# My dog acts like her teeth hurt when she eats.



## Qarle (Dec 27, 2006)

I have four dogs, Zoie( Toy Fox Terrier ), Rowdy( Miniature Pinscher ), Munchy( Toy Poodle/Pomerainian/Chiuaua ), and Lizzie( Black Lab/Border Collie ). I've been feeding them Beniful hard dog food. Zoie will go up to the bowl and pick one piece at a time, and run to her rug. When she chews it she acts like her teeth hurt. I took her to the vet and he said her teeth were as healthy as any other dog she has seen. So I tried soft food and she loves it, but the vet said her teeth would get weaker as time went on and she would have a better chance of breaking one, and I cetainly don't want that. So I guess I need a new food so if anyone has a suggestion I would very much apprieciate it.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

You may want to check with the manufacturer of your current dog food, but couldn't you moisten it a bit so it's not so hard? I say check with the manufacturer becomes some dog food companies recommend not to add water because it could cause bloating.


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## Diggie (Dec 28, 2006)

Maybe you could try mixing in some wet dog food, or getting a good brand of semi- moist food.


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

Every brand of semi-moist food I've ever seen is LOADED with sugar and nasty preservatives. I stay away from those... >X.x;<


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## Qarle (Dec 27, 2006)

Cheetah, you are exactly right, that is why I haven't given her much of that.


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## poofywoof (Nov 17, 2006)

*hard to chew*

I had just a couple of thoughts. If your vet said your dog's teeth are fine, then could it be her JAW that bothers her when she chews?
If you would like to try a kibble that has much smaller pieces, you could try what my dogs eat (toy and miniature Poodles) SOLID GOLD WEEBITS. They are a very small size and a very good quality food. I also add SOLID GOLD SEAMEAL to the food which requires adding a bit of water to mix it. That softens the food slightly, but they eat it right up so it never gets soggy.


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## Dogged (Nov 19, 2006)

Some small dogs are picky about dry food, especially if it is larger chunk, but even smaller chunk sometimes, and will eat one at a time. It is not normal if it seems to hurt her though. How old is the dog?

If this is an older dog, I would consider scheduling a teeth cleaning, because the vet cannot do a complete oral exam without the dog being under anesthetic. There may be a bad tooth that is hard to see just by looking while the dog is awake, but under andesthetic, they should probe for any deep pockets around each tooth with special instruments (just like our dentist does) and the vet can see the inside of the teeth (closest to the tongue) and the far back ones too. X-rays may need to be taken also.


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