Dental health for dogs - why it's time to give it some thought!

9 Sep

Something that is often overlooked is caring for our dog's teeth actively - this is probably due to the difficulty most may have with trying to examine their dog's mouths let alone trying to brush them!

Unfortunately, Dental disease is the #1 most common health problem seen by veterinarians. By age 3, virtually all dogs have some degree of dental disease, ranging from a mild accumulation of tartar to severe infection and tooth loss.

In the wild, the carnivore’s diet and eating habits keep the teeth clean and strong. However, the typical diet of a domestic pet — typically commercial dry or canned food — does not. Therefore, proper dental care throughout your pet's life is essential to optimal health.

Something a lot of pet owners don’t realise is that just by Keeping your dog's teeth and gums healthy, you can help prevent not just the commonly seen mouth issues like bad breath, tooth infections, and tooth pain, but also more serious chronic conditions such as kidney disease, liver disease, heart conditions and even joint health for dogs

A Canine's Mouth

The normal adult dog has 42 teeth. These carnivorous (meat-eating) teeth are very sharp and highly specialized. In the wild, these teeth would perform a variety of tasks such as:

Grooming
Grasping and killing prey
Crushing and shearing the meat off the prey's bones to eat

Common Signs Your Dog Could Have Dental Problems

Bad breath
Discolouration of teeth
Visible tartar buildup
Inflamed gums
Bleeding gums or blood spots seen on dog toys/bedding
Pawing at the mouth
Swollen face
Loss of appetite
Difficulty eating
Excessive drooling
Lethargy

Commonly Diagnosed Teeth Problems

Plaque and tartar - The bacteria that start to recolonise your pet's teeth surface is called plaque - if plaque is not removed regularly then the minerals found in your dog's saliva can mix with the bacteria and turn it into tartar. When this tartar is not removed, the tartar will eventually become calcified, which will harden into a brittle layer. This hardened tartar is known as dental calculus. Bits of this calcified tartar may break off and enter the digestive system and further on into the bloodstream.

Gingivitis and tooth decay - inflammation of the gums which when left untreated can cause the tissues in the mouth to break down and cause tooth decay. This can be painful for the dog and may stop them from eating and drinking.

Periodontal disease - Periodontal disease in pets occurs when plaque, film and tartar (hardened plaque) build up on the teeth both above and below the gum line. This accumulation irritates the gum tissue and allows bacteria to flourish, leading to damage to the supportive structures of the teeth, which are the gums and the fibrous connective tissue that connects the roots of the teeth to the surrounding alveolar bone.

Breed Disposition

Certain breeds can be predisposed to periodontal disease due to poor dental hygiene, a maligned bite, genetics, and/or the shape of a dog’s mouth. Some of these breeds include the following:

* Pug

* Collie

* Yorkie

* Chihuahua

* Daschund

* Boxer

Generally, these are small, toy, or brachycephalic breeds. Brachycephalic breeds are dogs with a shortened snout.

Stages of Pet Dental Disease

Pet dental disease can be broken down into four stages, as follows:

Stage 1 – This early stage is characterized by gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gums in response to the presence of tartar and bacteria. You may observe some swelling of the gums. A thin red line on the gums next to the teeth may also be visible during this stage.

Stage 2 – Also known as early periodontitis, this stage occurs when there is a small amount of bone loss – less than 25% – visible on oral radiographs. You may notice inflammation of your pet’s gums, bad breath, and some visible plaque and tartar. At this point, your pet will need professional cleaning to thoroughly remove the plaque and tartar, and reverse the progress of the dental disease.

Stage 3 – Serious dental damage begins to occur at stage 3, also known as moderate periodontitis when 25-50% bone loss is visible on oral radiographs. Gums will be swollen and irritated, and probably bleed easily. There is a loss of gum attachment to the tooth, forming areas known as periodontal pockets. Your pet may also experience bad breath and significant pain and need to have infected and/or damaged teeth removed.

