I would like to know if anybody has ANY suggestions for preventing
dental problems in ferrets...having teeth pulled, bad breath, etc. I
have had four now that have had teeth pulled/ carnassel/molar's (not
sure how that is spelled) mostly. At under 5 year's old too. And just
had one with a tooth infection. I get many suggestions from ferret
people, from brushing with a product called 'Oxy-fresh' (which I do
with a baby tooth brush, but some really fight me!) to feeding ONLY
prey. (please don't start the raw/kibble fight)

Here is what my guy's eat currently:
- Kibble mix containing:
- Orijen Cat www.championpetfoods.com
- EVO no grain cat www.evopet.com
 just started feeding this again, always had diarrhea issues with it in
 the past. They changed their no-grain formula and I have no problems
 with it now. I'd say it's about 70% EVO right now
- Natures Logic cat www.natureslogic.com
  I have a feeling this is the food that is hard on their teeth...
  it has millet in it...not exactly the best thing for ferrets, I know,
  but they really like the food and I like their concept...I also
  soften the food with a little warm water sometimes. But some only
  like it 'crunchy'.

All eat the above food every day.

'Ferret Soup'-ground chicken with bone, canned food, Nature's Variety
raw- www.naturesvariety.com/raw-info ,heavy cream, eggs, sardine oil,
a little ground kibble.
All eat this too every few day's.Every day for the non-prey eaters.

And cooked chicken / scrambled eggs for everybody everyday.

Also depending on the ferret: chicken hearts, gizzards, and mice from
www.rodentpro.com , again every few day's.

Can you say spoiled? :)

I have seen sooo many products on the internet/ catalogs. I just wonder
if they even work? At least for a preventative.

DentaSure:
http://www.natural-wonder-pets.com/dog-dental.html

Plaque off:
www.choosecra.com/store/pets/plaque-off.html

Ark Naturals Breat-less Plaque Zapper
There is plenty more...

I don't know if any are even safe for ferrets? I know Vet's have a
dental rinse, but I'm not crazy about the ingredients in it. I just
don't know what to do. Just have them cleaned once a year? :)  My Vet
only charge's $70.00, which isn't too bad...but they still seem to
loose a tooth each time! :(

Any suggestions would be wonderful! :)

Joan and all the Fuzzies

[Posted in FML 6584]