We give real raw femur bones, cut to size (big dog, 3"-4") by the butcher. Not a dental chew, but they work as well or better. Or try the Red Barn bones that you can get at most pet stores.

I dry chicken. 160f for 12 hours.

I forgot to mention that my vet suggested Oravet (which they, of course, sell in the office) and are rather pricey even on Amazon. $1 a piece. Thank you again!

My dog won't touch any of the dental chews. But he does love his chicken jerky, which is essentially what trickyputt is preparing :-)) Anything of substance that they can gnaw on safely for an extended period will accomplish the same.

Elmer I questioned someone I think in cooking awhile back when they posted a pic of a kitty eating raw chicken and bone they said its safe and the kitty loves it. I questioned my Vet all three in the office...they told me any kind of raw bones and cooked are extremely dangerous for all animals and raw meat is also bad as is the popular raw meat diets. I was told many animals die because of this yet people continue believing they are giving their pets the best diet possible.

Raw bones for pets are as hot topic as any political discussion! The proponents swear by the BARF diet (bones and raw food). Vets see what happens when things go wrong, whether it is the exception or not. They tend to be opposed to such unless it's a commercially prepared raw food with no bones. But I know breeders who throw a whole bag of raw chicken wings and necks on the kitchen floor and let their Cavaliers go at it. I find the thought utterly disgusting and I have no desire to thoroughly mop my kitchen floor twice daily! I'll stick to kibble, thank you all the same!

As for dog chews; my vet says then do nothing for keeping teeth clean and can be harmful. One must closely supervise a dog chewing on one - they can bite off a piece and it can get stuck and kill the dog. So many people just toss one at the dog as they leave the house - entertainment in their absence. A BAD idea!

One can brush the dog's teeth or one can have a dental done every year or so as needed. I prefer the later as they can also check for any loose teeth that might need to be removed, especially in an old dog. A loose tooth is a place for bacteria to gather, and this can be very harmful to the heart and kidneys of an elderly dog.

None of them worked for my dog, I was giving him the green dingo sticks and the twisted green one and greenies, they didn't do anything for him. I even bought the trudog mouth gel nothing again, but I found out his teeth were dead just the other day.

My dogs have always sipped the water from rain puddles or worse, or delighted in gulping down wild kill if they get away with it. Sorry, but large raw femur bones are not a problem, nor are treated (sterilized) ones from Red Barn.

I do not give small or cooked bones, those are the ones that splinter.

I am the owner/breeder/trainer of many titled dogs over many many years.

We used to buy these — from the vet — for our lab, but apparently you can get them online now:

They come in four sizes, I think.

I brush my dogs teeth almost daily. Not all of them at once of course. I have a finger tip brush its soft, slips over the finger. I don't use anything other than wetting it in warm water. I gently rub all over two teeth and each day do two more until I've done them all than I start over. But she's a little dog and it took awhile to get her used to this. I could easily probably do more than two teeth at a time now but this system works so I'm not changing it. I actually think Lil likes it now. She doesn't run when I show her it on my finger and never clamps her jaws closed but she used to.

The vet said my dog's teeth were bad. She's 13. Do you recommend brushing them like MamaPinky in addition to the dental bones?

sushipup, I've enjoyed many of your views and perspectives over the years but I think your practices aren't advisable as regards bones. And of course, you know, a comment like "this is what I've done for a long time with no problems" adds no insight or information to a conversation. It's a way of saying "I don't care to hear something that conflicts with my opinion."

Ask a few vets, see what you learn. I did some years back and that's why I said what I did.

Any discussion of practices of dog breeders is too often a deep dive into a cesspool. Far too many "breeders" are money motivated only, have an inadequate understanding of genetics and truly don't know what they're doing. Through ignorant and irresponsible breeding practices, otherwise avoidable congenital conditions have become common and almost unavoidable in some breeds. The selection for ill-advised skeleton structures has ruined US strains of German Shepherds, as an example, and made hip dysplasia almost more common than not. "What breeders do" does not speak to the advisability of a particular practice. That's another thing to ask your vet about and if they know you well enough and are confident enough to stray from a PC response, you may similarly be surprised about what you hear. In my case, some of this information comes from (but not solely) a family member who's a vet.

Agree with Elmer. Breeders (not all of course) who breed for show are not the same as those who breed working dogs. The poor German Shepherds he cites are a good example but we are seeing Rottweilers in the US that suffering health issues due to breeding for size. They are Rottweilers, not Mastiffs. Also Rotties are suffering breathing difficulties due to a trend for shorter muzzles. Dogs are living beings and should be bred for health, not trends.

A good teeth cleaner for any dog is a thick raw carrot. That and brushing the teeth or at least wiping with a gauze wrapped finger.

Did the vet suggest a cleaning or is anesthetic an issue due to the dog's age? I'm not familiar with Oravet but would probably give them a try if recommended by my vet.

I give Caesar "Minties" and he also flosses his own teeth chewing on rope type toys.

(Edited to add that after reading other posts about the dangers of rope toys I threw them away)

Rope type toys are extremely dangerous. Most vets can tell you about surgeries having to pull out wads of floss blocking the the intestine. Even smaller amounts of floss can cause problems.

