My dog has been loosing his teeth since we got him eight years ago. At the time we got him, the vet estimated him to be 7 to 9 yrs old. We've had him 7 and a half years. Lifespan for a Schnauzer is supposed to be about 14. He still seems pretty energetic at times. What are my options for him as far as food (cheap)? Thinking he can't have much life left in him, but I've been saying that for two years and he just keeps going and going.
Toothless dog
- Thread starter otis24
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I had one that lived for 17 years, fed her moist and meaty burger dog food after she lost her teeth. That was one good dog, followed me everywhere and traveled more than most people.
Soft food but remember you get what you pay for if you like the dog feed it high quality food that has vitamins and minerals to keep him healthy and out of the vets office or if the dog is not worth the care put it down and get another dog and feed him proper .
Can't you just stick regular dog food into a blender with some extra water?
My wife/I never bought baby food except rice/oat ceral. We just took our stuff and blended it into something baby would eat.
My wife/I never bought baby food except rice/oat ceral. We just took our stuff and blended it into something baby would eat.
Originally Posted By: otis24
My dog has been losing his teeth since we got him eight years ago. At the time we got him, the vet estimated him to be 7 to 9 yrs old. We've had him 7 and a half years. Lifespan for a Schnauzer is supposed to be about 14. He still seems pretty energetic at times. What are my options for him as far as food (cheap)? Thinking he can't have much life left in him, but I've been saying that for two years and he just keeps going and going.
I like the ground meat/rice, maybe with the liquid vitamins. You could also go with the canned wet food that doesn't need chewing, but the ingredients are often "?" In there.
Good luck with your family friend; and caring for a senior dog:
My dog has been losing his teeth since we got him eight years ago. At the time we got him, the vet estimated him to be 7 to 9 yrs old. We've had him 7 and a half years. Lifespan for a Schnauzer is supposed to be about 14. He still seems pretty energetic at times. What are my options for him as far as food (cheap)? Thinking he can't have much life left in him, but I've been saying that for two years and he just keeps going and going.
I like the ground meat/rice, maybe with the liquid vitamins. You could also go with the canned wet food that doesn't need chewing, but the ingredients are often "?" In there.
Good luck with your family friend; and caring for a senior dog:
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Good canned dog food will be fine. Dogs generally swallow without chewing.
Buy high quality canned dog food.
Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
Good canned dog food will be fine. Dogs generally swallow without chewing.
Good point. As far as I know, dogs use their teeth for tearing meat to toothsome size and they don't really chew like humans do. Anything small enough should be edible to a toothless dog.
Good canned dog food will be fine. Dogs generally swallow without chewing.
Good point. As far as I know, dogs use their teeth for tearing meat to toothsome size and they don't really chew like humans do. Anything small enough should be edible to a toothless dog.
A miniature Schnauzer I used to dogsit had the same issues. His owners and I would simply give him his favorite dry food with water poured over it to soften it up. He got a stew, I suppose.
I have noticed that our dog's food will become very soft and big when he leaves it from one day to the next. We buy American made food from a local pet store. We were told by the store owner and our vet to look at the ingredients. No corn at all, no other grains or by-products in the first 5 ingredients. Costs about $.15-20/lb. more, but the dog is in great shape at 8 yrs. old.
A dog does not need to chew their food. They can swallow kibble size pieces. Digestion does not begin until the food is in their stomach. With people the saliva and chewing starts the digestive process in our mouth. Not so with dogs.
This came up a lot during my days of dog training. You can still feed dry "kibble" type dog food. Just put a half up to an equal amount of water in the food (i.e. half: 1/2 cup food, 1/4 cup water. or equal: 1/2 cup food 1/2 cup water). Some dogs don't like equal amounts, so just 1/2 of the food amount sometimes works better. Then let it sit for a minute on the counter before feeding. Use small kibble when available. This works pretty well for dogs with limited or no teeth. The previous poster, Donald, is correct; dogs don't chew food like we do, even small dogs. As long as it's moist enough, they normally just swallow without chewing. If adding water not a good option, a good wet food is fine. Just remember when switching dog food to introduce the new food slowly, this is especially true if the food is of higher or lower quality (i.e. high grain to low grain or visa versa. Look on the label for corn and wheat., these are grain fillers. Rice is ok, potato is fine too.) or if the dog has been on this food for a long time. Once a dog has been on a single type of food for a long time, rotation of proteins can be a problem and might take weeks or even a month. The switch can give pups diarrhea, but rotation of proteins can be a good thing overall as long as it doesn't overly upset your pups tummy.
Also if you change to a wet food, the canned stuff can be mixed with dry food and introduced slowly. But if you step up to a raw food diet (higher end food, will be labeled RAW. Some speciality pet shops will say this is a good option for pups with no teeth) DO NOT MIX RAW WITH DRY FOOD. especially with an older dog, can cause huge tummy issues that take a long time to resolve.
Also if you change to a wet food, the canned stuff can be mixed with dry food and introduced slowly. But if you step up to a raw food diet (higher end food, will be labeled RAW. Some speciality pet shops will say this is a good option for pups with no teeth) DO NOT MIX RAW WITH DRY FOOD. especially with an older dog, can cause huge tummy issues that take a long time to resolve.
Originally Posted By: Garak
A miniature Schnauzer I used to dogsit had the same issues. His owners and I would simply give him his favorite dry food with water poured over it to soften it up. He got a stew, I suppose.
This is what I do for mine but often add a big spoon full of canned puppy food,
which is not chunky, just for flavor. Dogs really don't chew much. Recently
I picked up pack of ground turkey at Walmart and cooked it in water with a little
rice and boy did she love that mixed in with kibble. If all this is too much
for you, just feed it the best puppy food you can afford and do add some vitamins.
A miniature Schnauzer I used to dogsit had the same issues. His owners and I would simply give him his favorite dry food with water poured over it to soften it up. He got a stew, I suppose.
This is what I do for mine but often add a big spoon full of canned puppy food,
which is not chunky, just for flavor. Dogs really don't chew much. Recently
I picked up pack of ground turkey at Walmart and cooked it in water with a little
rice and boy did she love that mixed in with kibble. If all this is too much
for you, just feed it the best puppy food you can afford and do add some vitamins.
True, they don't chew a lot, but he did a bit when he had his teeth. I did give him some canned stuff, too. The hard stuff he ate was pretty darned hard if not wet. Before the dog lost his teeth and he'd get the dry, hard food, my cat would get into it and it would sound like he was eating jaw breakers.
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