|
GreeniesC.E.T. ChewsHextra ChewsChew ToysRawhide ChewsPig EarsDog biscuitsBonesStory about Greenies |
Bad breath and dog biscuitsGreenies, CET chews, Hextra chews, rawhide chews, chew treats, chew toys, dog biscuits, bones, and pig earsVeterinarians know that tooth brushing is best and we also know that despite bad breath and dental problems, most people don't brush their dog's teeth. We need to find something dogs like to chew that also controls bad breath and cleans their teeth. GreeniesGreenies are a whole new thing. Big green dog biscuits,
shaped vaguely like a toothbrush. Greenies control bad breath better
than rawhide or dog biscuits and provide much better nutrition. It takes a lot of serious chewing to work through
a Greenie, which cleans the teeth surprisingly well. In an independent study, dogs on a normal diet plus one Greenie a day developed only an eighth as much tartar as dogs on a normal diet alone. CET chews
CET chews are tough rawhide chews that have
been treated with enzymes to help stop plaque formation, making them
more effective than regular chews.
Hextra chews are a newer product, introduced in the
spring of 2003 by the company that makes CET. chews. Instead of
blocking tartar formation with enzymes, which is very helpful, Hextra
controls mouth bacteria (and bad breath) with chlorhexidine, an antibacterial. This
is a more effective way to block tartar formation. If your dog has
bad breath and a red gum line, you should have his teeth cleaned.
In the meantime, Hextra chews
are probably your the best choice.
Chew toysIn theory, chew toys like Nylabones and Nylafloss are excellent choices. For dogs that accept them, they provide hours of entertainment. They are durable, low cost and entirely safe. If chewed on sufficiently, they do a fine job of cleaning the teeth. Their only shortcoming is that after puppyhood, most dogs aren't interested in chew toys. Rawhide chewsDogs like rawhide. It rarely causes any problem and if your dog will chew on one for a while before choking the thing down, it will do some good. Unfortunately, most dogs eat them like treats and that's basically what most rawhide chews are - greasy treats that make your dog fat without any real benefit. Pig earsI don't even want to think about pig ears. See above. Dog biscuitsDog Biscuits aren't necessarily bad. If you choose a biscuit large enough that your dog has to chew at it with the sides of his mouth, it will provide useful cleaning action. If you also realize that these big biscuits supply a lot of calories and reduce other foods accordingly, dog biscuits can be a good thing. Hardly anybody does this. Dog biscuits are sweet - think of them as dog candy. Owners feed small biscuits as a treat in addition to an already adequate diet. This makes dogs fat while providing no benefit for the teeth. BonesGreenies are a better choice, but I'm going to cautiously disagree with prevailing veterinary wisdom: Bones are not necessarily a bad thing. Concerns and precautions:
After those caveats and accepting no responsibility for any unfortunate outcome, I will say that I've seen owners maintain beautiful dental health by adding raw chicken necks or chicken backs to their dog's diet. I'd be cautious about feeding them to little dogs, but medium sized dogs do fine with chicken necks; big dogs with chicken backs (just the rear part, not the rib area). These are the only parts of the chicken I'm suggesting. Story about GreeniesMy first encounter with Greenies was a couple of years ago at a veterinary convention. The Greenies people were enthusiastic and it seemed like a good product, but as far as I could tell, Greenies were just big green dog biscuits and a pretty expensive dog biscuits at that, so I passed them by.
|
||||||||||||||