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| courtesy Photonquantique via Flickr.com A Little Help Please |
Dear Dr. Julie:
Thank you for the wonderful tips. Do you have any thoughts on
the use of raw beef marrow bones for dental health. I'd like to hear the pros
and cons. Also, which of the products such as Greenies would you recommend?
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Dear All Things Dog Blog readers:
It’s
great that you’ve framed the question as an evaluation of pros and cons,
because both must be considered. In the
pros column, chewing is a rewarding activity for many dogs, and can indeed be
beneficial for the teeth and gums. In
the cons column, chewed items can cause fractured teeth, pose choke or
obstruction hazards, flare up food allergies, and supply unwelcome calories to
a dog’s diet.
Bones,
particularly with meat still attached, can help clean teeth. That has been my personal observation, and
was demonstrated by at least one scientific study. But, overall, I have to give “beef marrow
bones” a thumbs down. Even though my
patients who chew on bones often have pearly whites, in my opinion, the risks
outweigh the benefits.
Bones
are notorious for cracking the crowns off the big upper 4th premolar (or
carnassial) teeth in dogs. If you lift
your dog’s upper lip, you can identify this tooth on each side, because it
looks like a miniature upside down mountain range, and is the biggest tooth in
the mouth. The only way to address these
fractured teeth is with a major dental procedure under anesthesia—generally
extraction. Left alone, a fractured
crown is an abscess waiting to happen and is very painful.
Bones
can also cause esophageal or intestinal obstruction, perforation, and
constipation.
Similar
to bones are antler chews. I have a
personal vendetta against antlers. They
seem to be very popular lately as “natural” chew toys, and I bought into the
propaganda. My own young dog, with
immaculate healthy teeth, cracked the tips off of five of his premolars in a
matter of hours gnawing on an antler.
They are absolutely just too hard.
One of
my colleagues says that chewing on bones and antlers is like playing in
traffic. You may get away with it for a
while, but eventually something bad will happen.
Water
additive: My recommendation for dogs is
Healthymouth™. It is recommended and
sold by numerous board certified veterinary dentists and has been proven
successful in many clinical trials. This
anti-plaque product contains no alcohol or xylitol, and has seven seals of
approval from the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC).
Greenies: Though don’t stand up very long to tough
chewing, Greenies can be a fun treat for dogs and are proven to help reduce
plaque and tartar. They have also been
awarded the VOHC Seal of Approval. For a
pet on a weight loss program, beware that that they do contribute calories.
As a
general rule, rubber chew toys are considered safe, but I recommend using all
chew toy products under “adult supervision”.
As a
final note, it’s important to understand that these items may be helpful for
plaque and tartar control, but are not able to treat dental disease.
Rather, they are part of a comprehensive oral healthcare program that
should include daily teeth brushing and regular professional examinations.
Dr. Julie Buzby is a homeschooling mom of seven, American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and International Veterinary Acupuncture Society certified holistic veterinarian, and passionate advocate for canine mobility.In her free time she serves on the Advisory Board for The Grey Muzzle Organization. She can be found at Twitter @DrBuzby and on Facebook.com/ToeGrips. You'll also find more of Dr. Julie's posts at our Ask the Vet Archives page.
Here are a few of her articles that may be of interest:
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