Here's why: http://animalhospitalsouthwest.com/rope-bones-are-a-dangerous-toy-for-dogs/

We had a local rescue dog that was all over facebook, they took this dog on as a project and he was in school to get over his behavioral issues, he was doing great and was getting to the point of being able to be adopted. He ended up dying from an intestinal blockage caused by chewing on his rope toy! I would never give a dog a rope toy to chew, they are extremely dangerous!

I'll ignore all those who don't know me, my breed, my practices, nor my many friends' experiences, and yes, even my vets.

Annegrief, if your dog is 13 and has bad teeth, then a dental chew or brushing won't make much difference. If your dog is very healthy otherwise, did your vet recommend a professional cleaning under anesthesia? Risky for most older dogs. You can give your dog a chew (and I agree that the string chews are not good), and chances are that if her teeth are bothering her, she won't even be interested in chewing.

You can give a dog a rope toy - or any other toy - but you have to monitor the use. As for the common advice to ask your vet about a dog's diet, veterinary schools have limited coursework on diet. Unless the vet decides to take courses or self-study in nutrition, they seldom have more expertise in the subject than a well-read pet owner.

Another play item that can be terrifyingly dangerous are balls: Tennis ball

Bingo uses a beef flavored Denta stick every morning after she comes back in from potty break. The vet says her teeth are clean and strong. She's been using them since she was about 3 months old. She takes it in her crate and holds it propped up between her paws and eats it like an ice cream cone.

"Unless the vet decides to take courses or self-study in nutrition, they seldom have more expertise in the subject than a well-read pet owner"

Well read pet owners don't treat dogs with GI punctures or obstructions.

Thank you for warning me about the danger of rope toys that I posted about. I got rid of them......

My father gives his dog Denta Stix.

I also give my dog a Denta Stix. They are expensive here but when I buy them at Costco I feel like I am getting more for my money.. When I adopted Misty from the girl who rescued her she said she was told by the Humane Society they thought Misty was 9 years old judging by how yellow her teeth were. Since I have had her, and started giving her the Denta Stix her teeth have brightened up significantly and the majority of the yellowness on the sides of her molars has lessened.

Annegrief, did you discuss doing a dental on your dog? If your vet uses isoflurene and is good at anesthesia, it should be possible. My vet put my dear Alfred on Antirobe (antibiotic) for 2 wks prior to the dental to get as much of the infection out of his old bad teeth as possible, then did a quick dental, pulling anything bad or loose, and squirting injections of penicillin directly into the area around the molars (would have had to be under too long to remove them). Did I mention that my Cavalier was 13 years old, had a Grade 6 Mitral Valve murmur, and was in kidney failure from the infection? I bought him home an hour after his dental, and he ate his dinner that night. Alfred lived another 13 months after this - time he would not have had without the dental. The key is using the correct anesthesia and a GOOD vet who knows what he's doing.

Elmer is right about many, if not most purebred dog breeders. I have been involved in the original Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club now for 33 years. I've served on the national board and numerous committees, including the Ethics Committee. I've learned a LOT!! The late Dr George Padgett from Michigan State was the top guru for testing for genetic diseases in purebred dogs. He wrote a book about it - "Control of Canine Genetic Diseases". He worked with multiple breed clubs to help them rid their breed of debilitating genetic problems in their breed. He was also detested by breeders who didn't want to hear about the problems or do any testing. I managed to get our Club to invite him to be the after dinner speaker at our National Speciality Show. When he was introduced an entire table of breeders got up and left. This was the same group that later approached the AKC to become the recognized breed club for our breed after our membership had rejected AKC recognition by a 90% vote of the entire membership (mailed ballot). Hmmm... They were accepted and formed a new breed Club and Cavaliers became an AKC breed. The "Old Club" still exists and I'm still involved, but not as a breeder or exhibitor.

Yes, there ARE good responsible breeders who deeply care about the breed and its health and soundness. But they are rare as hens teeth. In my Club, I'm known as one of the "Health Nazi's", so dubbed by those who don't like genetic testing and are terrified of it becoming mandatory. They needn't worry - it won't in my lifetime. But the good news is that the vast majority of Cavalier breeder in the Old Club (I cannot speak for the AKC club as I'm not involved in it), do test all their breeding stock for MVD and wait until they're 2 to breed them. Most do not follow the Breeding Protocol devised by the vets who did the major studies on MVD in Cavaliers in the US, the UK and Sweden. That involves knowing the heart status of the sire and dam of the dogs being bred, info that many don't know or can't get. If they can't get it, they are to wait until age 5 to breed their dogs, and most will not do this. But even without it, it's been a long time since I've heard of Cavaliers dropping dead of MVD when they were 6-7 years old, so it's better than the way things were.

Now, the breed is dealing with a far deadlier enemy - syringomyelia. It's the canine version of a human disease called Arnold Chiari syndrome. It can only be diagnosed by an MRI - not something one can do at ones local vet clinic - and that's very costly. It then requires that dogs with the malformation be graded and only bred to other dogs using a Mate Select protocol <http://www.cavalierhealth.org/smprotocol.htm>;. Few breeders MRI their breeding stock, and few use the breeding protocol. Cost is often a factor, as an MRI can cost upwards of $2000 per dog.

