What Is the Best Food for Dogs With Bad Teeth?

If your dog has bad teeth, you aren’t alone. About 4 out of every 5 dogs over 3 years old has some periodontal disease. Now, whether you’re trying to help your dog keep the teeth they have left or if they don’t have any good teeth left at all, you’re wondering: What is the best food for dogs with bad teeth?

Luckily, there is one food that’s excellent for dogs with bad teeth, few teeth, no teeth, or a mouthful of healthy teeth that you want to keep strong. Raw dog food, including We Feed Raw, contains natural enzymes that help keep dogs’ teeth clean. Since we include raw bone and organs finely ground into our patties, even dogs with bad or no teeth can eat our food and get the benefits of a fully raw diet without the need for intense chewing.

Keep reading to learn more about dog dental problems and the best food for dogs’ teeth.

Causes of Bad Teeth in Dogs

Any dog can develop dental problems, although they are more prevalent in small dog breeds and senior dogs. However, all of the following can contribute to dental problems in dogs:

• •A carb-rich diet (including kibble and many cooked recipes)

• •Poor overall health

• •Low pH levels in your dog’s saliva

• •Gaps between gums and teeth caused by gum recession

• •Crowded or misaligned teeth (more common in flat-faced dogs)

• •Weaker-than-normal tooth enamel

While bad teeth are sometimes genetic, your dog’s diet is something you can control. Switching your pup to raw dog food may help save them from a lifetime of bad teeth. Brushing your dog’s teeth every day (with dog-safe toothpaste) can also help prevent dental problems.

Does Dry Dog Food Clean Your Dog’s Teeth?

Some vets and other so-called “experts” claim that eating kibble helps keep dogs’ teeth clean, but there are no studies proving such a thing. In fact, that would be akin to you keeping your teeth clean by eating crackers.

Since dogs don’t have the enzyme amylase in their saliva to help break down starches, the high carbohydrate content of kibble feeds the bacteria in the dog’s mouth. That does far more to contribute to the formation of plaque and tartar than any potential scraping action caused by chewing the kibble—especially since many dogs don’t actually chew their kibble at all.

In fact, one study showed that dogs who were previously fed a raw diet and had healthy teeth and gums which were switched to kibble developed yellow teeth, bad breath, and bleeding gums within only 17 days of the diet switch to kibble from raw!

So no, dry dog food does not clean your dog’s teeth.

Common Senior Dog Dental Problems

While not limited only to senior dogs, here are some of the most common dog dental problems:

• •Plaque and tartar build-up

• •Gingivitis (gum disease)

• •Periodontitis (severe gum disease)

• •Tooth root abscess (infection)

• •Lost or broken teeth

Untreated, these conditions can not only cause your dog pain and suffering, but they may cause other health issues such as diabetes complications, lung disease, heart disease, kidney or liver problems, and even cancer.

How Many Teeth Do Dogs Need to Eat?

While having a mouth full of strong, healthy teeth certainly helps a dog eat anything they want, dogs can eat soft food without any teeth at all. We Feed Raw’s patties have raw meaty bones, secreting organs, and muscle meat ground together in a food soft enough for even toothless dogs to eat.

With We Feed Raw, any dog can enjoy a complete and balanced raw diet, regardless of how many teeth they have or the condition of those teeth.

Are There Any Foods That Clean Dogs’ Teeth?

Yes! Raw meaty bones are an excellent food for cleaning dogs’ teeth. While gnawing on a raw bone helps provide a manual scrubbing action, the natural enzymes in We Feed Raw’s nutritionally balanced patties help clean dogs’ teeth even without chewing on bones, so your dog gets the benefits of a raw diet without the possible risk of breaking a tooth trying to eat a too-firm raw bone.

If you choose to add raw bones to your dog’s diet, avoid giving weight-bearing (leg) bones, as these are the thickest, strongest bones in any animal’s body and therefore have the most risk of causing dental issues.

However, We Feed Raw’s recipes already contain approximately 10% finely ground bone, so there’s no need to add additional bones to your dog’s diet (unless you really want to).

Raw Bones

Recreational bones (beef ribs, beef kneecaps, etc) are great for mental stimulation, jaw exercise, and teeth cleaning. In fact, in the raw feeding world, they're affectionately referred to as "nature's toothbrush." With recreational bones, your dog is meant to chew the meat off of the bone but not actually eat the bone itself.

Recreational bones can be fed in addition to the diet and do not replace meals. Once your dog is done chewing the meat off of a recreational bone, pick up the bone and throw it away. If you've never fed your dog a recreational bone, we advise first doing so under supervision.

Raw meaty bones (chicken backs, turkey necks, etc) are the types of bones that are used for a complete and balanced raw diet (these are finely ground into our patties). Raw meaty bones are meant to be completely consumed and are often fed as a meal or part of a meal.

Where Can I Buy a Dental Health Dog Food?

You can buy We Feed Raw online and have it delivered right to your door. Set up your dog’s profile here.

Our easy-to-feed patties contain natural enzymes that help keep dogs’ teeth clean. Our recipes also lack the carbohydrates that feed dogs’ mouth bacteria, making our food the best diet for dog dental health.

Is There Soft Dry Dog Food for Dogs With Bad Teeth?

