Dental Health: Which Chews Are Best?

Sadly, greyhounds have historically been well known for having poor dental health and it’s true.  

39%  of greyhounds suffer from some form of dental (periodontal) disease.   While there is some genetics at play with some cases, it is still a  concerning statistic given that most dental issues are controllable, if  not preventable with proper diet, teeth brushing and access to healthy  chews.

Dental disease primarily  shows in the form of plaque build-up along the gumlines, which may not  look that concerning, but without taking measures to prevent this, or  intervene with its development, there can be substantial knock-on  effects.

Apart from the fact  that dental disease is incredibly painful, the host of health issues  that can be caused from it is staggering. The bacteria that develop in  the mouth enters the bloodstream and travels around the body, infecting  vital organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys along the way.

While  it may sound ridiculous, that a rotten tooth could have such wide  reaching implications, it is the number one cause for kidney disease in  dogs.

Any dog with poor dental  health is at risk of fatal systemic disease such as sepsis, and even  some cancers…and because greyhounds are so infuriatingly stoic, you  won’t know there is even a problem until it is well established and  sometimes, too late.

We have  witnessed hounds with chronic dental disease, in need of whole mouth  extractions, in unquantifiable amounts of pain, still eating and acting  as if there was nothing wrong with them…which is why we still often hear  the phrase ‘he’s eating well, so his teeth can’t be bothering him’.

Eating,  and acting normally, are not quantifiable when it comes to maintaining  your hounds’ teeth. You need to physically look at them and know what  you are looking for, because in an ideal world, preventing the  development of dental disease is far better than the cure!

Veterinary  dental procedures to remove diseased or broken teeth, as well as  descale the others, can be incredibly expensive.  Although it is  inevitable that you will have to have it done at least once over the  course of your hound’s life, not all insurance companies cover such  procedures.  

Subsequently, if  they suffer from a disease that is directly related to your hound’s  dental health, they may not pay for the treatment of that either if  there is evidence to suggest it was preventable.  Therefore, the more  you do to maintain your hounds’ teeth the less chance you’ll be hit with  heavy vet bills later in life.

One of the simplest things you can do is regularly check your dog’s mouth and teeth.

This  will allow you to spot signs of dental disease developing like  gingivitis, or other issues such as swellings, abscesses, missing teeth,  or cavities forming where the gums have receded.

Other signs of dental disease developing include:
- Bad breath
- Discoloured teeth
- Gum recession
- Swollen, red and/or bleeding gums
- Excessive drooling
- Bloody saliva/drool
- Chewing on only one side when eating
- Dropping food/difficulty keeping it in their mouth when eating
- Blood in water/food bowls or on toys after playing
- Reduced appetite
- Weight loss
- Pain and irritability

In  being able to identify there is a problem, you can then address it.  Depending on the situation when you look in their mouth, you’ll be able  to tell if they need veterinary intervention or not!

Once  plaque starts forming, withing a couple of days it hardens and develops  into tartar. This process puts pressuring onto gumline and damages the  fragile seal that the gumline has on the tooth. This allows bacteria to  enter in underneath and drastically speed up the development of gum  disease, and other illnesses.

Should  your hound have any recession of the gums, or reddening around the  edges of the tooth, they have a problem. Once dental disease is present,  you’re looking at a vet trip, regardless of how ‘normal’ they are  acting…because things will only continue to get worse!

If things are looking pretty good, you will want to maintain it.  But how do you do that?

Straight  up, bin those soft, bendy, flimsy, and generally useless things that  are marketed as dental sicks.  These provide as much assistance to your  dog’s dental health as brushing their teeth with chocolate.
Dental  sticks are well marketed, but ultimately, they are nothing more than  highly processed cereals and unnamed additives (red flag!) with nothing  in the ingredients to suggest dental benefit.

For instance, here is the ingredient panel of one of the most commonly known dental treats on the market:

Cereals,  Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Meat and Animal Derivatives, Minerals  (Including 2.4% Sodium Tripolyphosphate), Vegetable Protein Extracts,  Oils and Fats, Preservatives.

We’d  love for someone to point out where the ‘dental’ health part of this  ingredient panel is.  The unnamed cereals make up over 90% of the treat,  and after all the other additives, only 2% is meat…and given that it is  ‘meat and animal derivatives’, it is probably not worth thinking about  what is actually in it.

