What soft food is best for a senior Shih Tzu with missing teeth?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Eddie is having dental issues. If his dental disease is that significant, and his mouth bacteria is making that bad of a smell, I would recommend having his teeth evaluated by a veterinarian and possibly having a dental. Bacteria in the mouth are not only bad for a dog's teeth, but they also can lead to bacterial translocation to the heart and kidneys, which can lead to substantial health issues long-term. At his age, I would recommend a senior dog food; there are many good options, including Purina Bright Minds, Acana, and multiple others. A good quality senior food (grain free or not) would most likely be a good option, and then having his teeth issues addressed. Good luck!

How lovely of you to rescue Coco! I recommend getting him a high quality senior dog food, such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. You can soak the dry food in warm water to make it easier for him to eat, or you can give him wet food. I don't recommend the gerber puff baby snacks as treats, these are not suitable for dogs. You can give him boiled white meat chicken (no bones) as an occasional treat. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question! I am sorry to hear that Ruby lost so many teeth! Unfortunately, some dogs are predisposed to bad dental disease genetically. There really is not a great food for prevention of dental disease. A diet that was designed to help with prevention of tartar accumulation is a food called Hills T/D and requires a prescription from your veterinarian. There are other means of preventing tartar from occurring such as Oravet chews, Tartar shield, Plaque off or CET oral enzymatic toothpaste. The most beneficial thing you can do for Ruby is to have her teeth cleaned professionally under anesthesia once yearly. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would still try to feed the dry food to FIffy. She ate that food when she had 16 bad teeth in her mouth and she will still be able to eat that food after they are removed. You may have to water the food down a little bit to make it soft but really dogs can eat hard food without any teeth. Good luck and kisses to FIffy!

Hi and thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would stick with a low fat prescription diet such as Hills I/D or Royal Canin Low fat gastrointestinal. Continue this diet until your one pet is over their pancreatitis episode. Then you can slowly transition them back to a senior diet which is typically lower in calories and higher in protein and carbs. My top brands are Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, Evo or Eukanuba. Best of luck with your fur babies and their new diets. Take care!

Poor Sadie! I'm sorry to hear about her dental issues. Chicken and rice can work well in the short-term, but it's not appropriate as a long-term diet because it isn't nutritionally complete or balanced. It's fine to stick with the chicken and rice for the next few days if she's doing well on it, but I would be looking for a good commercial dog food that she likes and doesn't upset her stomach. You can try some different brands of canned food, or dry kibble moistened with warm water if she prefers this. If she has a sensitive stomach, you can also ask your veterinarian about a prescription GI diet like Hills i/d or Purina EN - these are very easy to digest and often work well for dogs who get diarrhea easily. Both also come in a canned version, so this would be fine for her teeth as well :)

As far as dog food goes, I tend to recommend Hill's Science Diet or the higher end Purina products. If you are looking to go a more natural route you would want to try something like Earthborn or Acana. Periodontal disease can be delayed with regular teeth brushing if Ratchett will allow it. You should be able to purchase most of what I mentioned at one of those stores. Hope this makes sense.