Dogs are canines, the species famous for their canine teeth, obviously.
The purpose of the canine teeth is to tear and grip flesh. With these missing, along with other teeth required for chewing and crushing their food, dogs will find it impossible to consume food.
What do we do in that case? We feed them special diets. Don’t worry, in this piece you will get a full guide to feeding a dog with no teeth.
But before we begin, it’s very important to understand the underlying reasons for teeth loss.
Why do dogs lose their teeth?
There can be multiple reasons behind why a dog loses its teeth. Let’s check them out so that you can potentially improve your dog’s situation.
- Old age is the biggest culprit behind teeth loss. Dogs that grow up to old age will start to lose their teeth, especially because they have no way to keep the teeth strong and healthy by brushing. In this case, the only solutions are surgical procedures to tighten the gums.
- Dental diseases are another dominant condition in dogs. You won’t even know that your dog is affected by a dental disease in most situations. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to take your dog for frequent checkups including dental ones. If a dental disease is diagnosed early on, it will make your canine’s life many times easier, not to mention it will also put a stop to teeth loss.
- Injuries are another problem that can make your dog lose their teeth. Always keep them safe and make sure there are no harmful things in the house that might pose a threat to your dog’s teeth.
- Poor nutrition is although a rare problem with pet dogs but it can nevertheless lead to teeth loss. Better safe than sorry! Always make sure you provide a balanced and highly nutritive diet to your canine companion.
Now with that out of the way, let’s see what you can feed a dog with no teeth.
There are many ways to feed a dog with no teeth
1. Dry kibble made soft
Don’t worry if your dog has no teeth. In fact, you can keep feeding them their favorite foods without making any compromises! Isn’t that great?
First of all, you can mix some warm water, chicken broth, or beef broth in the kibble that your dog loves already. Let it stay for a while before serving, but ensure that it’s not too cold. In other words, serve it warm.
When you let this mixture sit for a while, the kibble will soften up. Now you can mash it up or even use a good processor to blend it into on consistent meal.
2. Keep foods that your dog can lick
Licking will become the second most favorite hobby of your pet dog after being loved. So, it’s your responsibility to make sure there’s plenty of stuff to lick. Place blocks of cheese, cream, peanut butter, etc. depending on what they like around their eating area.
3. Water-based nutrition
It’s wonderful how a lot of nutritive things can simply be mixed with water. You can also make nutritive smoothies (check out some tasty dog smoothie recipes online!) for your dog.
You might also want to consider making a water-based food source a permanent part of the dog’s daily diet. For example, along with a water bowl, keep a bowl of beef broth that your dog can reach any time. It will give them the required protein without the need to tear and chew.
4. Moist foods are available for dogs
Many brands make moist foods available for dogs with no teeth or for dogs who like them. This might be a great investment and change of habit for your dog.
For example, many canned types of meat are soft and pureed. These work fantastic with dogs with no teeth. Further, products with smaller meat pieces and meat products mixed with gravy are a couple more options that you can go for.
5. Preparing your own ultimate dog food mix!
If your dog isn’t meeting the proper nutrition demands of their body with the above-mentioned tips, it’s time for you to mix everything they love into one ultimate dog meal.
Choose one or more from each category:
- Base: cooked brown rice, white rice, dog-friendly gravies, etc.
- Meats: chicken, ground beef, turkey, etc.
- Vegetables: green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.
Now, mix it all up in a food processor and add some warm water (you can also add vegetable oil). You can control the consistency here, so make sure you make adjustments in your ultimate blend to reach the most effective consistency for your dog.
So, let’s sum up. What to feed a dog with no teeth?
You can try serving exactly the same kibble that your dog loves but with added warm water, beef broth, or chicken broth.
You should also make a move to moist foods, for example, canned, soft meat or products with small meat pieces that come with some gravy. These pieces can be crushed and chewed with the gums.
Finally, if all else fails, you can have your own mixture of chicken, vegetables, rice, etc. all mashed in a processor with a little oil or water!
Things to consider when feeding a dog with no teeth
The first thing is to make sure the food is not hot or cold, unless absolutely necessary or if loved by your dog. In the previous section, the first workaround I gave you was mixing warm water with dry kibble but serve while warm. It does two things if you look closely. First of all, it makes the food consumable without teeth and at the same time, makes sure the food is warm.
Why? You might ask. Well, gums are more sensitive to cold and hot food. To avoid any discomfort, keep the food at a perfectly warm temperature.
If you have a dog with some teeth, it’s very important to keep them checked up for their dental health.
To make sure your dog is eating healthily, keep checking their weight. If there’s a spike or drop, it can be a reason or concern.