When it comes to dog food, “soft” and “dry” don’t go together. The cooking process that creates kibble results in hard balls rather than anything soft.

If you want an excellent soft food for dogs with bad teeth, check out We Feed Raw. Our pre-portioned patties contain approximately 80% muscle meat (with associated fat and connective tissue), 10% finely ground bone, 10% secreting organs, and all the vitamins and minerals your dog needs to thrive.

Once thawed, We Feed Raw’s patties are soft enough to feed to dogs with bad or even no teeth.

Should I Feed Homemade Dog Food for Bad Teeth?

Some people choose to make a homemade diet for their dog with bad teeth, but it can be very difficult to make a diet that is nutritionally complete and balanced. Wanting to do the best for your dog, you might accidentally cause your dog more harm in the end by unintentionally creating nutrient deficiencies in their diet.

We Feed Raw’s recipes were formulated by a PhD animal nutritionist with over 30 years of experience. All 6 of our recipes meet AAFCO nutrition standards for dogs of all life stages, including large-breed puppies. With We Feed Raw, you KNOW your dog is getting the proper nutrition in a soft, easy-to-eat formula that helps save any teeth your dog still has.

How Do I Find the Best Soft Dog Food for Bad Teeth?

You’ve found it! We Feed Raw is the best soft dog food for bad teeth because it’s mushy enough (when fully thawed) to be eaten by dogs with no teeth while also providing helpful natural enzymes that can help save whatever teeth your dog has left. Canned and cooked diets can’t do that; only the power of raw can help a dog maintain healthy teeth.

What Is the Best Dog Food for Dental Issues?

We Feed Raw is the best dog food for dental issues. Not only are our thawed patties soft enough to be eaten by dogs with loose, sore, missing, or even no teeth, but natural enzymes in the raw meat help keep your dog’s remaining teeth healthy, preventing more dental issues from starting in the future.

What Is the Best Dog Food for Older Dogs With Bad Teeth?

The best dog food for older dogs with bad teeth is We Feed Raw. Our patties put all the benefits of a raw diet for dogs in a recipe soft enough for dogs with bad teeth to eat and enjoy. The finely ground bones and organs mixed into our patties set us apart from the raw meat you would buy from the grocery store and provide your dog with a nutritionally complete and balanced diet that’s soft enough for older dogs with bad teeth to eat and enjoy.

While our food can’t fix your dog’s teeth if they’re already bad, the natural enzymes in raw meat can help prevent your dog’s teeth from getting any worse.

What Is the Best Food for Dogs’ Teeth?

The best food for dogs’ teeth is We Feed Raw. If you want to keep your dog’s teeth healthy, white, and strong, natural enzymes in our food help keep your pup’s teeth clean. If your dog has sore, loose, missing, or no teeth, our thawed patties are soft enough for even toothless pups to enjoy.

FAQs

What Does it Mean if My Dog Is Losing Teeth?

Unless your dog is a young puppy losing their baby teeth, your dog is probably losing teeth due to advanced periodontal disease. If your dog is losing teeth, they need a trip to the vet, who will likely want to put your dog under anesthesia to carefully check your dog’s mouth for loose or broken teeth, clean the teeth that can be saved, and remove any teeth that are beyond saving.

If your dog is struggling to eat due to missing, loose, or otherwise bad teeth, switching to a soft food like We Feed Raw’s complete and balanced patties can greatly improve their quality of life.

Am I a Bad Owner if My Dog Has Bad Teeth?

Short of knowing your dog has bad teeth and refusing to do anything about it, you aren’t a bad owner just because your dog has bad teeth. Most dogs are kibble-fed, most dogs have some level of dental disease, and most owners don’t understand the connection between dog diet and dental health.

That said, if you know your dog has bad teeth, you should get them to the vet for a dental cleaning or extraction as soon as you can. You should also switch to a raw diet, to help prevent your dog from developing more dental problems in the future. Natural enzymes in We Feed Raw’s soft patties help prevent plaque buildup, even if your pup doesn’t have enough teeth to enjoy whole raw meaty bones.

What Causes Periodontal Disease in Dogs?

Bacteria in the dog’s mouth—often fed by the carbohydrates in kibble—accumulates and turns into plaque on your dog’s teeth. Plaque then hardens into calculus and triggers the immune system to fight off the bacteria, resulting in inflamed gums and other signs of gum disease.

How Can I Stop Periodontal Disease in My Dog?

Once the process of periodontal disease has started in dogs, a teeth cleaning under anesthesia is typically the only treatment. However, once all the plaque and calculus have been scraped away from under the gumline, you can switch your dog to a raw diet or brush their teeth every day to prevent the cycle of periodontal disease from starting again after the deep cleaning.

What Do You Feed a Toothless Dog?

Toothless dogs require soft diets, and We Feed Raw fits the bill. Thawed, our complete and balanced raw patties are soft enough to be “chewed” by dogs without any teeth. We Feed Raw provides toothless dogs will all the benefits of a raw diet without the tough-to-chew bones (because they’re finely ground into our patties).

Are Dogs in Pain With Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease in dogs starts with no symptoms, but as it progresses, dogs may experience chronic pain, missing teeth, eroded gums, and bone loss. Choosing a high-quality raw food for dogs, like We Feed Raw, can help prevent periodontal disease and keep your dog feeling their best.