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Have you noticed that most dogs you meet have some pretty dirty teeth? Did you know that by age 3 over 80% of dogs will have some form of periodontal disease? With information like this, you would think everyone should be brushing their dog’s teeth! But let me tell you a secret, I have NEVER brushed my dog’s teeth. Not once. And this is why I don’t brush my dog’s teeth.
How I Keep My Dog’s Teeth Clean
Sheila just turned 3 on 6/25 and I am pleased to say there are no dental issues in sight! Even with my old dog, new vets would always assume he was many years younger than he actually was based on the state of his teeth. So what’s my secret? How do I keep my dog’s teeth clean and healthy without brushing?
A biologically appropriate diet.
That’s it! That’s the big secret! I not only feed Sheila a diet that her body is designed for but I also choose to feed it in a form that is most beneficial.
Raw Dog Food
If you aren’t a raw feeder you’ve probably at least heard of it by now. I won’t get too detailed here, I’ll save that for another time, but essentially I feed Sheila a diet that mimics what would be most natural for her. And I don’t mean natural as in “all natural” dog food. I mean a diet that nature intended.
Dog food as we know it (kibble) has only been around for about 100 years. Before that dogs scavenged, ate table scraps and cooked foods, and even caught their own prey.
Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect our dogs today to live exactly like their ancestors. But to me, it’s important to feed minimally processed food and food that her body can utilize best.
Again, without getting into too much detail, I feed Sheila a diet that consists of
- muscle meat
- liver
- other secreting organs (kidney, spleen, etc)
- bone
- oily fish
- fiber (in the form a fur, feathers, and some produce)
I believe that this diet is the healthiest choice for our dogs in general. And a healthy body contributes to a healthy mouth. But to get more specific, there is one aspect of her diet that keeps my dog’s teeth clean without brushing.
Chews & Raw Meaty Bones
In my opinion, chewing is the best thing you can do for your dog’s oral health. And I don’t mean the “chewing” they do when they crack a few kibbles. I mean a nice 10-15 minute chew session.
Benefits of Chewing for Dogs
Chewing is a natural behavior for dogs and sadly one that most humans discourage. In our defense, many dogs have ruined perfectly good shoes, door frames, furniture legs, etc. so we might be a little sensitive to the idea of encouraging chewing.
But the good news is, redirecting your dog’s chewing to an appropriate item can save your possessions and their teeth!
Here are just a few benefits of chewing an appropriate item:
- Relieves stress by providing an outlet for nervous energry
- Releases endorphoins for that lovely “chew drunk”
- Satisfies a natural urge without destroying your stuff
- Provides you and your dog with some quiet time to relax
- Help keep teeth and gums clean and healthy
Ok, so how exactly does chewing keep my dog’s teeth clean?
I like to look at it in three parts.
- Light chews – These are things like chicken feet, bully sticks, and tendons. These chews help to massage the gums to promote circulation as well as rubbing off soft plaque.
- Crunchy chews – Think things like duck wings, backstrap, and tracheas. These are slightly more challenging for your dog to work through and will help rub off soft plaque before it has a chance to harden.
- Harder bone-in chews – These are generally recreational bones and not ones I let her eat the whole thing. They often have meaty bits that your dog can rip and tear. These meat “strings” help clean between the teeth like doggy floss! The harder bones will also help to scrape hard tartar from the teeth.
*Please note, these hard bone chews are recreational and should not be fully consumed. Be sure to supervise your dog with any chew and remove them if they are chewing in an unsafe way.*
Where I Get My Chews
Lucky for me, Sheila is not even remotely picky. She will eat literally anything I give her. Because of that, I can give her all sorts of variety including furry cow ears, duck wings, pig feet, bison backstrap, rabbit feet, and duck heads.
Most of those items are fairly difficult to find in store so I get a monthly box from Real Dog Box. We get a box with 6 bags of treats and chews each month. I do also purchase additional bags of our favorites. 🙂
Bonus! Use our link or give them the username dogmominthewild for a bag of free treats in your first box!
How Often My Dog Chews
I give sheila a chew almost every day. She does get raw meaty bones in her meals as well. I always encourage nutritional variety and this is a great way for her to have different proteins than whatever is in her food for the week.
She really enjoys her chew time. As a high-energy dog, it’s a good way for her to relax and get some mental stimulation. I try to keep it to 15 minutes for the larger chews. Smaller ones she’ll finish in one session. And I almost always use a chew holder to slow her down a bit. (Check out my favorite chew holders here!)
Chewing for Oral Health
Sheila has never needed a dental cleaning and our vet is always very pleased with the state of her teeth. I am confident that if we continue our species-appropriate diet and regular chew sessions her teeth will remain clean and healthy well into her senior years.
