effective dental chew?

838 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by ehunter, Feb 5, 2016

ehunter

Discussion Starter · Feb 4, 2016

Hello,

My dog was recently diagnosed with ocular melanoma & has had 2 surgeries, one to remove the eye, the other to go back in to make sure they had clean margins & to remove 2 lymph nodes under his chin.
Given the location of the surgery & him being in a cone, I wasn't able to brush his teeth. I got some ProDen plaque off to add to his water on the advice of my favorite pet shop's people. His breath is fine, but it hasn't helped with keeping build-up off of his teeth.
Monday he had his sutures removed & before we went I did remove the cone & brush his teeth & he was fine.
Two days after suture removal I tried to brush his teeth & he cried out in pain when I opened his mouth wide. I gave up & tried again the next day & again he cried out. Then I tried to just open his mouth a bit today just to take a peek, but he cried again. I've put in a call at the animal hospital about this, but it's surgery day so it could be a while before they get back to me. And it could be a few days before he can be seen, & (hopefully)diagnosed & treated
In the meantime, has anyone had any success with dental chews? Not raw bones. He also lost interest in bully sticks, which stinks, as they seemed to help along with brushing. Preferably natural, as he eats a home cooked organic diet, but at this point I will give him anything that works until the issue is resolved & I can brush his teeth again. I was looking into Ark Naturals brushless toothpaste chews. Any advice will be appreciated!
Oh, he has been eating, drinking, walking, & playing as usual, no signs of pain during those activities.

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Cuppybear

· #2 · Feb 4, 2016

I really like the Nylabone NutriDent. They have a lot of ridges on them. Then again, my puppy is only 8 months old and has young teeth, so I can't tell if they're working or not haha.

And I'm so sorry to hear about your dog! Poor thing! Hope he feels better soon

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Rain

· #3 · Feb 4, 2016

The only thing, besides brushing, that I know is truly effective is raw meaty bones. My boy chews cow hoofs, bully sticks, himalayan chews. He chews on one or the other every day and still had tartar building up, I gave him a raw chicken wing and his teeth are noticeably better.

My past dogs have chewed on Chew-ezz, denta sticks, raw hide, and cow hooves and they did nothing to stop the tartar build up.

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Rain

· #4 · Feb 4, 2016

I read some of the reviews on the Ark Natural chews that you mentioned and it seems like it gives some dogs upset stomachs. If you try them be aware of that.

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ehunter

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 5, 2016

Thank you Cuppybear & Rain

I'm currently transitioning a few supplements the nutritionist recommended for immune support, so maybe introducing a chew that upsets his tummy isn't a good idea. I doubt he will chew on anything hard right now anyway. I wonder if his jaw was injured in some way when they removed the sutures from under his chin. I would imagine his snout needed to be held firmly to do that. I'm taking him on Wed, which seems a long time away. If he exhibits any signs that he's in pain all the time, as opposed to just opening his mouth wide, I'll take him to the emergency.

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