Do you see anything wrong with this method?

[pup-man]

The kibble size I feed is my puppy is kind of large... with that in mind, I always grind it down using a coffee grinder until it is like fine crumbs. I then add a little warm water and smash it to the consistency of wet food and then add the usual half of her normal wet food.

Will this casue any tooth problems or anything else you might think of? When she eats it, it doesn't even look like it was from kibbles but from a can of wet food.

Thanks!

 

[Saje]

If it's a good quality food I don't think it would hurt her teeth. Sounds like a lot of work though. Why don't you choose a brand with smaller kibble? Or maybe just wet it first. When I wet kibble it's usually softens it a bit and seems to make it easier to eat.

 

[Debi]

I think you'd still want her chewing on something to keep the teeth clean, or brush them regularly. I'd probably also buy a smaller kibble. Innova is rather small and easy to chew. you could still moisten with a bit of canned food.

 

[makenzie71]

^ditto. The crunchy kibble helps clean their teeth.

 

[Mordy]

Kibble doesn't do much to clean the teeth, that's just a myth. Even the so called "dental" kibbles that contain lots of junk like peanut hulls just scrape the crowns of the teeth (and only if the dog actuall bothers to chew) but do nothing to clean at and below the gum line - where it really counts.

A nice chicken wing beef rib works a lot better.

 

[Boxer*Mom]

they do make small bites puppy food. save yourself the hassle! and do give a chew toy for those growing teeth, nylabones a safe too and last a long time, there are chew hides that have a dental additive in them too.

 

[CLee]

mordy... there's ABSOLUTELY no truth to kibble helping clean teeth?

cause it does make sense, logically, that hard foods that crunch, like kibble, would help to scrape down some plaque and would be less likely to remain on the teeth (compared to wet food that may leave residue)?

i don't know what the myth is, but logically, it seems reasonable...

--
and one more thing, aside from raw items, what other chew items are safe and effective?

 

[memyselfandmiah]

yesterday my dog vomited (for the first time) all that came out was whole kibble. I dont think that he even really chews the kibble that much. I think that the way that kibble IS better is that wet food will leave a residue where kibble won't.

--just my $0.02

 

[Mordy]

CLee, there really isn't much truth to it. Dry dog food contains high amounts of carbs that tend to stick to the teeth and form plaque. There may be a little scraping action going on if the dog bothers to chew, but that is really minor.

Try stuffing your mouth full of potato chips or dry crackers, chew for a while, then swallow and explore your mouth. You will find bits and pieces sticking to the teeth and gums everywhere. Now consider that a dog doesn't have salivary enzymes that start breaking down starches in the mouth like humans do.

Canned food contains less starch and has a much higher moisture content, so on contact with the saliva in the mouth it doesn't soak it all up and has much less of a tendency to stick.

The kind of cleaning action dog teeth require is better compared to humans flossing rather than brushing, because the most critical part that needs cleaning is at and below the gum line, where bacteria can congregate and cause periodontitis and gingivitis. Kibble doesn't get there.

 

[LoveKayla]

I agree with Mordy, crunching kibble does not clean teeth... it is just an old myth. That is, if your dog actually crunchs it. It also does cause tarter because of the carbs in it. I have done a lot of research on it and find that canned is in fact better for the teeth. A raw bone is the best thing you can give him for the teeth cleaning aside from brushing, IMO