Turnip to clean teeth?

[JBCB]

Our girl, Kaeleigh, has an intestinal disease that means she has to maintain an ultra low fat diet. Because of this she can't chew most of the "edible" bones, something she did regularly before diagnosis, that helped keep her teeth clean. So, as a consequence, her teeth got dirtier and her breath smellier. We tried brushing, but haven't been to diligent about keeping at it so they (Kaeleigh and her sister Hannah) haven't taken to it.

So that brings me to the reason for the post. We were looking for something that Kaeleigh could eat as a treat, and our vet suggested turnip as something that wouldn't exacerbate her condition. Guess what? She loves it, her teeth are cleaner and breath almost odourless! We give it to her (Hannah too as she doesn't get anything Kaeleigh isn't allowed to have) as a treat after each meal -- "crunch, crunch, crunch...", nicer breath! :D

Thought I'd pass it along to those with trouble keeping their "puppies" teeth clean. Just remember to cut it large enough that they HAVE to chew it, not swallow it whole.

[Carina43]

Wow, I've never heard of that, interesting!

I like your vet! :D

[CarolineS]

Hi Jay :) How big a piece of turnip do you give them? It seems it would have to be about 1/2 a turnip to encourage them to chew and not gulp!

I bought my two each a wolf-size Kong dental chew toy a few weeks ago. The package said although it was not meant to be consumed that small rice-size pieces would pass safely through. The girls had them for a day and really gnawed them down. I didn't think the pieces they were taking off were large enough to bother them, but Dresden threw them back up so I took the toys away. Maggie's sensitive gut didn't even flinch and the pieces passed right through. Such a shame they didn't work out because they scraped as much tartar off their teeth as giving them a knuckle bone to eat. I'll have to give the turnip a try and see how it works.

[mickeymichellie]

I will give that a try. None of the bones or anything seem to make much of a difference...

[JBCB]

Hi Caroline! :p We buy a turnip on the "larger" size, I cut it in half then cut slices about 1/2 to 1 inch (about 1-2cm), then cut those in half. That way I end up with wedges about the size of the bottom of a coffee cup. I peel these, though I don't believe leaving the peel on would hurt. Neither Kaeleigh or Hannah seem to be able to swallow these, but if you had a bigger dog you might want to make the slices bigger too. For some reason both of the girls chew then into relatively small pieces, but I guess you will have to monitor your dog to see how they react.

One thing we have yet to try is giving them a whole one, at least softball size or bigger. Yvonne, our vet, suggested that as a replacement for the bones Kaeleigh can no longer chew. One day we will give it a go, but if there are more adventurous souls out there (we're afraid of mess), let me know how it went.

I don't know why it works but it sure seems to with our babies! :D

[moondog]

Hi Jay!

I was intrigued by the idea of turnips, especially since Kaeleigh is okay with them. Went out and bought two and gave Luna 1/4 of a turnip, skin, stem and all. She got all excited at the thought of something new and promptly whisked it away to her mat to work on it (she has her own indoor mat, so I don't have to worry about any messes). She chewed away and ate the whole thing! :D Turnip breath is pretty nice smelling! So I sort of anticipated some diarrhea this morning, but that poop bounced better than ever! :) No sign of undigested turnip, either, like she gets with raw carrot. Now if it works to help clean her teeth, I'll really be thrilled!

Thanks for the tip!

[Carina43]

Bouncing poop and turnip breath...OK, I am convinced! :D
Next time I go grocery shopping, I am picking up some small turnips. (I guess parsnips would work too...beets could be fun!)

[Grendl]

May I ask for clarification? The vegetable that people in the northeast call turnips is referred to as rutabagas here in the southeast. My first husband requested mashed turnips for Thanksgiving, and I bought the small purple-ish-white vegetable, when I should have been buying the large reddish-orange vegetable. Which one are we talking about here? Thanks.

[CarolineS]

Since Jay is Canadian and so am I, I'm going to guess he was talking about the large reddish orange veggie. :) That's what I call a turnip.

[Teena]

No turnips and rutabagas are two different animals. A rutabaga is a relative of the turnip. While rutabags do look like turnips, they are darker and more yellowish.
I am the produce queen remember. hehe

Here's a link:
http://www.allrecipes.com/encyc/terms/T/8988.asp

[moondog]

That's the one I got - white with a purple band around the top. And hey, that site says they are EASY to grow! Now's a great time to get a veggie garden started, I think I'll do that, and Luna can help me fluff the soil! :D

[JBCB]

It's the larger one, orangish with the purple top. I like them but Shirley, my wife, doesn't. And the girls LOVE them! ;)

[Grendl]

Thank you; I will purchase one this weekend when I do my shopping.

[tdsullivan]

I'm going to pick up some turnips next time I shop for groceries. I'm sure my lab will eat them but I don't know about my rottie. She'll eat frozen carrots but turns her nose up at most other vegetables.

[k&s]

Has anyone experienced any adverse reactions? One of my rotties tends to get gas and some sort of stomach irritation and I would not want to give him this if there is any potential for problems. And, to tell the truth, I have not eaten enough turnips in my life to know if they cause gas!

I might give it a try if no one here has heard of any adverse reactions.