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Coprophagia

Destructive Chewing

Rawhide Chews

Destructive Chewing - Q&A




Pet Professional Tip
Recommend teeth brushing at an early age. Even though dogs will loose those baby teeth, that is the best time to gain acceptance for
teeth brushing!

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What to do?


Dogs need a variety of safe things to chew. Each dog is an individual. Some dogs like to chew more than others. However, you can encourage your dog to expend energy by chewing if your provide desirable chews and praise approved chewing behavior.

 

You may want to start off with softer edible chews (vegetable based). As the dog destroys a chewing habit, you can provide harder chews. PRAISE correct chewing. Do not allow access to inappropriate chews such as socks or shoes, or very hard chews like sterilized bones until the dog is an experienced chewer of approved items.


Why do it?


Chewing gives your dog something positive to do. When dogs are chewing on something, they are generally calm and well-behaved.

Just as birds fly and fish swim, dogs chew. According to veterinary dentists, broken teeth are a common problem in dogs. 

 

The primary cause is aggressive chewing on hard objects such as rocks, fencing, or hard treats such as cow hooves, bones or hard nylon toys. The broken tooth exposes the delicate pulp and nerve endings making life extremely painful for the pet. Food and other debris of daily doggyhood can get impacted in the fracture and attract bacteria leading to infection, the loss of the tooth, or worse.

 

Chewing provides an important stress relieving mechanism. To prevent broken teeth, make sure that you have several approved toys that are safe for your pet to chew. This will satisfy a natural instinct and keep him away from inappropriate or dangerous objects. Kong toys and softer chews such as rawhide are recommended.

 

Dental experts also recommend making sure that your pet gets plenty of regular exercise  to help prevent pent up energy that could lead to destructive chewing. Just as the human family gets regular dental examinations and cleanings, you should take your pet to the veterinarian at least yearly for a comprehensive physical examination that will include a look at you pet's entire mouth.

 

What to look for

 

One sign of dental problems are excessive drooling in pets that don't normally salivate very much, loss of appetite or seeming to favor one side of his mouth.

 

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