According to the rescue, Mikko's (18 mos old GSD) enamel never developed fully because of tetracycline treatment at some point in his life.

A search here resulted in the term "enamel hypoplasia". I don't know if that's what he has, but basically it looks like he has "layers" of enamel. It's affected most of his teeth.

Mikko has some soft stools (been wormed already from the rescue but there was no evidence, it was just precautionary) so I am going to experiment with different foods. He's currently on Canidae. As I ponder the switch to raw feeding, I wondered if his teeth would be weakened from this condition and would break from chewing on the bones.

Thanks for any input.

Just my opinion (not a vet):

If you grind the food in this situation, I believe it will be fine. Don't forget about the gradual switch, esp. since you're dealing with a diarrhea issue anyway.

I have a bracheocephalic house dog at this time (a private rescue) and looked around for raw feed he could handle OK with his small jaw and teeth and which I could also feed to a large shepherd.

Check this page out (meat prep):
http://touchmoon.com/dotters/raw/rmbprep.html

And my own secret: I pay the butcher at my natural food store to grind large batches of my choices of the dogs' foods (with bones). I do this every 3 or 4 weeks and he charges me 20 cents a pound over the cost of the excellent meat they sell (pasture-fed, humanely-slaughtered, no hormones in the feed, etc.). Then I freeze batches. If I run out, I use the grinder. I used to use a cleaver until I had to be careful of the teeth-work --- for different reasons from your own, but same general goal.

About that tetracycline result (common), from
http://www.dogbeachdentistry.com

QUOTE: The teeth are only slightly weaker than normal teeth, but are much more susceptible to wear, as dentin is not as wear resistant as enamel is. If aesthetics are a concern and the involved area is not too big, then a restoration can be placed over the area. This restoration can be lost as well, but the new bonding agents are fairly effective. If the chance of wear is excessive, or the chance of fracture is high (i.e. working dogs) then crown therapy is warranted. These teeth are normally vital, however before any restorations are placed, it is best to ensure this with dental radiographs. END

I've heard of tetracycline yellowing developing teeth....never causing loss of enamel.

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I've heard of tetracycline yellowing developing teeth....never causing loss of enamel.

Me too, but typing in enamel hypoplasia, tetracycline at Google returned both. As I was saying, my own reasons for grinding are not a tooth enamel issue, but it seems to make sense there too.......but I wonder what the vet says about the enamel wear. Maybe you (Mike) want to add it to the list next visit, and ask what the risk is with bone-chewing. Then if the rescue people were correct, it seems to me that the grinding would work.

But I don't have any enamel-problem experience; I'm just making suggestions to consider.

Thanks. I thinking grinding is proabably the best idea. I bet I can make some cool "rawsicles" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

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Thanks. I thinking grinding is proabably the best idea. I bet I can make some cool "rawsicles" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Oh, yes indeed, but one tiny caution from someone who is obsessive after paying many hundreds of dollars for a crown for a dog: I would observe the first time you give the dog a rock-hard frozen food item. A member of this forum in NH has great results with frozen food on the worst of the hot days, and I'll bet it works great virtually all the time. Just if you check the first time and make sure your dog is a licker and not one who gets as big a chunk as possible between his molars and then bites down with all his strength! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Grinding is so much easier than it sounds, btw. And then freezing in portions works great. If you forget to thaw and want it closer to room temp, some hot water will thaw it and also make it smell more appetizing to the dog. (My own dogs are food-driven and don't need any more appetite enhancement.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />