QUESTION:
Why is dental care so important? After all, wild dogs don’t run around with toothbrushes!
ANSWER:
Great question!
Of course, in the wild, we don’t see jackals, wolves and dingos running around with toothbrushes! In their natural state, dogs do not develop tartar because they eat a natural, unprocessed diet (no added sugar, salt, preservatives or chemicals). The raw bones they chew on from their prey is an excellent natural cleaning implement.
The kind of food a domesticated Labrador typically eats tends to accumulate on the outside of the teeth in between the gums. Whereas we humans can slide our tongue between our teeth and gums to clean out food, our canine friends cannot do this because their teeth are too sharp.
If you ever have the privilege of seeing a wild dog chewing on a bone, you will notice the position they take uses their teeth in a sliding motion along the bone, which scrapes off any residue left from eating.
Unfortunately, the problem we face as Labrador owners and carers, is that we don’t necessarily give our wonderful friends the best diet or cleaning program for optiumum dental health. This results in a very high incidence of painful and upsetting periodontal disease for Labradors across America.
To find out more about the how to avoid the high cost of dental care for your Labrador, please see pages 62-72 of Labrador Health For Life!
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