# peanut butter and teeth problems?



## realrellim (Dec 12, 2014)

We're planning to buy some Kong toys for our puppy when he comes home, and I've been debating what kind of stuff we could use as a plug. I've seen peanut butter mentioned repeatedly, which would work great because we always have some. (Also, because my two girls can't have milk, we don't usually have real cream cheese in the house.) 

However, my sister has been telling me that peanut butter ruined her dogs' teeth and I shouldn't give it to the puppy. She has two dogs: a Jack Russell and a terrier-type mutt and she says their teeth were perfectly fine until she gave them peanut butter. I wondered if maybe she'd used a kind with sugar, but she's rather vehement about it all.

Thoughts? Has this happened to anyone else? I'm leaning here toward "correlation ≠ causation" but thought I'd see if anyone else ran into problems. Thanks!


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## elem8886 (Sep 19, 2012)

I've never heard anything like that before. What exactly happened to their teeth?

Our dogs have peanut butter in their kongs and they get a bit of peanut butter on toast corners on the weekend and their teeth are fine. I would agree with you that correlation =/= causation. Also, for the tiny amount they eat we just use whatever PB is in the house - sometimes plain ol' Kraft, and sometimes all natural no sugar/salt added.


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## realrellim (Dec 12, 2014)

I think they needed a cleaning at the vet. My understanding is that before peanut butter their teeth looked good to the vet, and it was only after they'd had peanut butter that the vet thought they needed to be cleaned, and they've struggled with plaque and such ever since. Her theory is that it's sticky and stuck to their teeth and caused decay.

:dontknow:

It seemed unlikely to me, but I thought I'd check.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Never heard of PNB causing tooth decay..........lack of dental care is more likely. Small dogs especially, after about two years will start having plaque and tarter issues if their teeth are not maintained in some way... My mini girl gets plenty of natural chews like bully sticks, buffalo ears, beef tracheas, tendons, and raw chicken wings in addition to having her teeth brushed with a enzyme gel three- four times a week. Because of my attention to her teeth she is almost 3 years old and they are nice and white!!!!!!

P.S. I do have to add though, that just like humans, bad teeth can be inherited and some dogs need extra attention paid to their teeth!


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## realrellim (Dec 12, 2014)

That makes so much sense to me. My plan is also to brush the puppy's teeth every night when my daughters brush their teeth (ideally one of the girls will brush the puppy's teeth) so we make a habit of it early. One of my sister's dogs was a rescue dog about two years old when she got her, so I've long thought what happened during those first two years might have contributed. They got the other dog as a puppy, but never managed to make regular brushing a habit.

The threat of those big vet bills for teeth cleaning is enough to make me want to make brushing a routine. My mom's lhasa apso needs her teeth cleaned and the vet is quoting them $500-600 to get it done. Eek! 

Thanks to for the thought about genetics. We have firsthand experiences with that, though we've gotten it under control with a little extra support (namely, a nightly fluoride rinse that has made all the difference). It's probably also the reason I'm pretty sure that establishing a daily brushing habit for the puppy will be easy.

Thanks all! I feel much better about my kong plans.


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

I love frozen kongs for distracting a dog & rewards for crating. I usually do a 50/50 yogurt pb mix. I've seen other recipes w/o pb though & Pinterest is an easy place to search out ideas. I honestly believe all things in moderation & natural chews are extremely effective for dental health.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Realrellim - I'm getting his sister! What are you going to name him?
About the peanut butter - Kong makes a tube of different fillings for their chew toys. I would assume it is specially made for dogs, less sugar and salt. You can get peanut butter, cream cheese and a couple of other flavors.


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## realrellim (Dec 12, 2014)

I did see that Kong makes some fillers too and thought we might try those. 

Not sure what we're going to name the puppy yet. We have a few ideas floating around, plus several discards. Top choices are James or Wags, with James as the strong frontrunner. We'll probably wait to meet him before making a firm decision. 

I read that Winston Churchill had several miniature poodles and they were all named Rufus. The family did not think that was a good reason to name this dog Rufus. Go figure!


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