Stage 4 – Extreme, chronic periodontal disease is evident in the 4th and final stage, where the bone loss of 50% or higher is visible on oral radiographs. Your pet is not only in severe pain, but they are also at risk of losing multiple teeth, as well as systemic infection and damage to internal organs, due to bacteria from the mouth entering the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body.

4 Steps To Look After Your Pet's Teeth Naturally

1.Diet - Diet plays a big role in your dog's dental health. You may not be aware that some ingredients commonly used in commercial kibble, can contribute to poor dental health. The main culprits are the high levels of carbohydrates and artificial additives. These highly processed food particles stick to the surface of the teeth, causing plaque build-up. Feeding a natural, nutritious diet is the best first step you can take to ensure your dog’s dental health remains in tip-top condition.

Contrary to the popular belief that dry dog food (kibble) based diets contribute to clean teeth, Dry dog food will not help clean your dog's teeth.

“One study showed that dental health declined within just 17 days of switching from a raw to a kibble diet in dogs. Another study showed dental calculus was significantly higher in cats fed commercial diets versus feral cats eating wild prey.” - writes Dr Judy Morgan

The idea that dry dog food/brown biscuits cleaned a dog's teeth came from the thought that the crunchy food would help to clean plaque from a dog's teeth while they chewed on it. This has been widely disproved. Not to mention, we think it’s quite notable that dried dog food is the most popular fed diet and yet by age 3 most dogs will all have some form of dental disease. Popular dental treats like dentastix, greenies, whimzees, dentalife etc are all full of sugar and other additives that are only going to contribute to your dog's poor dental health long term and should also be avoided.

Feeding a fresh diet as much as possible will help your dog's teeth to stay healthy, as these fresh and natural whole food ingredients are easily broken down by digestive enzymes in your dog’s saliva.

2. Regular brushing at home - From a young age we recommend getting your dog used to examining their mouth and even brushing/touching their teeth so that as they get older they won’t mind this routine procedure! A great way to start brushing teeth with dogs that aren’t used to having their mouth touched is by using dental finger wipes or a finger brush - just a couple of minutes every day and your dog will soon be acclimated to you brushing! Brushing removes plaque outside the crown (above-gum portion) of the tooth, stimulating the gums to keep them healthy. Keep reading below for our recommended toothpaste recipe!

3. Feeding Raw meaty bones - Many say bones are dangerous and should not be fed under any circumstance and whilst that’s true for some bones - raw meaty bones are nature's toothbrush and can be fantastic at assisting in keeping your dog's teeth and mouth healthy. More on bone safety and what bones are ideal for feeding later on in this article.

4. Dental supplements - Just as there are tons and tons of supplements within the canine health market - dental products are no exception. And unfortunately, many of them have questionable ingredients that should be avoided (you can read more about supplement ingredients to avoid here) - keep reading below to check out our dental supplement guide.

Give The Dog a (Raw, Meaty) Bone!

Whilst the feeding of bones is often debated - common sense tells (and shows) that raw meaty bones have a noteworthy place when it comes to maintaining good dental health in dogs. The mechanical action of chewing the meat of a bone helps to remove plaque, which then minimises the formation of tartar (calcified plaque) and prevents gum disease! They also have many other benefits but for this article, we are simply going to discuss their importance for dental health.

Brown and Park (1968), periodically replaced the moist kibble ration fed to 30 dogs that were displaying dental calculus and tooth loss, with beef oxtail. Two-thirds of the dog’s calculus was removed within 24hrs after the first oxtail feeding, this increased to 95% by the end of week 2. Interestingly, the same authors note that oxtails, consisting of hard spinal vertebrae, were fed to over 200 dogs for more than six years and “no harmful effects were observed”.

Similarly, Australian vet, Dr Tom Lonsdale conducted a dental experiment on his patients.

"Dr Lonsdale recruited four raw-fed dogs and, for the next 17 days, he fed them kibble – Science Diet veterinary food to be exact.

The results were visible.

Each photo shows the subject dogs’ teeth while they were eating raw, species-appropriate food, and the foul breath, yellow teeth, and inflamed bleeding gums that occurred just 17 days after feeding a veterinary diet." - dogs naturally magazine

What Raw Meaty Bones Should You Feed?

