Dog dental chews - what to look for?

Your dog's dental health is of the utmost importance, just as it is in the human world. Loss of teeth, tooth pain, abscesses and so on are just as devastating to your dog as they are to yourself. They can cause serious infection with lack of appetite as well as being hugely distressing.

Your dog's teeth should be inspected in a similar way to your own, looking for gum health, cleanliness of teeth, any discolouring and freshness of your dogs breath. In the first instance a toothbrush can be used to assist in cleaning your dog's teeth to remove plaque, tartar and perhaps any trapped food or vegetation between the teeth.

Checking them regularly will train your dog to being examined and being treated in this way and also keep you ahead of the game in terms of any signs of infection. Wobbly teeth, pain or reddening and bleeding of gums, just as in humans are all red flags.

Avoid soft, calorie laden dental chews.

Natural dog chews can be a great ally in your battle against problems with your dog's dental health. There is much discussion about the best chews for dogs. Veterinary practices seem to recommend extremely soft and branded products from commercial suppliers, some even suggest that if a fingernail cannot be pushed into the chew then it is too hard.

It is fair to say that some items which dogs chew can be extremely hard and as a result may be a threat to chipping of teeth perhaps. But man-made chews made from vegetation, soft grain products and mulches which are bitten straight through and swallowed cannot be of benefit to your dog's dental health.

Many of these products are calorie laden, completely unnatural and in some clear cases of little or no nutritional benefit whatsoever. To the veterinary, oral health seems to be limited ( at least in online publications ) to branded and possibly paid for soft corporate solutions.

Are dog chews good for their teeth?

Where dental care is concerned, we have it is of great benefit that dogs love to chew, in fact some breeds will chew for hours and hours and hours on end. This gives us a real leg up where dental care is concerned and means that we can include and bestow upon our pet some mental stimulation and anxiety relieving time when administering dog dental chews.

Call them what you will, dog treats, dog dental treats or chew toys, the natural world provides an abundance of suitable and nutritional items to administer to our pets.

Now we might not get the VOHC seal of approval for all natural dog dental chews and treats but with a little thought and common sense we can surely provide appropriate, nutritious and safe chews to help with our pet's dental health.

Always supervise and give appropriate chews.

As with everything we give to our dogs as food products, treats, rewards or toys we must always be mindful of size, shape and appropriateness for the dog concerned. This means avoiding any items which would fracture or break forming immediate swallowing hazards.

Where suitability as dog dental chews is concerned then it is also preferable that the chews selected either have or are capable of having a little give in them as the dog progresses with the chewing. Dental chews work best when long enough for your pet to work on one end with his mouth and secure the other with a spare paw or two.

OMG what came before "Dento Doggo Stix"?

Now just like the human race has largely poisoned itself and brought about an onset of many and varied conditions, dogs were not bred over time being overweight and having major dental issues. It is reasonable then to look for more natural ways and solutions to maintain your dog's teeth and dental health in general.

Admittedly in the wild, few of the canines would have had owners with toothbrushes, but on the whole this can do no harm, and actually could help to bond and aid the handling of your pet in general.

Go natural for your dog dental chews!

When a dog chews it is not thinking dental health ... chewing is at the heart of canine activity. Parts of the carcasses that would be consumed in the wild would perform many tasks amongst them cleansing the teeth and promoting gum health. In the next blog we will look at some natural dog chews and treats that act as fantastic dental chews for dogs as well as promoting dopamine release and enhancing nutrition.