Turbo has been eating raw since the first of December. I stopped RMB's for a while when he got sick. Also, I recently switched back to raw in the morning and kibble in the evening due to various reasons.

His teeth are alot cleaner than before raw. Recently I started feeding some more complicated meals that cleaned them a little more.

They still aren't coming completely clean. I'm not sure what I should expect, but would like to see all the brown spots and calculus(sp?) gone from his mouth. There are some places that I can see getting better, but others haven't changed that I can see. His gums look good to me. They are pink, no bleeding or painful places. They may look a little red around the tops of the teeth, but not alot. Breath is also good. Nothing too stinky coming out of there.

I'm asking now because I have been looking at other dogs teeth of various ages.(Non raw dogs) Some look like Turbos, but alot look great. The last straw was today when I picked up a stray. Poor girl looked pathetic. Skinny, stinky, bumps on her skin. While petting her I looked at her teeth and they were beautiful. In fact the whitest, cleanest teeth I have ever seen.

After reading Lonsdale's books I am convinced that alot of health problems start in the mouth. I would like his teeth to come clean on their own with a good diet, but don't want to let it go and become a bigger problem.

I also think Turbo might not have the best teeth in the world to start with. We use to play with tennis balls alot and at 2 he has already worn his canines flat. No more tennis balls.

Hi,

I would recommend brushing the dogs teeth or take him in for a professional cleaning. There is also product washes that you spray in the dogs mouth to help remove tartar. The red at the top may be the start of gingivitis, so a thorough cleaning and his current diet may help a lot. Dogs that eat kibble usually have nasty teeth unless they are cleaned by brushing or professional services IMO.

Kimberly

I would suggest doing frequent brushing with dog toothpaste for awhile and if that doesn't fix the problem, I would ask the vet if he needed a dental or not. His mouth doesn't sound like he needs any sort of emergency dental, so I would give the brushing a chance first. If the vet does think he could use a dental, go for it, but then keep up with the regular brushing so you can delay - maybe forever - having to do it again.

Thanks! I'll definately give brushing a try. I wasn't sure if it would get off the stains and calculus that was there or if it would just prevent more from forming. I would much rather do that than have a full dental. Thanks again.