Keeping teeth healthy - I need advice.

I give Lily marrow bones. I get them at the local grocery store or butcher. They can cut them small for smaller dogs.

 Mine keep their pearly whites pearly white by chewing on beef ribs ($1.69/lb),and eating  turkey necks ($1.19/lb), and pig tails ($1.19/lb). All are available at a local grocery that is in an area with a large HIspanic population.

 The oldest  two are three and a half years old, and their teeth have NO tartar. The bones are their only dental care. We don't brush.

I brush twice a week, with Petzlife gel, and use their spray in between. I order it from Petedge, and use a soft finger brush.

I also give them bully sticks and flossies and things like that to have around. They get marrow bones maybe twice a month, now. I buy a pack and give them to them til the pack is gone (so like three days in a row, they'll each get a bone). I get those at Publix.

IF I weren't showing Ena Beana Boo in conformation, I'd be giving her chicken wings. I can't have her chewing off her little socks, so I don't. Teenie loved them, and they made a HUGE difference in her dental health.

Thanks for your replies!

I think I'm going to try the chicken wings suggestion for now and see how that works.  I don't think we have any specialty stores around here (that I know of) to get any of the other stuff suggested.

Oh, and I did order some of that gel too.

 For Rascal, I've found that pet toothpaste works a lot better than the gel (primarily because he hates the gel and loves the toothpaste, so I can be a lot more thorough). For his also inherently-bad teeth brushing daily is the way to go. We haven't had any luck with chicken wings (upsets his stomach), recreational bones (he will guard them, but not eat them), or dental rawhides (tends to gulp down the last bites if anyone's around, but won't eat if he's by himself).

Our old vet did sell some "dental rawhides" that were the sort of compressed rawhide, so no big chunks to choke on, and they were theoretically coated in some sort of enzyme to clean the teeth. They did actually seem to help a bit, but they were also quite expensive.

I feel your pain - fortunately Rascal's had regular dental care since he was a pup, even before I had him, but he still pretty much needs a professional cleaning every year if I don't keep up with the tooth brushing. Ugh! Oh, and his breath? Mind-boggling disgusting. Like a stinky old fish that had been swimming around in a doody pile. Makes your eyes water it's so bad. One of the best things I've found for his breath is big old tough stems of broccoli - he enjoys them and they sweeten his breath right up! (Dog toothpaste helps, too, but it just makes him smell like chicken-flavored dog toothpaste, heh.)

 if my boys get a RMB from a butcher, i can tell a significant difference after just a few hours of chewing. The only problem i have though, is they get diarrhea every single time.

RidgebackGermansShep

 if my boys get a RMB from a butcher, i can tell a significant difference after just a few hours of chewing. The only problem i have though, is they get diarrhea every single time.