For all the years that we had Mishka we had quite a number of problems with her teeth bless and twice she was sedated and had about 6/7 teeth taken out each time
Feeling I had let poor Mishka down by not cleaning her teeth properly I have made a daily effort to clean Daisy's teeth as I know shih tzu's are not known for having the greatest of teeth. As her mouth is quite small and she doesn't care for a finger brush I have been using a muslin cloth with dog toothpaste and she seems okay with that.
Today for the first time I actually sat down with her after I had cleaned her teeth and opened her mouth up to have a really good look around just to make sure that everything was fine in her mouth. I was horrified though to see that the last tooth on the top on both sides has yellowing along the gum line, in fact on one it goes right down the length of the tooth. I know it's possible that I may have missed the very back ones but she is only just over a year old and I really expected her teeth to be perfect at this age. I feel so bad now as I've always cleaned her teeth while her mouth is closed and just felt my way along rather than been looking what I was doing
Lyn
_______________________________________________ Gold/White Shih Tzu, Green Cheek Conure
Hi Lyn, I give my Poppy those dental sticks but cut it in half lengthways ( not easy but I do a pack at a time ) as when I gave her a whole one when she was younger it upset her tummy, so I decided to cut them in half, and fingers crossed her teeth are fine. But, like you I do worry about them and do my best to keep them clean as we have had problems with dog's teeth before. It makes you feel so guilty.
15 ex batty girls, 2 rescue jack russels and one very naughty Shih Tzu puppy who rules the household!!!
Ours all have flossy's (I don't know what you call them but that's our name for the rope chews they can use to floss)...when they lost them their breath was awful so now we have loads all over the place and they floss all the time with cleans their teeth all round don't know if that would help.
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(¸.✰´¨(¸.✰ Manda
Living our version of the Good Life with 1 dog (who feels like we're living with 4!), 1 cats, a few sheep and 11 chooks. Don't get your knickers in a knot..it solves nothing ~ just makes you walk funny
wendy wrote:Yep. If you don't want to give raw chicken wings. Then Rasks, Denta sticks nylabones work well, as well. Brushing isn't natural for dogs, chewing is.
I've actually gone out and bought some raw chicken thighs, couldn't find any chicken wings in Tesco. I don't want to give Daisy anything with grain in it as she is apparently grain intolerant, although it's possible that was just a phase. Would a raw chicken thigh be okay do you think or should I try and get some wings? I wasn't sure if the wings would be too bony for her, you read such conflicting things. She is now on day 3 of eating raw food but the Natures Menu blocks which are really more of a mush than proper pieces of raw meat on the bone, so not ideal. However she is loving them and her poos have been smaller and no smell to them
Lyn
_______________________________________________ Gold/White Shih Tzu, Green Cheek Conure
No the thigh is fine. Just thought it maybe a little big for her delicate little mouth. Nature diet is good to have as a back up. I have it in case I forget to get something from the freezer. I am sure eating raw will be good for her.
wendy wrote:No the thigh is fine. Just thought it maybe a little big for her delicate little mouth. Nature diet is good to have as a back up. I have it in case I forget to get something from the freezer. I am sure eating raw will be good for her.
She had the chicken thigh for dinner today and if anything I think it was maybe too small. I did weigh it before giving it to her and it was 144grams, not sure if that's the average weight for a thigh or not. Anyway she was a bit slow getting her head around what to do with it so I left her in the garden for a few minutes and when I came back she had the whole thing in her mouth, then she swallowed the whole thing whole. I have to say I was worried as it seemed way too big for her to eat in one piece. She seems to be okay, we've been out to the park and she is fine. I don't think I will give her any more of those though and may try some chicken breasts with the bone still in them as they are bigger and she should be able to chew on one of those. That's the theory anyway
Lyn
_______________________________________________ Gold/White Shih Tzu, Green Cheek Conure
