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Loved going out for walks and used to enjoy a lot of camping trips together. Did suffer from separation anxiety so used to take her to a dog sitter whilst I was at work. Enjoyed car journeys with her on the front seat next to me. Was my very loving companion.

She had teeth problems and now feed my next dog wet food and dried but not mixed together trying to make sure she uses her teeth to chew. Dried fish skin as a treat.
Aw she sounds like a lovely companion ❤️
I guess that's one of the things to consider when getting a Cavalier - they are prone to separation anxiety.
Thankfully I'm home most of the time.

I see. I've heard that's common with small dog breeds.
This is news to me. So it is important they chew, for the sake of the teeth? I was planning on giving my (future) dog good quality dry food, however soak it for a few minutes before mealtime. I've heard it releases aromas into the air that makes it pleasant for the dogs to eat.
As well as making sure they hydrate enough.

If I do this but make sure my dog gets options to chew on, do you think that be okay?
Great tips with the dried fish skin. Thanks!
 
The dried fish skins are great for dental hygiene - we use Fish Skin Flatties

Ideally you want your dog to be chewing on something for 20 minutes or more, on both sides of their mouth, to clean their teeth.

Dry food isn't as good as some people suggest - as well as being not very effective, the bacteria that cause dental health problems will love the carbohydrates. if you really want to know, ask your dentist how many biscuits you'd need to eat to clean your teeth!
May I ask, Joanne, is this something they should be doing outside of regular teeth brushing or instead of it?

Will soaking dry food make any difference to this issue? I'm guessing not.
 
May I ask, Joanne, is this something they should be doing outside of regular teeth brushing or instead of it?

Will soaking dry food make any difference to this issue? I'm guessing not.
The gold standard for dental hygiene is daily brushing, reaching all parts of the mouth and preferably with an enzymatic paste.

Second to that is chewing, but not on something like the treats that are marketed for teeth cleaning, such as Dentastix - don't waste your money; they are no good at all. Your dog needs something that they can spend a good 20 minutes gnawing. So, that's going to be things like fish skins, or other natural treats like dried sinew, tendon, trachea, braided ostrich or lamb etc. - or use raw bones; chicken wings are good. Never give cooked bones, these can splinter.

There are also seaweed powders that can be added to food, they apparently change the Ph of the saliva and make the mouth less hospitable to bacteria.

I've seen people say that dry food helps clean teeth - sorry, that is a fallacy. It would be like trying to clean your teeth with a box of crackers. And soaking the food might help make it more palatable as it releases some of the flavour but wouldn't help with dental health.
 
Also bear in mind that dogs don't chew as we chew. With foods like kibble and small chunks of food, it's in the mouth and swallowed. Foods to gnaw not swallow as listed by JoanneF exercise side and back teeth, and do a good job, but you may still have to clean fangs and incisors yourself. Wild canids would achieve this by tearing at carcases, but this obviously isn't an easy option for most pet owners to provide.
 

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