Can a raw diet help remove tartar on the teeth?

[Deleted]

If you've seen any of my recent posts you'll already know my situation

TL;DR my 9 mo baby dagget passed on Friday from DIM. He left behind his sister/best friend eleven. We decided to get her a new friend as she doesn't like people much and I don't think she can be happy as a single ferret.

So now, the new baby who has yet to be named, his previous owners did not know how to, nor did they care to take care of him properly whatsoever. His nails were nearly half an inch long, because they were too scared to cut them. And he's been eating some cheap grocery store ferret kibble. I had a wellness exam done on him, and he's got some built up tartar. He's going to be boarding with our vet for 2 weeks, because we don't have a separate room in the house that he can be quarantined in, but as soon as we get him home I plan on beginning his switch to raw.

My question is will switching to raw be able to cut down on his tartar? I know a raw diet can help prevent tartar, but I'm not sure about removal. I'm wondering if I should still get him a dental to make sure there is no lasting damage. Also, do you still get your raw fed babies dentals? If so, how often?
Thank you.

[LindaM]

Most definitely. The bone-in meals provided by a Frankenprey or Whole Prey raw diet will help clean his teethies, cutting down on plaque and tartar build-up, and keep them clean and lovely.

I think I saw a really lovely example photo on @machan's Instagram once, and Celene also has a good photo on here somewhere showing the stunning difference in teeth going from kibble-fed to raw-fed.

[Deleted]

LindaM ooh, thanks for giving me the idea to take a photo of his teeth, I'll have to post a before and after!
So do you think I'd be ok skipping the dental for him? Or maybe I should give it a few months of him being on raw and see how they look?

[Heather]

If the wee one isn't an emergency dental I'd be tempted to hold off and see how much of the tartar can be cleaned with his diet.
ciao

[LindaM]

I'd be inclined to wait and see how well the bone-in meals can clean his teeth first too. Vets will most often put the ferret under anesthesia for dental work, and sometimes complications can occur due to the size of ferrets and how knowledgeable the vet is with ferrets. So, taking all that into account, I'd first try and see how the natural, species appropriate diet can benefit his teeth, unless like Heather mentioned, if it's a dental emergency that definitely requires a vet to intervene.

[Deleted]

May 4, 2017 20:51:03 GMT -5 LindaM said:

Most definitely. The bone-in meals provided by a Frankenprey or Whole Prey raw diet will help clean his teethies, cutting down on plaque and tartar build-up, and keep them clean and lovely.

I think I saw a really lovely example photo on @machan 's Instagram once, and Celene also has a good photo on here somewhere showing the stunning difference in teeth going from kibble-fed to raw-fed.

This one?

[Lily]

When I was kibble feeding, my ferrets had some tar buildup, but moment they started a raw diet, their teeth are so clean and healthy! The bones really help with keeping their teeth nice and healthy.

I would see how your little one does on the raw diet with bones first before seeing a vet. Ramsey did get his teeth cleaned by a vet before because he isn't the best at chewing his bones, and honestly, I'd rather stress and spend more time trying to get him to chew than put him through that again.

[LindaM]

Yep, that's the one. Thanks @machan!