Feeding raw question

[Tommy Coyote]

Anybody know if these are true? Have heard these things about feeding raw.

 

You shouldn't feed raw along with kibble. Something about using different enzymes.

 

Feeding raw causes an enzyme to be released that helps to keep teeth healthy.

 

I've been feeding my dogs just a little Primal along with their kibble. Just curious if these things are true.

[Root Beer]

This is hotly debated.

 

I primarily raw feed, but for budgeting purposes, one gets one grain-free kibble meal per day and one raw meal. I feed these separately. Oh, but she always gets a dolop of raw meat in with her kibble. Just because I want to give that to her as a treat.

 

However, I have - on many an occasion - thrown a little grain-free kibble in with my dog's raw food. There has never been an issue. They haven't ended up with upset stomachs or loose stools.

 

I also feed them all grain free kibble if I am out of raw (just was out of evening meals this past week, so all got raw in the morning and kibble in the evening). And vice versa.

 

My experience may not be universal, but that has been mine. I do feed a grain-free kibble, though. I'm not sure if the results would be different with a regular kibble.

[waffles]

The only reason I think people say not to feed kibble and raw in the same meal is because some dogs get diarrhea. But once your dog is used to eating more than one thing everyday, you shouldn't have a problem. When I first started switching my dog there were many days he got raw meat and kibble and he was just fine.

 

Never heard about enzymes cleaning dogs teeth from raw meat. The reason raw fed dogs typically have clean teeth is because they use their teeh to eat edible bone and rip and gnaw on large pieces of fleshy meat.

 

If primal is a store bought raw product it isn't going to clean your dogs teeth. I have only seen patty like raw products in stores and never understood how anyone could afford that stuff! Plus I feel some of the best benefits of raw is the teeth cleaning and how time consuming it can be for my dog to eat. And you will only get those benefits from feeding big hunks of meat and meat with bone in it.

[Gideon's girl]

Different food types digest at different rates. This is true in people too. That is a proven fact. That's why they say not to mix raw and kibble. If your dog does not have a problem with it(and I and many of my friends feed this way), then your dog doesn't have a problem with it. Just like I don't have a problem eating cheese and crackers or a sandwich with meat and veggies on it. Some postulate that adding raw to kibble helps the dog to digest the kibble better, and for one of my dogs I found this to be true.

 

The only teeth cleaning benefit that raw has is chewing bones to clean teeth and supposedly feeding raw green tripe. RGT is supposed to breakdown tartar, I can't tell you if it's true or not, but I can say that I feed tripe regularly and the dog that never had any tartar build up never got any, but the dog that did have a spot on either side of his mouth kept those spots until one week I gave RMBs 3 or 4 days in a row. But after the spots were gone, they never came back.

[rushdoggie]

I have easy keepers and small dogs, so a part of my dogs diet is pre-made raw (and we are also lucky to be able to buy a locally made product that's a reasonable-ish price) because its easy and I don't feed enough for it to hurt my pocketbook that much. I notice when they don't get whole raw foods for a while they do develop some tarter, but its softer and I can flick it off with my fingernail.

 

I notice takes only a couple of goes with a bone or turkey neck to get rid of the tarter.

 

SO I do think some kibbles exacerbate the tarter maybe because of the carb load, or stickiness? Years ago I fed a lot of Bil Jac kibble and nothing gave my dogs worse teeth...it seems to leave a ton of residue behind, although I immediately saw better coats and great body condition.

 

I also think some is genetic because I had a few dogs who ate kibble all their lives and had pretty clean teeth and healthy gums to age 16. Others had dental issues their whole lives.

[Liz P]

I will see if I can find the references, but I just read an article about studies showing that raw fed dogs (and wolves, coyotes, etc) have just as much dental disease as kibble fed. There was less visible tartar, but equal damage to the roots, gums and other surrounding tissue. The damage you can't see is what causes teeth to get infected and fall out.

 

It has been my experience that genetics plays just as big of a role as diet in dental health. I see pets on a daily basis in the same household eating the exact same food that have vastly different dental health.

[Sue R]

Interesting. But wouldn't you think the plaque/tartar-lessening effects of raw bones would have an overall positive effect on dental/mouth health? Otherwise, why is it important to have our teeth cleaned regularly to avoid dental and mouth issues?

 

My dogs love their bones so much I'd probably feed them just because they do enjoy them, and the occasional raw organ meat, scrap beef, or chicken parts for the same reason.

[rushdoggie]

I'd be interested to see the study as well.

 

While 1 person's experience don't equal universal truth, when my dogs have tarter I see redness and inflammation at the gum line that isn't there when they don't have tarter. The dogs who had red and inflamed gums are the ones who lost teeth (that and one broken tooth on a Nylabone).

 

I was also told by my vet that the CHF that my dog experienced in old age was probably partly die to the onging dental issues he had (when I adopted him at 2 his mouth was NASTY and he had his teeth cleaned a lot due to build up and inflamed gums).

[waffles]

It has been my experience that genetics plays just as big of a role as diet in dental health. I see pets on a daily basis in the same household eating the exact same food that have vastly different dental health.

Definitely. I know a couple dogs who are barely 1 and have terrible looking teeth who eat kibble but do chew things such as nylabones. Then I know senior dogs who have been kibble fed their whole lives who have beautiful teeth. Genetics plays a role most certainly. Just like as a kid I brushed my teeth more than my brother and flossed more but he never had cavities and I always did. Now as adults neither of us have had any.

[Gideon's girl]

Chewing bones cleans the teeth above the gum line and, depending on the chewing style, some places below the gum line, but not below the gum line on all sides of all teeth. This is a problem for some dogs and never a problem for others. Keeping an eye out for red and inflamed gums is definitely important for dental health regardless of visible tartar on the teeth.

[Liz P]

Looks can be very deceiving. Healthy looking gums can be hiding serious disease. I've been fooled plenty of times before. You need dental radiographs to get the full picture.

 

Chewing bones is not going to clean under the gums the way an ultrasonic scaler can.

[Sue R]

What I do is ask my vet when he/she does the dogs' annual exams whether or not their teeth need cleaning. I am assuming, from their exam, that if they detect any signs of bad oral health when they examine the teeth and gums, they will let me know.

 

Additionally, when one of my dogs has to be in for any procedure that involves sedation, I ask them to check the mouth and do a dental if needed. So far, knock on wood, we have only had to have one dental done.

 

It is difficult to get a good look at parts of the mouth that are not easily visible when the dog is not sedated.

 

Interesting topic!

[Gideon's girl]

My vet doesn't do dental radiographs routinely, no equipment for it. They are next door to a very accomodating dentist that did a root canal for us on a local police K-9 once upon a time.