Proper oral care is essential for your furry friend's overall well-being. Read this article to discover the connection between raw dog food and dental health.
Most pet owners go the extra mile to ensure their dog’s health is in pristine condition. That means standard vet checkups, excessive exercise, and fulfilling nutritious meals. But what sometimes gets forgotten about is your dog’s dental health, and that’s just as important as an active lifestyle.
Proper dental care is essential for your furry friend’s overall well-being and a raw diet can help you take care it hassle-free.
Just like humans, when a dog’s teeth aren’t cared for properly, there can be consequences.
Plaque buildup is very common occurance and will occur from a mixture of food debris, dangerous bacteria, and proteins found in your dog’s saliva. This plaque will then form a biofilm that sticks to the tooth’s surface. Although it can be removed from physical scrubbing (just like how we brush our teeth), it can quickly return in less than a day. If left too long, the plaque will harden to form tartar, which is a breeding ground for destructive bacteria and can lead to gum infection or gum inflammation.
Poor oral hygiene can quickly have a dramatic effect on your dog’s health. In some extreme cases it can lead to tooth loss and tooth decay, but in more severe circumstances can involve heart disease or premature kidney disease.
A raw diet is exactly how it sounds! It’s a diet made specifically for your pet that contains limited and wholesome ingredients to ensure they’re getting everything they need while they eat. These diets are based on raw meat, bone, organs, and vegetables.
Let’s face it: it’s pretty common for dog owners to struggle with brushing their pup’s teeth. Most dogs just aren’t receptive to having a foreign object bristling against their teeth. That’s where feeding raw food and or a tasty bone comes in.
Bold by Nature raw diets are a natural dental abrasive that can work effectively as a toothbrush as your dog is enjoying their meal.
Feeding Raw meaty bones on the other hand are effective in removing any leftovers that have settled on your dog’s teeth. As they’re chewing on it, they tear through the meat and bone, scraping off any plaque in the process. This is a terrific alternative to using a toothbrush.
If your pal needs a little boost in the dental health department, feeding a raw dog food diet can help in a number of ways. Dogs Naturally says that raw foods contain naturally occurring enzymes that help protect the teeth and gums.
Bold by Nature formulas are low glycemic, meaning they’re low in sugar and carbohydrates and will have less of an impact on your dog’s teeth and gum line while they eat.
A raw diet is also an excellent source of moisture which helps prevent food from sticking to your dog’s teeth as often. Since fewer food particles are retained on the teeth, this will help reduce plaque and tartar levels. This also makes a great option for those pups who don’t drink enough water throughout the day.
Lastly, feeding this diet promotes lower oral pH, which is also a critical factor in the prevention of plaque-causing bacteria.
While a raw bone can provide a world of fun for your dogs as they gnaw away, they’re also a huge oral helper. As we previously stated, the chewing of raw dog bone helps scrape plaque and tartar from the teeth of our favourite four-legged friends. This is an excellent option for dogs who aren’t accustomed to having their teeth brushed and has been the natural way for them to keep them clean and strong for centuries.
At Bold by Nature, we serve up two different kinds of bones: raw meaty bones and recreational bones.
Raw meaty bones are covered in thick layers of muscle and connective tissue, like turkey necks, chicken necks, and chicken feet. The nutrients that these bones contain are essential to great health which is why we include them in our recipes.
Recreational bones are usually found in the legs of larger grazing animals like cows, sheep, and deer and include beef knuckles or a marrow bone. Before giving it to your dog, please note that these are only meant to be chewed on and not entirely consumed. If your pet begins to eat it, please take it away immediately.
If you’re looking to learn more about the benefits of raw bones for dogs, check out This is one bone to pick.
As firm believers in raw diets, we do not feel that kibble or other dry dog food can effectively scrub away plaque from your dog’s teeth.
While there are certainly special kinds of kibbles designed to help remove plaque, letting your dog chew on a raw bone is far more effective at getting the job done. Considering how dry kibble can be, it breaks apart easily and can stick to your pup’s teeth, causing plaque to build up.
Dry dog food is typically high in sugars and consuming a diet like this regularly can lead to dental decay, the growth of plaque-causing bacteria, and dental disease. Sorry to all those dogs with a sweet tooth!
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but dental disease in dogs is one of the most common problems that dog owners report to the vet.
Pro Dog says that a study estimated that over 80% of dogs will experience a form of periodontal disease by the time they’re two. Another study found that just 7% of dog owners who had been polled regularly brushed their furry friend’s teeth.
With that being said, we can’t stress enough the importance of taking care of your dog’s pearly whites.
Yes, some dogs can be allergic to specific proteins or ingredients in raw pet food. That said, determining the culprit allergen is much easier to uncover in a raw diet, as they only contain limited ingredients and proteins.
While it isn’t something our dentists would recommend for us, tripe is essentially a one-way ticket to pearly whites for our dogs. Known as the “toothbrush of meats”, this chewy, textured treat helps to naturally floss and stimulate your dog’s gums while scraping away any build-up of plaque from around the tooth enamel.
If you’d like to learn more about the wild world of tripe and its benefits for dogs, we recommend reading The tripe stuff for their wellbeing.
At Bold by Nature, we offer a variety of different recipes to match your furry friend’s unique tastes.
From raw beef to raw rabbit and our Select line to Mega line, there’s a nutritious recipe available for dogs of all kinds. Please feel free to browse all the recipes here.
