Tartar control treat foods

Snowy Celandine

Snowy Celandine

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My tiny dog (1.7kg) is prone to tartar build up because of the size and shape of her mouth, according to the vet. She also seems to inhale her food rather than chewing it which can't help but I haven't a clue how to stop her doing that? I like to give her a little treat every day but am not sure if there is anything that I can give that will either help reduce tartar build up or at least not add to it? Obviously the treats need to be very small or be able to be broken into small pieces. Any ideas?
 
Thank you Theresa :) I have never ever tried feeding raw as I am very squeamish about meat. I don't cook it for myself because I can't force myself to handle it. Where do you even get chicken wings from? Sorry for my ignorance but I have never bought anything like that.
 
Can you brush her teeth twice daily with canine toothpaste and a rubber finger brush/child’s toothbrush? That would be better than giving treats.

Or you can try hills t/d (they do a mini version), greenies dental chews, plaque off. Only a scale and polish under anaesthetic will remove the plaque already there.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions - really useful :)

She's just had a scale and polish under GA and I've got a rubber finger brush and dog toothpaste to use when her gums have settled down again in a few days so will definitely be doing that. Am feeling guilty for not doing it before but I've never had a dog with tartar build up previously.

I will see if I can get some mini frozen or raw carrots as she'd never get her chops round a normal sized one and see if she will have a chew. Had never even thought of that I have to admit so thanks again. Will also order some of the appropriate Hills food Umbongo and see if that helps too.
 
I've never brushed a dog's teeth :o

The Greenies things are OK (the little hedgehog and toothbrush shapes are cute!), I would go with frozen carrots or chicken wings, any Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys etc will have boxes of chicken wings. You butcher may also be able to help.
 
Thanks CC. That makes me feel a little less guilty :o I'll ask OH to try and find chicken wings for her. I know I am odd but I simply never buy or handle meat in any shape or form, despite not being fully vegetarian.
 
Get a pack of those blue gloves if you're a bit icky about it. I used to feed a lot of stuff still frozen or partially frozen also, although I can appreciate that's not for everyone/every dog.

Genetics and mouth conformation can have a lot to do with it but generally all of ours had bones to chew on and lovely white teeth as a result.
I'm a bit gutted that my older dog lost an incisor recently, his teeth were lovely despite a lot of hard wear over the years (younger dogs than him have teeth worn down to stubs). He knocked it out by trying to wodge his head through the garden gate :(
 
CorvusCorax said:
Get a pack of those blue gloves if you're a bit icky about it. I used to feed a lot of stuff still frozen or partially frozen also, although I can appreciate that's not for everyone/every dog.

Genetics and mouth conformation can have a lot to do with it but generally all of ours had bones to chew on and lovely white teeth as a result.
I'm a bit gutted that my older dog lost an incisor recently, his teeth were lovely despite a lot of hard wear over the years (younger dogs than him have teeth worn down to stubs). He knocked it out by trying to wodge his head through the garden gate :(
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Sorry about your dog's tooth :( I have those blue gloves already as I am allergic to a lot of cleaning products for some reason but I am not sure I could ever touch meat, even through those. OH will be fine with it though so I will definitely be trying her with chicken wings. And even I can handle a frozen baby carrot, ha ha.
 
I'm not convinced that a lot of dental treats work because most dogs aren't chewing them for long enough and they're not acting on the subgingival stuff that causes the worst problems. That said, there's at least limited evidence for the enzymatic chews (Logic Orozyme come in a small dog version) and anything with chlorhexidine in (Virbac Veggiedent, might be others now).

Mine had beautiful teeth when they were fed bones but after dimwit dog fractured a tooth and his food inhaling problem escalated I daren't feed him anything that isn't finely minced now. :p I used to brush sporadically but now they're getting on a bit find I have to brush daily.
 
CorvusCorax said:
I've never brushed a dog's teeth :o

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Neither have I!

I do think that canine mouth health is part genetics, part food. We used to have 2 JRTs, a vet once commented on how fabulous their teeth were, even though they were elderly dogs. They very rarely got treats of any kind and their diet was consistently hypoallergenic dried food (because another of the dogs needed that and it was easier to feed them all the same) + Butchers tripe tinned food. I can't think of any dog we have ever had that needed dentistry but except the JRTs they have all been large dogs.
I hope you manage to sort something out for your tiny one, SC.
 
