KNUCKLEBONES
The single best dental exercise for dogs, from small to large, is a KNUCKLEBONE.
It’s the “knee” of a cow. You can get them from Target and Walmart for under ten bucks.
The big round parts (condyles) encourage chewing with the back teeth. Then, when the dogs burrow into the marrow they work their front teeth very effectively.
Some precautions. First, when you unwrap the bone you should use a paring knife to cut away the “big pieces” of baked fat and sinew. Those fatty parts can create digestive upset. You don’t have to be “thorough” but at least knock off the big chunks.
The dogs only require 30 minutes three times a week to get results. Or, you can drop the bone on the floor and let them wear them out. If you let them wear the bone out, you should take it away when it seems “thin” or breakable.
Using real bones for dental exercise risks blunting the teeth over the years. One dog even BROKE a tooth. (Yeah, one)
For me, and my dog “Ajax” it’s worth it based on a lifetime of prevailingly hard and healthy gums.
Sometimes any beef bone can cause certain dogs to have a diarrhea on ‘bone day’. Only you know your dog well enough to speculate on that.
Dogs will fight over bones.
Relevance to your dog: [ ] Medically Indicated | ][ ] Very high | [ ] High | [ ] Elective
