Fresh food, dry food and teeth cleaning
 

I am bring my baby home Tuesday and I am struggling with what seems like an age old issue: dry, fresh or wet food? I am wondering if feeding fresh (as in Freshpet) along with teeth brushing will be okay? Any opinions? I keep reading that fresh and or wet foods are too soft and may not be good for the teeth but I plan on brushing Lola's teeth regularly so in that case will dry food really be necessary or better? Thank you, I have been reading posts and threads for days :confuse2:

There's so many opinions when it comes to whether feeding a certain type of food actually helps a pet's teeth or not. Personally, IMO, I think you can feed whatever type of food that you want and no one type of food is better for your pet's teeth than the other. I think brushing teeth is so important and the best way to take care of your pet's teeth no matter what type of food you feed.

Its not gonna matter what you feed her you still need to brush her teeth. Also I would keep her on the food her breeder is feeding her for a couple of weeks so she has something she is used to in her new home so its less stress and when you do decided to switch her food I would make sure to do it slow so you don't upset her tummy. If she is a puppy she needs to be on a puppy food and I don't think Fresh pet has a puppy food.

While kibble has been shown to be better for their teeth then soft foods, brushing is the number one thing to eliminate tartar. Personally, I recommend a child's electric toothbrush. You don't have to move back and forth so much.

Thank you all for the responses! I plan to feed Lola the same food her breeder is feeding and slowly switch her over the next couple of weeks. Freshpet has a puppy food but I'm not sure if I can find it here locally thought the adult food is readily available. I am just really at a loss as to what food is best for her. I plan to brush her teeth regularly but I don't want to feed her food that will cause problems with her teeth or digestion in general. My vet is super supportive of us so even though I know he will recommend Science Diet but I am sure that he will guide us through cooking our own food if I decide to do that. I swear this is harder than planning my children's diets when they were babies!!! :confused:

What was her breeder feeding her? It is hard especially with all the food recalls. I would not feed a Purina food they are the owners of the Waggin Train chicken jerky that has killed and made lots of dogs sick and they have yet to pull the jerky and only care about money so I cant imagine what short cuts and things they do to there food to make money.

I believe they are feeding her Pedigree kibble right now...

I believe they are feeding her Pedigree kibble...

I am just curious....what has made you want to change her diet? I am just wondering! If the breeder feeds Pedigree, why do you feel compelled to change? If it aint broke, dont fix it! I feed Royal Canin and have been very happy with the results in my dogs. I encourage my owners to continue with RC as I have not ever had any issues with it in any of my dogs, and even with all the dog food recalls we have ducked and dodged around, like walking through a mine field, I had no problem with the RC. If a problem arises with feeding a particular food, then by all means, switch it out.....but why change something that is working very well for the dog? If you like to see veggies in the bowl, throw a tablespoon of carrots, peas, and green beans on top of the kibble! The teeth brushing is really the thing to concentrate your energy in! Those Sonicare electric tooth brushes are absolutely super! I use mine in combination with water additive and enzyme tooth paste, and a gel and with truly miraculous results!

Pedigree has a lot of corn items listed in the first few ingredients when meat should be so I am with him about eventually wanting to change it.

What she said! In researching Pedigree it seems that they use a lot of by-products and corn. I want to stay away from that as much as possible. My mini schnauzer was on a certain vet recommended food all his life until we almost lost him to bladder stones which were brought on by the food he was eating. When we got Bailey I just used the food that was recommended and never thought there were any other appropriate options. Now I know better and Bailey is now on a RX food due to his bladder stones and skin allergies (nothing else works for him). I want to bring Lola home and switch her to a food that will be healthy from the start if I can. I just don't feel that Pedigree has what Lola needs.

I'm happy your pups have adapted so well to the Sonicare :thumbup: Sugar is totally great with it and has been since I started using it on her a year ago! It has saved her remaining teeth for sure!

Curri :bee: is going to need a little more convincing :rolleyes:;)

What she said! After researching it seems that Pedigree uses a lot of by-products and corn fillers. I want to stay away from that as much as possible. My mini schnauzer was on a certain vet recommended food for the first 6 years of his life and we almost lost him to bladder stones brought on, or made worse, by the ingredients in his food. Bailey is now on a RX food that addresses his bladder stones and skin issues (the only thing that works for him at this point) but when we got him I had no idea that there were so many options. I just blindly went with the recommendation I was given and assumed it was best for Bailey. I want to be more informed about Lola's nutritional needs and start her out in a healthier manner to hopefully head off any issues that are food/nutrition related. I think that vets know what is best medically speaking for our pets but just like your pediatrician or general practitioner would refer you to a nutritionist for specific needs I think we as pet owners need to look elsewhere for food concerns/ingredient needs. If that makes any sense, lol. I don't just feed my human children anything that comes in a bag or box and I'm not going to feed my furbabies something that may amount to pink slime and corn meal in a bag! :aimeeyork

Sorry for the double response...I got two emails notifying of the same response so I thought my first reply didn't post so I reposted! :embarasse