[Weten2]

We have adult Havanese (10-12 lbs) that I started switching over from Natures Logic to Orijen adult kibble. One thing I noticed is the Orijen kibble is much larger and I think also harder. When eating the dogs make a lot of noise breaking down the kibble.
Should I look for a smaller size kibble or not worry? I did notice the EVO kibble comes in a small size and wondered if this would be a better fit.

 

[rannmiller]

You could certainly try the Evo and see if they like it better and it agrees with their systems (it can be a little too rich for some dogs). I like dogs not having to chew kibble as much since it's so bad for their teeth. Either of those is a good brand though.

 

[chowder]

My Lhasa Apso eats the Evo and likes it a lot. She is 13 and doesn't have a lot of teeth left so I think the smaller size works well for her. She's only been on the Evo for about a month now.

I also rotate the Evo and the Orijen with my bigger dog so you could always consider rotating the two foods.

 

[DaneMama]

I personally wouldn't worry about it...a little extra chewing never hurts :wink:

 

[RawFedDogs]

I wouldn't worry. I think the chewing MIGHT help clean the teeth. IMO the more they chew the better off they are.

 

[rannmiller]

Really? I've heard that all the starch/carbs in the kibble actually pushes more plaque into the gums and makes things worse.

 

[RawFedDogs]

Really? I've heard that all the starch/carbs in the kibble actually pushes more plaque into the gums and makes things worse.

That's possible, however my logical mind says that anytime you rub something relatively hard across a tooth it will scrape plaque off. Plaque is not starch/carbs but is bacteria that feed on startch/carbs.

I'm not saying you are wrong, I just don't know.

 

[DaneMama]

I don't think that kibble is the BEST way to scrape plague off, but if its hard enough and big enough, it certainly wont hurt to keep the dogs chewing as much as possible. Tarter on the other hand is a huge issue that chewing kibble is NOT going to do any good at. That stuff needs to be scaled off with a scaler OR by RMB's :biggrin:

 

[Todd]

Yea, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it becomes a problem, you could try a few other grain-less foods such as Instinct, which has very small kibble size. Also, you could try brands like EVO, that come in large bites, medium bites, and small bites.