A prospective puppy buyer can find out pretty quickly if she's talking to a responsible breeder. Just go to the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), enter the kennel name, and see if the breeder has any of her dogs entered in the CHIC program. If the buyer sees none, just keep looking. The breeder I got my Cavalier from has nearly 100 dogs listed. I've seen great progress in the incidence of hip dysplasia in my 33 years in Cavaliers. It's not nearly as bad as it once was, but we still have many breeder who refuse to x-ray hips - they tell prospective puppy buyers that it's a "disease of large breed dogs". WRONG!

A way to evaluate if you have a good vet is to find out how many breeders he has in his practice. Many really good vets avoid breeders like the plague. My vet said that he was tired of being asked to put his veterinary license at risk to "fudge" papers for breeders. I'd be very leery of a vet who had a tone of breeders in his practice.

I also have to add my last dog Loki who was 17 when he died had the most perfect white teeth, not a bit of yellow on them. He loved his stuffed toys and would always have them close by. He would hold them in his mouth every once in a while and nip at the fibres like he was breaking the tiny threads and they would form a line in row like he was eating a cob of corn. These were close tight tiny fibres, nothing long. The vet always commented on how white Loki's teeth were especially for his age and he said the way Loki played with his stuffed toys was the reason he didn't have any plaque. I was concerned when I first got Loki as a puppy when he started doing this because I was worried about any fibres he might ingest. The vet looked at the toy and he said it didn't look like the fibres were coming away from the toy, Loki was just nipping at them to break them. I think it was a nervous habit or something that helped soothe him. I don't like toys either.

Anglo, thanks for adding specifics, though sad ones, from your own experiences.

My daughter's dog likes to chew on these:

Himalayan Dog Chews

Sjerin you should be ashamed. There cannot be that many Yeti left on the planet and you are buying abombinable snowman chews for your pupper. I just cannot buy that yak butter!

"Well read pet owners don't treat dogs with GI punctures or obstructions."

I agree. But think about it: veterinary skills and training to surgically remove an obstruction or treat a GI puncture are not the same as knowledge of nutrition. It's a different sphere of knowledge.

Ask any vet what nutritional training they get in school. Many vet schools ignore reproduction, beyond spay/neuter, as well.

What?? Are yaks endangered?

Well, go ahead and shoot me now, but I trust Purina where nutrition is concerned. I will admit I trusted it more when it was a St Louis, family owned company, pre-Nestle. But they do have a huge staff of veterinary nutritionists whom they work with very closely to develop nutritionally sound foods. These people have a minimum of an additional 3 years of training after veterinary school. They KNOW nutrition! I cannot imagine any company in today's "bottom line" world that would spend money on such things and then not follow them. Purina also manufacturers all but one of its products - it may do that now, too, as it was the only one that had problems when all the other dog food companies were in big trouble. I've fed PurinaOne Lamb & Rice since it was introduced nearly 20 years ago. My dogs have wonderful coats, clear eyes, good skin, small poops, and are just overall very healthy animals, thriving on this food. Why on earth would I change what I feed? A breeder friend told me about 25 years ago that she changed foods anytime she had a problem in her breeding program, hoping it would "fix" the problem. Of course, she did minimum testing which is probably why she had problems, but she was an old-fashioned breeder who believed purebred dog breeding was an "art", not a "science". In fact, it's BOTH!

I don't allow my dogs (now down to a mini poodle and bichon rescue) to chew on bones of any kind, nor have rope toys or any small toy. The bichon has barely any teeth left due to neglect by her original owner, but she does fine with a grain free kibble diet. After witnessing the poodle gobble up a pop up timer that fell on the floor and subsequently had to be surgically removed, I never want to endanger my pups with shards or pieces of dog chews. I do a yearly dental cleaning on them, with pre-op lab work, and though they are both almost 12 they do just fine. My dentist uses propofol instead of isoflurane, a much kinder and gentler anesthetic. I'm not sure that they even have to intubate, but can sedate and clean while the pup is still breathing on their own. I'm not sure about the non-intubating, I'll have to check next time. But propofol works great on humans for patients we used to have to intubate.

Oski has had one anaesthetic dental surgery, and there was no way around that. Now I brush his teeth every day, but there is still some build-up of hard stuff (plaque, tarter?? whatever), so he goes in 2-3 times a year for non-anaesthetic. I've read online some controversy about this, but how can it be wrong? I have to go to the dentist myself periodically, and that's not wrong.

I don't trust commercial treats or dental chews, so he gets none of that, and besides they are expensive. I admit I've tried dental chews, and he has no interest.

Isoflurane is easier on the heart if a dog has heart issues. I know of vets who tried propofol and found it very tricky to use. With a Cavalier, it's isoflurane all the way. My vet is so good at this he can intubate the dog without having to use prior sedation. They pop right back up when the isobutane is turned off and the tube comes out - no grogginess. Look for a vet with a good avian practice. If he can anesthetize a bird, he can do that on a dog or cat easily. Birds are notoriously difficult.