There are two types of raw bones - edible raw bones and recreational raw bones.

Edible bones - Bones that can be safely eaten whole and are full of essential minerals and nutrients - these bones are too soft for teeth cleaning.

Example of edible bones;

raw chicken bones: chicken wings, chicken backs, chicken necks, and turkey necks.

Recreational bones - These types of bones are much larger and thus harder bone types which are perfect for cleaning your dog's teeth since they can be chewed on for a moderate period helping to provide enrichment. These hardier bones will ideally have some gristle, meat and or cartilage attached to ensure they can provide the full dental benefits.

Example of recreational bones;

Long bones are found in the wings and legs of animals and flat bones are sourced from the spinal column like the shoulder, ribs and pelvis. Some people recommend feeding marrow bones however we find that marrow often makes dogs sick and can be quite hard.

Bone Safety

Only raw bones should be fed and never cooked or smoked. This is because the cooking process makes bones prone to splintering which can cause dental fractures and or bowel perforation or obstruction. We believe most vets oppose the feeding of bones due to the high number of cases they see in practice related to cooked bones.

Too many bones may lead to constipation. This is usually easy to spot as stools can appear white/yellow and crumbly. The general guideline is one to two raw bones per week with a few days in between each serving, but this may vary between individual dogs. If the bone content continues to be an issue - consider adding more leafy greens and or boneless meat to their diet.

On the opposite end of the scale, dogs who are not used to eating raw bones may suffer from diarrhoea and or sickness - this is usually caused by the marrow inside long bones - if this continues to happen you can try feeding more flat bones which contain less marrow.

Dental damage - some bones are a lot harder than others (like most recreational bones) as well as certain animals have more dense bones (For example, bovine bones) which can also increase the risk of tooth fractures. These bones can still be fed safely for most dogs - just feed with caution. Weight-bearing bones of large animals should never be fed (100kg and over - anything larger than a sheep). Dogs first carried out an informal survey amongst pet owners - they asked 290 pet owners if raw meaty bones caused their dog any tooth fractures - 505 dogs received no dental fractures from raw bones compared to 36 dogs who did.

Only 31 of 501 (6%) raw feeding owners witnessed an incident. For dry feeding owners, the figure was much higher at 15% (5 of 34).

If your dog is not fresh fed - feed raw bones separately from your dog's main meal - this is because their stomach PH isn’t as low as those that eat a fresh meat diet. This reduces the chance of a gastrointestinal upset.

Power Chewers/Gulpers - If your dog is prone to swallowing large chunks of food/chews etc whole Ideally, bones should be larger than your dog’s mouth, so they can’t take off big chunks. For very small dogs, the rule of thumb is that if you can’t cut the bone with kitchen scissors, it’s probably too big or too hard. If you’re particularly concerned you can smash their bones with a mallet for the first week or two until the dog gets used to them. You can also feed raw bones partially frozen which is a great way to cool your dog down in hot weather.

Supervise at all times - as with any food and treat for dogs - bones are no exception and your dog should be supervised at all times.

Practice hygienic common sense - be aware of how long your dog has had the bone and if it’s not eaten/finished in one sitting make sure it’s refrigerated properly between sessions. Many pet owners give their dogs their bones to eat outside which is probably the most practical place however if you decide to feed inside - using an old blanket that can be easily washed can be handy. Otherwise, be sure to appropriately sanitise your floors with a pet-friendly cleaner (linked here).

Learn even more about raw bones for dental health here.

Brushing At Home - Homemade Toothpaste Recipe

For dogs that do not already have tartar buildup - regular brushing weekly is a great way to keep tabs on your dog's dental health and can go a long way to preventing disease. Whilst many integrative and holistic veterinarians recommend brushing your dog's teeth daily - I believe that brushing 2-3 times a week for a minimum of 3 minutes combined with the other steps in this article will be sufficient to keep your dog's teeth clean and healthy.

