Dental Month

Since February is dental health awareness month, we decided to share the current knowledge about dental health and raw feeding.

It is often said that feeding raw will resolve any dental issue on its own. Unfortunately, this is not always true for all dogs and cats. Some pets, because of their genetics, will be more at risk of dental disease than others. Simply feeding raw might not be enough to prevent tartar build up on the teeth of some pets.

Dogs and cats that were kibble-fed before switching to raw may already have tartar accumulated on their teeth. For some, just making the switch to raw might be enough to get rid of that tartar. Carbohydrate-dense and therefore sugar heavy diets, such as kibble, promote the acidification of mouth and salivary pH promoting tartar growth. Additionally, the flora of the mouth and gut bacteria can have an impact on the tartar. These are unique to every individual and highly influenced by the type of diet as well. For many pets, simply making the switch to a low carb, high protein, unprocessed diet, will result in a better mouth and gut flora, along with a more appropriate salivary pH, that will help the body get rid of excess tartar on its own. However, for some pets, this might not be enough.

For years, pet health professionals have claimed that feeding raw bones was dangerous for pets, at minimum a great risk for breaking teeth. Recently, a group of researchers set out to prove this theory with a scientific study. The conclusion, however, was not what the researchers, or the pet industry was expecting: Dogs in the study fed raw bones had a significant improvement in their dental health in only three days. Additionally, over a period of multiple weeks, no real risk was observed to be caused to the teeth, one victory for the raw feeders!

Now that science is finally starting to back up some well-known facts, spread the good news: Raw bones WILL help achieve and maintain dental health without significant risk! That being said, it is always essential to supervise all bone-chewing sessions, especially for starters. It is important to choose the right bone size and density for the right dog. Big dogs should get bigger bones, and very heavy chewers should get softer bones. Cats should have access to small, meaty, and soft bones.

Did you know that all this information can be found directly on Big Country Raw bone packaging? If you are not sure of the type of bone to feed your pet, just look on the packaging for the type of pets, size, and chewing experience. Don’t hesitate to share with us the dental health improvement of your pet when feeding our raw meaty bones.

Reference:
Pinto CFD, Lehr W, Pignone VN, Chain CP, Trevizan L (2020) Evaluation of teeth injuries in Beagle dogs caused by autoclaved beef bones used as a chewing item to remove dental calculus. PLoS ONE 15(2): e0228146. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228146