Dental Food?

[cdawnfine]

I just brought Milo in for his yearly exam and my vet said he needs his teeth cleaned. He is 2 1/2 year old Yorkie Poo. The vet explained that both Yorkies and Poodles are known for bad teeth. He wants me to put him on Hill TD which is a prescription food. I do not mind doing this if that is what is best for him, but I do not know anyone who has ever had to put there dog on a dental diet. He is currently on Natural Balance small bites. Any help or info would be great.

Thanks

[FL Tink]

I would have to see the ingredients. Does he sell this food?
Vets and dog food equates to doctors with pharm drugs.
They are pushed by the reps to recommend things.
I would research it and use your best judgement.
We are using Petzlife spray twice daily and bellas teeth are in great shape.
good luck

[cdawnfine]

Thanks for your reply, yes they do sell the food, it seems the only place you can get any dental food is through a Vet. I have been researching since he told me the other night and all I can seem to come up with is that most dental foods are higher in fiber and less on the protein, and all contain much more ingredients than I am used to seeing. The Vet explained to me that he needs a food that does not break down so quickly in his mouth and cleans to teeth more. I think I might be more confused after reading what I find on the internet.

[FL Tink]

Originally Posted by cdawnfine

Thanks for your reply, yes they do sell the food, it seems the only place you can get any dental food is through a Vet. I have been researching since he told me the other night and all I can seem to come up with is that most dental foods are higher in fiber and less on the protein, and all contain much more ingredients than I am used to seeing. The Vet explained to me that he needs a food that does not break down so quickly in his mouth and cleans to teeth more. I think I might be more confused after reading what I find on the internet.

http://www.petzlife.com/

here is the link for petzlife. a few yt sell it on their websites. i use the spray cus bella wont sit still for the gel. Maybe you could use it after mealtimes.
the part about breaking down in the mouth doesnt make since to me.
i am a nurse and i get food being in the mouth. but i cant imagine any food being caustic enough to damage teeth. The problem is any food left behind will eventually breakdown. How much potein does he want your pup to get?
Seems to me low protein/high fiber food would have bad fillers in them.
Bella eats a raw dehydrated diet called The Honest kitchen the Force kind.
He would really have to explain more stuff for me to switch

[Hokule'a]

Are you already brushing his teeth daily and using other teeth cleaning options (PetzLife gel/spray, chewies, etc.)? Personally, I don't think any of the best foods out there is going to take care of their teeth without extra care.

Mine are on a good kibble but I also brush daily with doggie toothpaste and use the PetzLife gel at least twice a week, plus they get flossies to chew on several times a week.

[FL Tink]

OH HI I just realized you are new to YT and I wanted to say welcome and I hope you stick around. We are a fun bunch and you can learn and share

[yorkiesmiles]

petzlife - also, my vet recommends something to chew on - it helps them to keep their teeth clean. Roxy loves to chew - her teeth are great. Bubba could care less about chewing on anything for the most part - so his teeth are a problem. I finally broke down and bought bully sticks. Bubba has finally chewed on them a bit, especially if Roxy gets them all soft first

I've heard good things about flossies - so might try those next.

My vet recommends using petzlife and chews before putting them under for teeth cleaning. Vets make very good money doing this. So try some other things first & see if there is a difference

Genetics can play a part in their teeth. I would avoid hills anything

Welcome to YT!! So glad to have you & Milo here!!

[FL Tink]

Originally Posted by yorkiesmiles

petzlife - also, my vet recommends something to chew on - it helps them to keep their teeth clean. Roxy loves to chew - her teeth are great. Bubba could care less about chewing on anything for the most part - so his teeth are a problem. I finally broke down and bought bully sticks. Bubba has finally chewed on them a bit, especially if Roxy gets them all soft first

I've heard good things about flossies - so might try those next.

My vet recommends using petzlife and chews before putting them under for teeth cleaning. Vets make very good money doing this. So try some other things first & see if there is a difference

Genetics can play a part in their teeth. I would avoid hills anything

Welcome to YT!! So glad to have you & Milo here!!

YES! I forgot the chewing part! That is so important. Bella uses bully sticks and loves her a loofa dog or two! I want to try the flossies too.

[Ellie May]

I would not go the veterinary diet route with this. My Yorkie has/had terrible teeth. She had oral surgery last year to pull nine teeth and she has stage 3-4 peridontal disease. She has never been on special food for it and it any dog needed it, she did. She gets homecooked which is all soft. Her teeth get brushed with CET vanilla mint toothpaste once a day and we use Oravet (ask your vet about it) once a week. Her breath doesn't smell the best right now but there really is no buildup. Her vet originally said she will need dentals every six months but we have been allowed to slide since she is doing so well.

[cdawnfine]

Thank you all so much, you gave me some great ideas.

[MikaTallulah]

Try brushing your babies teeth several times a week. You can also buy a tooth scraper from most petstores so that you can scrape heavy build-up off your self. Try giving more hard buscuits or dental type of chews.

My mom's little bichon had terrible teeth and bad breath because of it. By the age of 8 he had hardly any teeth. Mom babyed him and only gave soft people food, i.e. ground beef, chicken, and rice. Not good for the teeth and cheese and deli meats as treats. Because of this I vowed never to let my babies teeth rot out of their heads.

My golden, Lucky, 10, has never had to have his teeth professional cleaned by the vet. Teeth brushed several times a week since he was 6 weeks only with problem areas scraped as needed. He eats hard kibble primarily with hard biscuits, rawhide, and dental type of chews as treats.

I do the same as above for Cozy almost two year old yorkie. She will chew on 1 of Lucky large Meaty bone buscuits on and off throughout the day. No small feat to eat. Both Cozy and Lucky eat Proplan dry dog food regular sized kibble, not the smaller kibble for smaller dogs.

My vet claims the best thing I can do for them is to keep giving primarily hard food to them continuing with my dental upkeep.

My dogs do get wholesome people food, i.e. eggs, meats, veggies.

My two cats eat primarly dry cat food with hard treats and the occasional 1/4 can of wet cat food. Mika 9 every few weeks needs to have her back teeth scraped by me but otherwise nothing.

Zero dental problems with any of them.

Good luck with your baby.

[MyFairLacy]

kibble does NOT clean a dog's teeth..it's a common myth that just isn't true. It would be like us eating crackers and cookies and expecting them to keep our teeth clean. Quite the opposite actually - the grains build up on the teeth and cause plaque which turns to tarter. The ONLY diet that will actually keep a dogs teeth clean is a raw diet that includes raw meaty bones. I feed my Lacy a raw diet but don't do the bones (although I think it's better to) and even just feeding the raw keeps their teeth cleaner than feeding kibble or canned food. I also brush her teeth once a week when I bathe her. If I fed kibble, I'd probably be brushing a lot more.

I would suggest having your dogs teeth cleaned by the vet so you can essentially start over. If you want to stick with kibble, brush the teeth at least once a day...I've heard good things about using Petzlife as well so you might look into that.

I would not go with a Hill's prescription diet. It's full of corn, fillers, and byproducts. Unfortunately most vets don't know much about nutrition..it just really isn't taught in vet school. Hills and Purina donate a lot of money to the AVMA and their reps teach the small amount of nutrition that is taught to vet students...so it's biased. Anyway, Hills and Science diet are just not very good foods.