Well, I picked up a Boda "Fresh 'n Floss" Rope chew toy for Ellie. On the package it says "Cleans teeth & gums, Contains fluoride & baking soda, Helps freshen breath, Durable cotton strands act as floss." She immediately loved it when i came home. After about 15 min of her chewing on it, I noticed that the knot that she was chewing on had turned from white to pink. It seems that her gums were bleeding. I took it away. Is this something that I should only give her for a short time everyday? Or just let her have at it?

On a good note, I did notice after looking at her mouth, her teeth did look cleaner, and her breath smelt a bit less offensive.

Usually when dogs chew on anything their gums may bleed. I wouldn't over do it though.

So, in one week's time Ellie's breath is smelling better with just 30 or so min of chew time per day, and as of today she chewed on it for 30 min, and he gums showed no signs of bleeding. The sad thing is that she has successfully destroyed this rope chew. I found her today tearing big chucks of fibers out of it and I constantly had to stop her from trying to swallowing the fibers. Does anyone know if there is something that will do the same teeth cleaning job, something that can be a little more indestructible, and can be used more unsupervised, like when I am at work?

Well, if you can do the whole thing for dinner when you get home, raw turkey necks are AWESOME for getting teeth and breath clean. They take about 30 minutes to consume. You feed them 3 times a week. Very cheap--get non-enhanced turkey necks from any butcher, very cheap. Store them in the freezer and thaw one at a time for feeding. Very easy. Feed on a towel in the kitchen, clean up with water and vinegar.

You can give a bully stick for chew time while you are gone, but it won't floss at all. You want flossing action--the stuff in a neck is great for flossing.

The bones in the neck are not an issue?

Originally Posted by tad158

The bones in the neck are not an issue?

Raw they are fine...don't feed cooked bones.
Here is some info
http://www.pethealthandnutritioncent...-dog-food-3pk/

These are great for dogs to chew on...
http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/...ly_sticks.html

Kong brand toys/chews seem to hold up pretty well..
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...&lmdn=Dog+Toys

I have a couple Mammoth brand ropes that have held up for years..
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...&lmdn=Dog+Toys


I have an 11yr old mutt who has never had his teeth cleaned and he has no dental issues, he loves to chew and the only toy he will play with is a tug rope.

Greenies have caused a lot of death in dogs, the first ingredient in them is wheat gluten, which is what makes certain grains sticky (the gluten is what holds bread together and makes oatmeal have the sticky/gummy texture). What happens is when the dogs choke, the greenie becomes like cement in the esophagus and gets stuck. Or it can swell up further down the digestive tract and become stuck there, causing an obstruction, and requiring surgery to remove it.

I don't brush my dogs teeth at all, and they have zero bad breath, tartar or plaque. I do give them plenty of things to chew one, bully sticks, antlers, raw meaty bones, center bones, knuckle bones, flossies and nylabones. Just be careful about nylabones, some dogs can start to chew off big pieces and will swallow it which can also cause an obstruction so I don't let them chew on them unless under supervision. My dogs aren't fed raw, but are fed a high quality kibble (Taste of the Wild - High Prairie, Wetlands & Pacific Stream, and also Innova Evo Herring & Salmon, we do a rotational diet) and also occasionally canned (Nature's Variety, Instinct, 95% Rabbit, Duck, and Beef).

Sometimes they really can have things digestively wrong with that that is causing their breath to stink. You can try giving them a dog-friendly probiotic or digestive enzyme to help treat the problem.

This product is amazing: http://www.plaqueoff.com/proden_plaq...off_animal.htm

We started using it about two months ago after Ramsay's breath was starting to get REALLY bad. It takes a week or two to work it's way into the blood stream and have some effect, but his breath has been great ever since. We are totally convinced. It apparently works on the plaque and tarter as well, but takes longer. We've noticed some small improvement there and will continue to monitor.

Well I am happy to report, that I have solved the breath problem. I switched her to EVO red meat, gain free food. What a difference! Her breath is pleasant, and the farts are gone!....It is amazing!