I have opposing advice from two different Vets, thought I'd ask here.

[montdoug]

I had a Vet of many years recommend a brand name rawhide, dental medicine treated chew. Suppose to help clean the tartar off the teeth. Quite expensive, dogs love em, life is good.

That Vet retired, started up with a new and highly recommended Vet that tells me not only are they a waste of money but the rawhide being ingested can cause problems. What are the opinions  of you folks who aren't selling me any products??? Dental medicine treated rawhide chews?, plain, untreated rawhide chews or something better than either???

Thanks!

[Idaho Cairns]

Because of incidental choking by our older Cairn who just inhales  these rawhide chews, we no longer let the dogs have them. 
If your dog actually "chews" the things they might actually help with dental health.

 

[sanford]

Back in July, I wrote about Ruffy getting a softened, sticky piece of chewed rawhide stuck to the roof of his mouth. A dozen more folks wrote in, describing similar problems. We learned our lesson - no more rawhide in this house!

Benefits of rawhide for the teeth and gums are open to debate, but the drawbacks outweigh those possible benefits.

[hheldorfer]

We had previously allowed our dogs to have rawhide chews (only under supervision) but we have since discontinued them.  Been hearing too many bad things about how they are processed - even the ones made in the U.S..  Better safe than sorry.

[Sam I Am]

 On so many levels rawhide chews, Pigs ears etc, Are bad and dangerous to your dogs health. If you can start a young dog learning to accept having their teeth brushed a lot of dental issues can be averted . 

Edited December 12, 2017 by Terrier lover

[pkcrossley]

i know the chews you mean. i have never considered them, because of the rawhide factor: my dogs have had problems with them, gagging, choking and then there are the digestive issues if the chews actually go down. i don't see how they are worth the worry and trouble. i use a couple of citrus-based products in the drinking water and get very good results with dogs and cats. 

[Min D]

17 hours ago, pkcrossley said:

i use a couple of citrus-based products in the drinking water and get very good results with dogs and cats. 

What are the products you’re referring to? The pets don’t mind it?

[gd4]

Hello, I noted your post when I checked in today. We would never give our Cairns rawhides or the dental greenies because of choking fears. Our former Vet talked us into buying the CET Dental Chews that look like rawhides. The dogs LOVED them. But, I don't think it helped much with their teeth and I'm not sure if I would continue the practice with our new puppy. Max chewed his slowly and enjoyed. However, my little girl swallowed hers practically whole and  vomited back up (gross) which I don't think could be a good practice. In fact, in her last year, she suffered with strange stomach issues and even went through exploratory surgery for an item, they could not find on the US last year at the holidays. They never found the item but I think the surgery the vet put her through resulted in her later demise. I will always wonder. She lived another 6 months and died on Labor Day. Nevertheless, I would stick with the drops they put into the water, try to get the pup to like getting their teeth brushed and regular cleanings. This is what we plan to do with Trina Joy.

[kjwarnold]

No rawhides or Greenies for us.  They both always made Packy throw up so we never got started with them.  Phinney likes the boiled bones but gosh, now they’re even warning about them.

[Sam I Am]

Feed bones raw. Cooked bones splinter.

[nofleezmoniz]

Correct, but be careful with aggressive chewers that they can crack teeth.

[pkcrossley]

"What are the products you’re referring to? The pets don’t mind it?"

They are just liquids that you add to their water --a capful into a half gallon or gallon. I doubt they taste it, if they do, if they do it just has a citrusy sort of tang to it. My dogs and caps all drink it without any complaint. Really helps gum and plaque issues. 

[sanford]

2 hours ago, pkcrossley said:

"What are the products you’re referring to? The pets don’t mind it?"

They are just liquids that you add to their water --a capful into a half gallon or gallon. I doubt they taste it, if they do, if they do it just has a citrusy sort of tang to it. My dogs and cats all drink it without any complaint. Really helps gum and plaque issues. 

I'm sure you are correct, but when I looked at the labels on various "water additives", many of them prominently and mainly claimed that they made the breath "refreshingly minty" - or words to that effect. It seems to me that such a feature is aimed at marketing to us humans... dogs are not impressed with such cosmetic enhancements. Out of curiosity, I put down  a bowl of plain water next to the treated minty-flavored water and Ruffy actually sniffed both before deciding to drink the plain water. (Good boy, Ruffy)!😄 I discarded that product and opted for an additive whose main claim is not to freshen breath, but to reduce plaque & tartar. It also has a mint odor, but I guess all these oral care products do.

As far as I know, these additives soften, but don't remove plaque and tartar in order that brushing can more effectively do that job. If a dog's breath is foul, it can be an indication that she is already experiencing gum or dental problems. Camouflaging with a pleasant-smelling product won't address the underlying issue and could delay having the dog's mouth examined by a vet.

[pkcrossley]

Quite right, I don’t know or care about sweet breath unless it clearly indicates a health issue. My vet has been impressed with the results from the citrus additive (haven’t seen minty ones, I didn’t even know mint was safe for dogs), but I’m sure I could get even better results with regular brushing. My dogs and cats have always drunk it without complaint, but I never offered an A/B comparison.

[montdoug]

Is it ok for someone to mention the brand of liquid additive that helps with tartar?

As  to the bags of chews I "had". I called the mail order pet supply folks I deal with and once again they earned my continued business  with their great service. Nice young fella told me they would refund our debit account for the last large order placed and when I asked how to send all the remaining bags of chews back he said it would be more bother sending them back then they were concerned about so just pitch em. They are headed for the city landfill when the garbage gets picked up Thursday. Thanks for the input. Poor ole Gus however sits there in the evening looking at us like "Where's my treat??" I have to come up with a new evening treat.

Thanks for the help folks.

[bradl]

9 minutes ago, montdoug said:

Is it ok for someone to mention the brand of liquid additive that helps with tartar?

Sure. It's not advertising unless you are selling or have some connection to it. 

[Luke Bizzy]

On 12/11/2017 at 8:02 PM, sanford said:

Back in July, I wrote about Ruffy getting a softened, sticky piece of chewed rawhide stuck to the roof of his mouth. A dozen more folks wrote in, describing similar problems. We learned our lesson - no more rawhide in this house!

Benefits of rawhide for the teeth and gums are open to debate, but the drawbacks outweigh those possible benefits.

X2 with us. Titan inhales the rawhides as soon as he can get them softened up enough. Twice we've had to reach down his goozle to pull it out when it got stuck and couldn't get it down. Pretty scary stuff. Never more does he get any form of rawhide.