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In this blog we are exploring one of the most important, and often overlooked, areas of pet care there is and that’s teeth. Teeth play a vitally important role in the life of dogs and cats, and without the proper care can cause real issues to the overall health of our four legged friends.
Teeth - How many?
Kitten ................26
Adult cat ...........30
Puppy................28
Adult dog...........42
Both dogs and cats have two sets of teeth in their lifetimes. The first to erupt through the gums are the deciduous teeth, also sometimes known as baby teeth, primary teeth or milk teeth. These usually start to appear around 3 weeks of age and most of their teeth are present by 6 weeks and, as we all know, these are very sharp!
These deciduous teeth will fall out and be replaced by the permanent teeth, also known as adult or secondary teeth. These appear around 4 months of age in both dogs and cats, and by month 6 and 7 usually all the adult teeth will be present.
The front teeth, incisors and canine, are used for grasping, tearing and tugging. The premolars and molars are used for grinding and chewing.
A good quality diet is essential to keep these teeth and gums healthy.
Tarter and plaque can build up on our pets teeth, which can then cause a condition called gingivitis. This usually occurs when bacteria from the plaque works its way in between the teeth and gums causing the gums to become sore and inflamed. That bacteria can sometimes, in the worst cases, make its way into the blood steam causing problems in certain organs such as the kidneys, heart and liver.
Gingivitis, plaque, tarter and general poor oral hygiene can be avoided by feeding your dog a raw dog food diet and raw meaty bones. The same goes for cats.
Feeding a raw diet gives the opportunity to keep the oral cavity cleaner and bones give a good workout for the muscles, and more importantly, help to remove any plaque or tarter that might have attached to the teeth.
If, for whatever reason, your dog or cat doesn't have any meaty bones in their diet, and you just stick to minces, Nurturing by Nature minces contain meat and minced bone and no extras, meaning a cleaner healthier mouth and teeth.
Giving the right natural dog treats can also help keep their teeth clean. Natural dog treats can also occupy your puppy by giving them something to chew on during those teething weeks!
Two of the best natural dog treats we can recommend for having great teeth cleaning properties are:
• Stinky Sticks Dried Tripe Sticks – The irregular shape helps to scrape off plaque and tartar as they chew
• Air Dried White Fish Treats – Again the irregular shape is great for plaque and tartar removal
We hear a lot of dog owners say "my dog just gobbles their meal. It doesn’t touch the sides or last any length of time!"
The reason for this is because as a dog eats the mix of saliva and food come together to create a bolus. Then the tongue pushes the bolus (food) to the back of the mouth and on to the stomach where the gastric juices and enzymes start the digestion process. This is also one of the reasons that we advocate larger pieces of bones for a meal, i.e. chicken carcasses for dogs and chicken wings for cats, in order to force your pet to chew and breakdown the food before swallowing.
The stomach acid then breaks down the food ready for digestion. Our pet’s stomach acid is very acidic and is perfectly tuned to break down raw diets, as that is what they would have fed on when they were wild. The raw diet purely increases the acidity aiding better digestion.
There are powders you can get that can be added to food that helps to reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar. You can also brush your dog’s teeth to keep their oral health as good as it can be. However, the starting point to good oral hygiene should always focus on the diet.
Whatever size or shape, adult dogs and cats will have the same number of permanent teeth. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Chihuahua or a Great Dane, they all have 42 adult teeth. This means that sometimes the smaller breeds experience poor dental conformation, teeth crammed into a small mouth. In these breeds oral hygiene and a good diet is an absolute must.
As touched upon above, an unhealthy mouth can lead to complications with the internal organs and in the worst cases a trip to the vets. Even if it’s a Veterinary Dental it will still require an anaesthetic for the procedure, so… prevention is far better, and cheaper, than a cure. Feeding your pets raw dog food or raw cat food and natural dog treats or cat treats is a great way to maintain good oral hygiene.
As with all the topics we cover, if you have any questions about this or any pet related subject then please do get in touch and we will do our very best to help.