How Does My Dogs Eating Habits Affect Their Oral Health?

As a dog owner, there’s no doubt about the fact that you value their health and happiness. One way to make sure that they’re at their best is to keep their dental health in good shape by feeding them well. Read on to see exactly how their eating habits will affect their oral health.

Soft Foods Won’t Exercise Their Jaws

If you feed your dog soft and processed foods all the time, you may not be doing them a favor as far as their oral health goes. This is because they won’t get the chance to exercise their jaws and they may also develop periodontal disease as a side effect. Many soft foods may also stick to the teeth and gums and provide ample opportunity for bacteria to thrive in your mouth.

That said, alternate any soft foods you give your dog with bones and other tough, chewy foods. Raw bones will benefit your dog nutritionally and they’ll also help them to practice eating in the way that’s most natural for dogs. With a good diet, you can expect that your dog will also feel fuller for longer, as it won’t be filled with empty calories. Use the satiety index to check the ranking of the foods you give your dog to find out how well they satisfy your dog’s hunger. When the score is more than 100, as is the case for fibers and protein, this means that the food is quite filling. Scores under 100 aren’t very filling.

Sugary Snacks Will Cause Cavities

Another way in which your dog’s diet can affect their oral health is that sugar can give them cavities. That said, it’s a good idea for you to watch the ingredients of the food that you feed your dog. Read them in detail to see if there’s any hidden sugar that may not even benefit your dog’s health. Depending on the feeding schedule that you have for your dog, you may want to split the amount that you give them into between two and three meals per day.

The same way that too much sugar is bad for you, it’s also bad for your dog. That said, look for a way to give your dog a healthy diet that doesn’t have too much sugar, salt, and other chemicals for that matter. Doing this will help them stay healthy overall.

Fresh Vegetables and Fruits Can Help Clean Their Teeth

Last but not least, feeding your dog fresh vegetables is going to prove beneficial to you because they help to clean your dog’s teeth. As they chew on fresh, watery veggies like cucumber and carrots, they’ll be able to clean out their entire mouth. The added benefit is that these vegetables will help improve your dog’s overall health by serving as a source of dietary fiber.

You also need to give them a lot of fresh, clean water to make sure that they don’t get dehydrated. With water, they’ll be able to naturally clean out their mouth and wash away any bacteria that may have started to accumulate. To do this effectively, you should ensure that your plumbing is in good shape and that there aren’t any issues such as those that can be caused by dirty and clogged grease traps. In the plumbing industry standard, grease traps need to be cleaned when 75% of the volume is occupied by water and 25% is occupied by grease.

Keep these things in mind and you may be able to keep your dog’s dental health in good shape. In so doing, you can enjoy a healthier and happier dog that you don’t have to take to the vet repeatedly as a result of issues with their oral health.