Ask the Vet

Q) I'm concerned that my 8 month old Cairn Terrier is not chewing her dry food, therefore not cleaning her teeth. Where I buy my food from said to get a large breed puppy food as opposed to a small breed food, the difference being that the kibble is larger and will force her to chew it. Is that correct?

A) A pet owner on the ball- that's what I like to see. Chewing of food is important and it is a good habit to get dogs into from a young age as this will help keep their pearly whites, well white! Given that your puppy is only 8 months old it is important that she is fed a good quality puppy food until she is fully grown. Normal puppy foods and large breed puppy foods are formulated slightly differently to help with the rapid growth of large breed puppies and their additional dietary requirements. So, I would prefer that you stick with a small breed food. Maybe you could talk with your pet food supplier to see if there is another brand that has bigger kibble that would suit your dog. Alternatively, you could provide large, uncooked bones (the big marrow bones are great, especially when cut in half lengthwise) on a regular basis or talk with your veterinarian about other dental treats. There are lots of these on the market now that we recognize how important it is to look after dogs' teeth.