is more affective than a battle with a brush 
where nothing is accomplished other than toothpaste being smeered on my 
pants. Also, it's good to only use the finger brushes as the regular 
toothbrushes can poke a dog in the eye if he or she is not cooperative.
Now for the food. Bones are definitely a good alternative if your dog 
does not tolerate tooth brushing. There are tons of bones at petshops 
that get the job done. It's true that raw bones are great, but seeing as 
butchers are not legally allowed to sell raw food for dogs, they can be 
hard to come by. I've heard that there are some places you can order the 
food from, but I don't have the info on it. You can buy already made raw 
food at petshops if you want to put your dog on that diet. However, it's 
pretty expensive. When I tried it out with Mason, it cost me about $30 
per week. As a college student, that was something I could not authord 
to do. Also, the diet can be high maintinansed since the food has to be 
kept in the freezer and each meal has to be fawed out. If you're 
interested in learning more about the raw food stuff, I can put you in 
contact with a friend of mine who has done a lot of research on it and 
is way more informed than I am. Also, if you want to know what's in your 
dog's food, many food websights have a list of ingredients so you can 
select the diet that would be best for your dog even if it doesn't 
involve going raw.
As for being omnavors, that's a myth. It's true that dogs are fine on 
that type of diet. After all, we have had them on that type of diet for 
a long time. However, in the wild, wolves only hunt for their food. So, 
like people, dogs have an adaptable digestive tract.  Hope this helps.
Sam and Seeing Eye Dog Mason
On 10/26/2011 1:25 PM, Robert Hooper wrote:
> Hello All:
>
> I am writing regarding the subject line of this message, curiously enough. I was told at TSE about the importance of brushing my dog's teeth. I am writing to "test the waters", if you will. I was wondering what products everyone uses, what health concerns of which I should be aware,, etc. For example, is there an evil ingredient the seductive pet market is trying to make me use? Is there a definite proven method that works better than others? At TSE, we were given dental wipes and instructed to use them daily. While I have determined through research that these are fine, I have also determined that actual toothbrushes are more effective. I have also found that giving dogs raw bones is supposed to be the most healthy way of teeth cleaning. Any suggestions on that front? I don't doubt that raw bones are healthy, but as far as methodology goes...it just seems as though it would complicate life (one of the reasons I have not looked further into raw feeding as well). Any opinions regarding dental care and/or raw feeding would be appreciated. For the record, I have ordered a DentaClean finger toothbrush and C.E.T vanilla mint toothpaste, as C.E.T seemed to be the most highly regarded brand. Also whilst at TSE, I was advised to get a neutral-flavored (or at least non-meat flavored) toothpaste, as the dog's trying to get at it would hinder the actual teeth brushing process. However, many online sources don't mention that aspect and actually recommend beef or poultry flavored toothpaste. So, any guidance, opinions, anecdotes, or experience regarding that would be also appreciated.
> Another note about raw feeding: on my vet visit at OSU, I was discouraged from looking into raw feeding. The reasons given were that dogs are naturally omnivores and an all meat diet wouldn't necessarily be the best option. I was also assured that the name brand dog foods undergo stringent testing to ensure their quality and nutritional value. Currently, Bailey is on the food he was on at TSE, which is Eukanuba Adult Maintenance. Needless to say, any opinions, comments, facts, etc. regarding what my veterinarian said and/or the food on which Bailey is currently dieting would also be welcome.
> Sincerely,
> Robert Hooper
> Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu<mailto:Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
> The Ohio State University
> 0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
> 653 Cuyahoga Court
> Columbus, Ohio 43210
> (740) 856-8195
>
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