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Originally Posted by dwerten  my friend feeds her maltese a raw diet and they eat ground turkey necks and chew on bone marrows and her maltese are 2 and they are both going in for dentals today with the dentist we saw as they have tartar-- I think alot of it is genetics as my dad has periodontal disease as a human and had open heart surgery a year ago. They say the plaque that builds on your teeth is a sign of the plaque building up in your arteries and people with gum disease tend to have heart disease so seeing it first hand with my dad i believe it to be true. So even though demi, dee dee and dex are all 4 demi had the most plaque and horrible breath which is a huge sign of gum disease which i kept thinking digestion -uh hello another bad move - i was in big time denial and fear of anesthesia. Bad breath is kidney and gum disease btw and once you rule those out u go to digestion issues not the other way around.
It really depends on dog and why big dogs do not have gum and teeth issues yet little dogs do it is alot of times in the genetics |
Couldn't agree more with everything you said. I think the raw diet helps - but I get my babies vet checked and if they need a dental, they will get one. Ella Bean, my Yorkie needs her teeth brushed twice as often as my Cavalier and she gets plaque and bad breath much quicker. Genetics are the great equalizer and all we can do is be mindful pet parents and engage in preventative care and give them dental cleanings when they need!