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šŸ¾ Health Matters: Dental Disease in Dogs

Bad breath, sore gums or difficulty eating? Your dog could be dealing with dental disease.

Sophie avatar
Written by Sophie
Updated over a week ago

Bad breath, sore gums or difficulty eating? Your dog could be dealing with dental disease. Itā€™s one of the most common health issues in dogs, and one of the most overlooked. The good news is, itā€™s largely preventable and can often be improved with better nutrition and simple habits at home.

Contents

  1. What is dental disease?

  2. What causes it?

  3. What are the signs?

  4. Why it matters

  5. How to prevent it

  6. The role of raw feeding

  7. Where to get help

  8. Top 5 Takeouts

1. What is dental disease?

Dental disease is an umbrella term for problems affecting your dogā€™s teeth and gums. This includes:

  • Plaque and tartar build-up

  • Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums)

  • Periodontal disease (infection around the tooth root)

  • Loose, cracked or broken teeth

  • Bad breath and oral infections

Over 80 percent of dogs over the age of three have some level of dental disease ā€” and it often goes unnoticed until the damage is advanced.

2. What causes it?

The root cause is usually plaque. This soft, sticky film of bacteria builds up on the teeth after eating. If not removed, it hardens into tartar and starts to irritate the gums.

Other contributing factors include:

  • Processed foods, especially dry kibble and starch-heavy treats

  • Poor chewing habits, dogs that donā€™t chew bones or tough food have less natural cleaning

  • Genetics, especially in smaller breeds

  • Age, as dental wear and tear builds over time

3. What are the signs?

Watch out for:

  • Bad breath

  • Yellow or brown tartar on teeth

  • Red or swollen gums

  • Bleeding when chewing

  • Dropping food or eating on one side

  • Pawing at the mouth

  • Reluctance to eat harder foods

In more serious cases, infection may spread from the mouth into the bloodstream, affecting the heart, kidneys or liver.

4. Why it matters

Dental disease doesnā€™t just affect your dogā€™s mouth ā€” it affects their whole body. Untreated gum disease can cause:

  • Chronic pain and inflammation

  • Tooth loss

  • Infection that travels through the bloodstream

  • Serious problems in the heart, liver or kidneys

Keeping your dogā€™s mouth clean is one of the easiest ways to protect their long-term health.

5. How to prevent it

You donā€™t need to brush your dogā€™s teeth every day to see results. A few smart steps can make a big difference:

  • Let your dog chew raw bones regularly

  • Avoid processed treats and dental chews that contain starch or sugar

  • If brushing, use a dog-safe toothpaste and go slowly

  • Use natural aids like our CANINE CLEANERS

  • Feed a natural diet with the right texture to promote chewing

šŸ’” Poppyā€™s Tip: For dogs that donā€™t tolerate brushing, try cold, meaty bones from the freezer. They soothe gums and help scrape away tartar.

6. The role of raw feeding

Raw food is a natural way to clean teeth and support oral health. Hereā€™s how:

  • Raw meaty bones help scrape off plaque and massage the gums

  • No starchy fillers to feed mouth bacteria

  • Improved hydration, which helps maintain healthy saliva

  • Fewer synthetic additives, which can inflame tissues

  • Chewing real food, not mushy pellets, strengthens jaw muscles and keeps teeth clean

Many owners see improvements in their dogā€™s breath, gums and teeth within weeks of switching to raw.

7. Where to get help

At Poppyā€™s Picnic, we can help you:

  • Choose meals with the right chew factor

  • Introduce bones safely, even for beginners
    ā€‹

  • Build a natural dental routine that suits your dog

  • Avoid common triggers that cause oral flare-ups

We also work with holistic vets who can advise on more advanced cases and help keep your dogā€™s mouth healthy without over-relying on dental surgery or harsh cleaning.

Top 5 Takeouts

  1. Dental disease affects most dogs over three, but it is preventable and manageable.

  2. Plaque, tartar and inflammation can lead to pain and serious illness if left untreated.

  3. Chewing raw bones is one of the best natural tools for cleaning teeth and protecting gums.

  4. Processed food and starch-heavy treats feed mouth bacteria and should be avoided.

  5. A raw diet supports clean teeth, fresh breath and strong gums, helping prevent issues before they start.

If your dog has bad breath, red gums or struggles with chewing, we can help you build a plan that keeps their smile strong, naturally and gently.

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