Toothbrushes

When it comes to toothbrushes - I’ve always found it easier to use disposable finger wipes or a finger brush. We particularly like these products;

Vet's best dental silicon finger brushes

Vet's best dental wipes

Toothpaste

(Please note this recipe is not suitable for dogs who have not been cleared of mcadd)

Dog toothpaste is surprisingly easy to whip up, and you likely already have most of the ingredients in your pantry.

Like our own toothpaste, the goal of doggy toothpaste is to clean your dog's teeth and gums. This is typically achieved by using baking soda, which is a well-known cleaning agent and odour neutralizer. It’s also slightly gritty and helps power through buildup.

It doesn’t get much easier than Animal Wellness Magazine’s 3-Ingredient DIY Dog Toothpaste. It’s a mint-forward formula that kicks stinky breath to the curb.

Recipe:

3 tablespoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon finely minced mint leaves
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Preparation:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or plastic container. Use the paste immediately and then store the leftover mixture covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. We’ve even frozen batches to prevent waste.

MCADD Safe Recipe:

Pawsome Paws (tooth) Paste

Here's a natural homemade toothpaste recipe for dogs that doesn't include coconut oil (which is crucial for dogs that haven’t been cleared or tested for MCADD).

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon bone broth liquid
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves

Directions:

the baking soda and broth in a small bowl until it forms a paste.
Add the parsley and mint if using, and mix well.
Store the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to Use:

Apply a small amount of the toothpaste to a dog toothbrush or a clean piece of gauze wrapped around your finger. Alternatively use a finger brush or finger cloth like the Petosan Oral Cleaner which is more abrasive in texture.

Gently brush your dog's teeth in a circular motion, focusing on the gum line.

This recipe provides a simple and effective way to help maintain your dog's dental hygiene naturally.

Natural Dental Supplements

Sometimes dogs need an extra bit of help with keeping their teeth and mouth healthy - this can often be the case in breeds predisposed to dental issues and dogs who are not fresh fed. Whilst a lot of supplements can be full of harmful ingredients that can contribute to poor dental health long term, there are some great natural products out there that we have used and can recommend.

Along with the products recommended in our guide below, we also recommend using pre and probiotics.

A 2009 study published in the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association found that probiotics were effective in treating and preventing dental disease. In particular, look for a probiotic that contains Lactobacillus species as these have been found to reduce the damaging inflammation that can cause gingivitis and periodontal disease.

Ingenious probiotics LUCAA+ Dental Care Probiotic spray (Use code thckcs15 for 15% off)- For UK/EU click here, for USA click here or for Australia click here.)

Plaque off - UK/EU/USA/CANADA

Nil Plaque - UK/EU

CSJ Seaweed & parsley - UK/EU

Canident - UK/EU/ROI

Homeopet Doggy Dental - UK/EU/USA/CAD/AU

Simply Seaweed Dental Powder - AU

Earth animal clean mouth, gums & breath - UK/USA/CANADA

Only natural pet - all smiles oral care mouth spray - USA/CANADA

Dr Judy Morgans Dental Health Formula USA/CANADA/AUSTRALIA/SINGAPORE

Conclusion

With 80% of dogs aged 3 being diagnosed with dental disease, it’s not difficult to understand why we as pet owners need to change the way we think about dental health for our dogs and start providing proactive dental care, even laying the foundation as puppies to ensure it becomes a part of their normal routine.

My eldest dog is now four and having used the four-step care regime, I’m pleased to say we have had no fractures or other issues and her teeth are clean and white.

For older dogs who may already have some dental issues, we understand maintaining and caring for their teeth can be a little more difficult and sometimes a full dental under general anaesthetic may be required. Dr Dobias states that a dental scale under GA is required if your dog has moderate to severe build-up, there is tartar below the gum line, or teeth are loose or fractured, anesthesia is necessary.

For more information on how to prepare for a dental scale procedure, we recommend checking out this article written by Dr Dobias linked here.

As always, we hope the information we have provided in this article, along with the additional resources linked below will help you learn more about the importance of dental care for your dog and the steps you can take to prevent disease.