Kris Dow

I recently adopted a dog who was aged by the shelter as being about 10, based on his teeth. Subsequent vet visits aged him at maybe 8 instead of 10, but no one was prepared to go lower than 6-7.

Because he was microchipped, I have been able to track down some information about him, including his actual age. He's 5.

I'm kind of scared to wonder what he's been eating up until he came to us to make his teeth so built up with tartar and plaque.

(He is approximately the same age as our other dog, a cocker spaniel, whom we've had from a puppy. She hasn't been on raw, but her diet has always used kibble more as a supplement to 'real' food than as her entire nutritional source, and she's always had bones to chew. Her teeth are a little gunky in spots, but for the most part pearly white. It's really shocking to see the difference.)

Needless to say, I think the fact that poor care and diet can add YEARS on to the apparent age of your dog should be a big warning to pay attention to what you're feeding. (If his teeth are that bad, what's it done to the rest of him?)

And if anyone actually read this- any thoughts as to how often RMBs should be fed to make sure they get a decent dental work out? We're going to have to pay to have his teeth cleaned and a broken tooth removed, and while I'm not sure we'll go entirely raw, I refuse to feed in such a way that my dogs NEED annual sedation and tooth cleaning. (I cannot imagine sedating your dog on a regular basis can be at all good for him.)