The only  reason dental treats like this are supposedly beneficial is through the  action of chewing them, with that mechanical movement descaling the  teeth…but given that there are no layers, they are soft and most  greyhounds we’ve met just bite them half and swallow it whole, there is  no benefit at all.

There is only  one thing that dental sicks do well, and that is packing your hound full  of unnecessary carbohydrates and make them fat!

There  are FAR better things you could be doing for your hounds dental, and  overall, health than giving them these expensive wastes of time.

While  you’re throwing the dental sticks in the bin, make sure to throw the  rawhide out alongside it!  And when we said a good diet, that means  steering clear of ‘greyhound’ specific diets or other cheap nasty  kibbles like them.  They can go in the bin too!

There are far better ways you can maintain your hounds teeth, while ensuring their health and wellbeing.

For  starters, regular (ideally daily) tooth brushing, and the occasional  support from an Emi-Pet ultrasonic tooth cleaner or similar will help  prevent the development of daily plaque build-up.

It  may sound a little silly, to brush your dogs’ teeth but if you didn’t  brush your teeth…what would happen? It is the same for our canine  companions. Sometimes we can all be a bit too lax and a bit too blaze  about the fact that they can just go to the vet and have their teeth  removed…but would you want a dentist to do that to you?

While  it would be preferable to brush your dogs’ teeth daily to prevent their  food sitting in or between their teeth…it’s just not practical. L ife  is busy, things get forgotten, and finding time to wrangle a toothbrush  into your hounds mouth every day just doesn’t work out. The best we can  advise (and follow ourselves) is to do it as frequently as possible.  Studies have proven that brushing their teeth at a minimum of 2-3 times  per week reduces the development of plaque and inflamed gums.

If  you find yourself struggling to brush their teeth routinely, or that  they really aren’t a fan, you can take an alternative approach such as  changing their diet away from ‘greyhound’ or high carb-content food,  adding supplements like seaweed or coconut oil, and allowing them to  descale their teeth themselves using natural long lasting and  hard-wearing chews.

Air-dried,  natural chews that are free from additives from the likes of Anco, JR  Pet Products, Hollings, and many other suppliers like them are best.   Anything with layers and fur is particularly beneficial in creating a  natural descaling effect.  

Some of our favourites include:

- Antlers
- Horn Marrows
- Yakkers / Moo Chews
- Roots
- Ears (Rabbit, cow, goat etc)
- Braids and Rolls (Camel, buffalo, collagen etc)
- Tendons  
- Pizzles
- Fish Skins
- Feet (Chicken, duck, turkey or rabbit)
- Tails (Beef, buffalo etc)
- Paddywack
- Wings (Chicken, duck etc)
- Trachea

Incorporating  such things into your dog’s diet (while it may seem a bit grim when you  first start out) can be incredibly beneficial.  Not only do natural  items like these bring about positive dental changes, many of them  they’re rich in protein, calcium, chondroitin, glucosamine, and collagen  for joint and coat health.

If  you want to splash out on something much longer lasting, but is an  invaluable asset in maintaining your hounds teeth, you’ll want to hit up  JR Pet Products for their Ostrich Bones or Ostrich Knuckles.
These  are amongst the most popular de-scaling bone available for greyhounds.  The internal honeycomb structure of the ostrich bone is very effective  in scraping the teeth clean when provided for 20 minutes once or twice a  week.  They are expensive, but they last forever and have the benefit  of not splintering the same way other bones do…but you still want to  supervise them anyway!

* If you  are going to give any bones, ensure they are raw or air-dried, never  feed cooked bones. Additionally, if your hound has cavities, lose or  broken teeth, or gum disease, bones will not be appropriate and could  cause more damage.
Given the high value nature of  bones and chews, and that you don’t want to leave them unsupervised, you  will need to make sure your hound knows that when it does come to take  it away from them that it’s a good thing.  Always trade it out with  another treat to prevent resource guarding. *

Looking  after your hounds’ teeth doesn’t need to be complicated, or expensive.   By providing them the means to look after their own teeth through  natural chews, while adding extra maintenance through brushing, you’ll  save yourself a lot of money in avoided vet bills!