Thanks Pearl. She has dry, high quality food that the vet said was perfectly fine. She said that she'd seen tiny dogs with the problem before and thought it was due to their mouth conformation. She is an exceptionally small dog, less than half the length and weight of my daughter's very healthy and bouncy Chi who has no dental issues so maybe the vet is right. I will do all I can to prevent tartar from building up again though as she was very subdued yesterday after having the procedure and is still not her normal bouncy self today.
 
If you look around for ostrich tendon chews (no, really!), they tend to be quite slim and might suit a small dog. They take a bit of chewing but shouldn't be tooth crackers, don't splinter and don't seem to give a upset stomach

https://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-treats-...601_2457/ostrich-twister-dental-chews-p-20675

Mine gets tartar almost within a few days, so there is the daily brush, but the tendon chews are the only thing I have ever found that seem to help. That and Plaque-Off, which I initially dismissed as rubbish, but does seem to soften any tartar once I upped the dose
 
Angell Pet Co Fish Skin Minis. Lovely little cubes of dried fish skin. These are my dogs absolute favourite treat and they are marketed as good for tartar control. I also use Plaque-Off. My dog is nearly 9 and my daughter, who is his vet, says he has lovely teeth for his age.
 
I look after quite a few dogs and the worst teeth I’ve seen are all fed James welbeloved. Don’t know if it’s just a coincidence. Also four of them eat there own poo.
 
Both mine are on JWB kibble, are in very good nick, have good teeth and don't eat their own poo.

(I've just considered that jute/burlap may also serve as a doggy toothbrush, though :p)
 
There's a product called Plaqueoff which is supposed to help with plaque & tartar, although i'm not sure if it prevents it or breaks it down once there. Might be worth looking into tho!
 
eatmyshorts said:
There's a product called Plaqueoff which is supposed to help with plaque & tartar, although i'm not sure if it prevents it or breaks it down once there. Might be worth looking into tho!
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Sorry! Hadn’t read all the replies before adding mine and I see it’s already been mentioned.
 
We brush the Westie's teeth with one of those finger brushes, but recently we got her a Kong which she loves to chew, and her teeth look better than they ever have done. We've also started with the frozen carrots as have heard they're good for them.
 
Luna loves frozen carrots, and they were a godsend when she was teething. Aled isn’t overly keen, won’t eat carrots as a rule, and will only chew at a frozen one until it’s thawed out. He does love his bones and chicken wings though, and the vet always comments that he’s got really good teeth for an old boy.
 
paisley said:
If you look around for ostrich tendon chews (no, really!), they tend to be quite slim and might suit a small dog. They take a bit of chewing but shouldn't be tooth crackers, don't splinter and don't seem to give a upset stomach

https://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-treats-...601_2457/ostrich-twister-dental-chews-p-20675

Mine gets tartar almost within a few days, so there is the daily brush, but the tendon chews are the only thing I have ever found that seem to help. That and Plaque-Off, which I initially dismissed as rubbish, but does seem to soften any tartar once I upped the dose
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just looked on vet uk, is that the price for 1 chew or do they come in a box? thanks
 
Thanks everyone :) Will investigate everything that's been suggested. Am going to try the toothbrush and liver flavoured (yuck!) toothpaste this evening. I failed on the carrot front as both dogs looked at me as though I'd gone bonkers so I left it on the floor in case they wanted to chew it when I went out of room. Came back in, forgot it was there, slipped on a piece of carrot near the worktop and pulled a coffee mug onto the floor in my efforts to stay upright! Dogs looked at me as if to confirm that I had definitely gone crackers and I won't be trying it again, sadly. Wish it had worked as it would have been a cheap and easy option :(
 
Snowy Celandine said:
Thanks everyone :) Will investigate everything that's been suggested. Am going to try the toothbrush and liver flavoured (yuck!) toothpaste this evening. I failed on the carrot front as both dogs looked at me as though I'd gone bonkers so I left it on the floor in case they wanted to chew it when I went out of room. Came back in, forgot it was there, slipped on a piece of carrot near the worktop and pulled a coffee mug onto the floor in my efforts to stay upright! Dogs looked at me as if to confirm that I had definitely gone crackers and I won't be trying it again, sadly. Wish it had worked as it would have been a cheap and easy option :(
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I feel guilty now. Well, a bit.
 
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