Could a raw food diet reduce the need for Veterinary dentals?

 

With startling figures suggesting that 80 per cent of dogs show signs of periodontal disease by the age of three.  

 

Some estimates suggest that over 50 per cent of dogs have already needed, or would benefit from, dental cleaning by around two years old.

 

The problem starts when food particles and bacteria collect around the teeth and gum line. Over time, this forms plaque, which hardens into tartar.

 

If left untreated, it can lead to sore gums, loose teeth, infection and pain. Dental bacteria can also enter the bloodstream, potentially affecting organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys overtime.

 

Being able to clean your own dog’s teeth usually begins successfully with gradual positive desensitisation but, overtime, dogs get savvy to the toothbrush. Many dislike their mouths being handled and others will wriggle and protest making any meaningful cleaning difficult.

 

Pet parents are on the teeth cleaning page, but unlike going to a human dental hygienist, dogs need to have a full anaesthetic.  However, repeated anaesthetics are costly, and not something ‘pet parent’s step into lightly especially as dogs get older or if they have existing health conditions.

 

What if your dog’s diet could play an important role in supporting dental health naturally? Thinking about dog’s teeth, they’re designed for chewing meat, and grinding bones. However, the majority of dogs, fed on ultra-processed options, don’t have much to chew on, with biscuit pellets usually comprising up to 70 per cent ‘starchy’ ingredients like barley, maize, potatoes, or rice.

 

When dogs bite into the biscuit pellets, tiny starchy crumbs can get trapped between teeth and along the gum line, creating the perfect environment for bacteria, plaque and tartar to build up. Unlike humans, dogs cannot move their tongues around their teeth in the same precise way to clear food debris. So, the leftover starches are left to ferment in the mouth, contributing to odour, bad ‘inappropriate’ bacteria and dental problems.

 

In contrast, a balanced and complete raw diet encourages chewing, which aids digestion and offers dogs’ teeth to chew as they’re designed to do. Fresh meat with ground bone provides textures that provide natural abrasion, helping to clean the teeth as the dog eats.

 

Rich in moisture, packed with enzymes and ‘good’ ‘appropriate’ needed to balance the ‘bad’ inappropriate bacteria (from starchy foods).  Raw balanced and complete is also appropriately pH ‘acidic’ contributing to helping keep teeth white and promoting a healthy oral microbiome.

 

Feeding fresh, whole into the bowl is a big growth sector in the UK, but not all raw food is created equal!

 

Catering for this interest in feeding raw, balanced and complete many brands are white labelled, so the provenance of the ingredients isn’t clear, including the main ingredient, which is: ‘meat.’

 

That’s why I choose the multi award-winning brand called Naturaw. Only sourcing British meat from locally sourced farmers with the highest animal welfare standards, to provide ‘chef standard’ ranges that caters for every individual dog through their life stages.

 

The range is made in small batches at their Yorkshire based HQ ensuring optimum quality control. Off-setting their business footprint with solar power, the company also plants tress in return for sales. All the packaging is 100% plastic free and home compostable underling the company’s conscience, not just for dog’s today, but for the next doggy generations too.

Its all about the Rawvolution!