THE FRACTURED molar of a dog is shown here while undergoing root canal treatment. Area veterinary dentistry specialists encourage dog owners to be careful with the chew toys that they give to their pets.
The holiday season passed and many of us filled our pet’s stockings with wonderful treats and toys.
Many of us in the Pacific Northwest choose natural and renewable treats and toys for our pets such as antlers, chew hooves and hard-pressed rawhide whenever possible. From an oral health standpoint, we need to be careful that we do not accidentally introduce a chew toy that may cause tooth fractures resulting in dental pain and infection.
The tooth is a living structure with the pulp tissue inside. The pulp contains the nerves and vessels that extend out to the margins of the tooth. If the enamel and dentin is fractured off the tooth, the inside of the tooth can be exposed. This results in pain and infection in the tooth. If the pulp inside of the tooth is exposed, not only will pain result, but the tooth will require treatment. The only two treatment options are endodontic treatment or surgical extraction.
Many chew toys that are intended for pets are also potential dental and gastrointestinal hazards. There is always risk in life and with that in mind; the perfect toy for one pet may not be so perfect for the next. Some toys may not interest your pet. Some toys may hurt your pet if swallowed. Some chew toys may fracture the teeth of one pet but not another.
If a chew toy is so hard that injury would result if you were hit with it, it will also have a tendency to break your pet’s teeth. Our dogs are carnivores and their muscles of mastication (muscles to close and open the mouth) are very strong. Additionally, the occlusion (bite) of their cheek teeth is such that they are sectorial – cutting. Therefore, when a very hard object is between their teeth and they bite it may cause the tooth to fracture before their muscles tire out.
Hard chew toys such as, but not limited to, antlers, butcher bones, hooves, hard pressed rawhides, and hard nylon style bones are known to fracture pet’s teeth. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported bones are unsafe for dogs.
Toys which appear to be safe because they don’t break our pet’s teeth, such as fuzzy tennis balls, may cause damage to the tooth in other ways. The fuzzy surface of a tennis ball actually acts like sandpaper on teeth wearing through the tooth substance quickly and resulting in exposed pulps.
Ask yourself these seemingly simple questions:
How often do you see large rutting elk and deer fracture antlers? If you bit hard and quickly into a butcher bone or an antler, what could happen? You may break a tooth, right? That is because these natural, hard substances are not designed to break easily. Antlers are bone that rapidly grows from the skull of the male for the rutting season. In some cases, male elk may reach upwards of 500 kg (1100 pounds). As these large creatures rut, do their antlers break? Normally they do not break. The carnivore (dog) skull, teeth, and muscles are not designed to chew on antlers and just like bones; antlers can cause your dog’s teeth to fracture resulting in pain and infection that may remain hidden. Although shed antlers may at first appear to be a natural renewable resource for your dog to chew, they may actually do much more harm compared to good in most domestic dogs. Likewise, similar hard synthetic chew toys have little resilience and may also break teeth.
What is an appropriate chew toy? Every pet is like a small child. Some may chew appropriately. Some may break a chew toy in half and quickly swallow it, resulting in gastrointestinal (stomach and intestine) foreign bodies (potential obstruction). Some may chew too aggressively. My point is that anytime a new toy is introduced, supervision is necessary to be certain the toy is chewed appropriately and or not swallowed by our four legged kiddos. We need to keep an eye on them just like we would with our two legged toddlers. For dogs, pliable dental chews, and other toys with resilience will be less likely to fracture teeth. Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when choosing and using any dental chew. Some chews and dental products have shown a proven dental benefit. (You can find a list of these toys at http://www.vohc.org/).
What about edible chew treats? Ingestible chew treats are also available at most stores that carry dog treats and food. Just as with our own waistlines, we should keep in mind the overall caloric content of chew treats so that your pet does not gain weight. Every pet will have different chewing behaviors. These chew treats come in various sizes and your pet must be given the correct size.
Always observe your pet the first time. If your pet takes a few bites and tries to swallow the chew, remove it immediately.
Sometimes teeth are visibly fractured but most of the time our pets will try to hide it from us. If your pet has a painful mouth, they may have a fractured tooth. Consider scheduling an appointment with your veterinarian and/or specialist in veterinary dentistry (Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College - http://www.avdc.org/) for evaluation and treatment.
Kevin S. Stepaniuk, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC, is a Board Certified Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery Specialist with Columbia River Veterinary Specialists. For more information, visit http://www.columbiarivervetspecialists.com/general/page/veterinary-dentistry-oral-surgery.
