Could raw meaty bones be the answer to your dog’s dental health issues?

Dental and Periodontal Health in Dogs.

Raw Meaty Bones are often the last addition to a raw feeding plan. Concerns and a lack of knowledge of how to feed them can mean many of us simply leave them out of our dog’s menu altogether.   However, the stripping, shredding and chewing of meat direct from a carcass or bone should be top of the list.

Canine gum disease and dental health are a big topic nationwide and as February is Pet Dental Month, we thought we would shed some light on this subject for you.

Many veterinary websites state that by the age of only two years, 80% of dogs have some level of disease.   This is a pretty worrying statistic, but let us tell you more as it’s where raw feeding can step in healthily to help!
The bacteria on a dog’s teeth are known as the Periodontal bacteria. Not only are these bacteria influential to the health of the gums and teeth, but are also linked with the progression of disease elsewhere in the body, in particular the heart and cardiovascular system, the lungs and even the placenta.

It is known that the Periodontal bacteria collect as a Biofilm in the mouth and, when in balance, provide valuable antibacterial properties to the mouth through the saliva. As the mouth is regularly exposed to the environment, it is expected that the Biofilm and bacteria will regularly need to rebalance, relying on the support of beneficial bacteria to do so. So far, unpublished data from the pet microbiome laboratory Biome4Pets, spanning biome results of the last 14 years, shows that when a fresh food diet is fed, even raw fresh food, the bacteria in the mouth is at its healthiest. This data means the type of mouth bacteria that is formed from a diet of processed pet food is less desirable and healthy, than the type formed when a raw diet is fed.

Unbalanced and unhealthy bacteria or biofilm can also be transported via the blood stream to other parts of the dog’s body. A paper published in 2022 highlights its effect on disease in the kidneys, the liver, the digestive system (including IBD) and the skeletal system (including arthritis).
The paper even links an unbalance of periodontal bacteria and unbalanced biofilm to obesity.

So, if you are looking to make a difference to your dog’s dental, tooth and gum health, no matter the stage they have reached, we would recommend considering a switch to fresher food. It certainly also appears that doing so would indeed leave your dog’s entire body in healthier shape, reducing the likelihood of kidney ailments, inflammation, digestive concerns and allergies. If your dog is experiencing any of those ailments, raw meaty bones could be a big part of their recovery.