Raw

They always seem a bit shocked and a little disappointed when they spy those pearly whites!

Hah, I have to agree, same here. Ginny is almost 5 and has perfect set of choppers. Bones are great for teeth, occasionaly brushing in addition is even better.

 Its a real shame that a lot of dog (and cat) owners don't pay attention too much to dental care. My parent's dog is 12 and her teeth are just awful....I gave her an chewy toy once (she isn't a big chewer which I'm sure contributed) and this entire sheet of plaque almost the size and shape of my pinkie fingernail broke off the side of a molar...it was disgusting and amazing at the same time.

Yes, but, in fairness, no vet EVER said anything to me about teeth with the cockers.  And the cockers were at the vet a LOT with ear issues.  Rusty must have been 8 years old before a vet even LOOKED at his teeth and then he had to have almost half of them pulled.  I was in shock.  I never even THOUGHT about their teeth.  Duh......but, again, that's not something vets used to talk about.

Now, yes, things are a lot different, and vets ARE talking about dental hygiene.  But, owners need to be educated about teeth just like they need to be educated about quality foods.

How can a dog that has only one tooth left eat a prey model diet???  I'm confused???

I believe she said that the dog only had one canine left.  I took that not to mean only one TOOTH.  Could be wrong though, and what is being fed doesn't really sound like prey model.

Yes, but, in fairness, no vet EVER said anything to me about teeth with the cockers

Absolutely, my parent's vet, an older gentlemen, has glanced at them and says they're fine Personally, I'd think she'd be halfway, if not all the way, to a gum/jaw infection by now. Thank goodness things are changing.

Oh, yes, I did misread that.  Sorry!!  I guess that's what I get for trying to work and forum at the same time!

Look, my dog was so sick on kibble and has improved so comprehensively and so much on homecooked and then raw that it's hard for me to imagine raw being worse than kibble. It's not rocket science. You just have to make sure they're getting a balanced diet, much like you pay vague attention to the balance in your own diet. It's no harder than feeding yourself. Easier, actually, because you don't make bad choices for your dogs because of how good something tastes.

Our dogs get mostly muscle meat in mince form. The pet mince we buy has some bone and the odd bit of organ ground up in it. We add smushed vegies (but no corn or potato), yoghurt or cottage cheese, and sometimes organ. They get bones a few times a week. It's easy to get supplements if you want to go that way. Kelp powder is supposed to be pretty good. They are tremendously healthy and their weight is super easy to control on this diet. It saved Penny's life, I am quite sure, and brought Pyry's skin problems under control.  

Incidentally, my mother just got a new book that she thinks is really good. I've forgotten the name, but it's got a lot of really easy recipes for good dog food. I think it's called something like Real Food for Dogs and Cats. Something about real food. I can find out if you're interested.