Raw bones for Shih Tzu dental health

Your vet flagging dental health is worth taking seriously — and you're right that raw bones can genuinely help, but the key with a Shih Tzu specifically is getting the size and hardness right. Their jaws are small and brachycephalic, which means the wrong bone becomes a choking or tooth-fracture risk rather than a benefit. Before I point you toward something concrete: has your dog eaten any raw food before, or would this be their first time? And do you know roughly how much they weigh?

That context is really helpful. A 6kg Shih Tzu with no raw experience and gum inflammation needs something that gives genuine tooth-scraping action without being so hard it risks cracking a tooth or overwhelming a gut that isn't used to bone. What I'd steer you toward is raw chicken wings — specifically Natures Menu Raw Chicken Wings. They're soft enough for a small brachycephalic breed to manage safely, the bone-to-meat ratio means the mechanical action actually reaches the gum line, and they're a sensible starting point for a raw-naive dog because chicken is low-risk for digestive upset. One wing two or three times a week alongside her normal food is a reasonable starting point. Can I ask — do you have a garden or easy outdoor space? Raw bones should be given outside or on an easy-clean surface, and supervised the first few times so you can see how she handles it.

Honestly, for mechanical cleaning, a raw chicken wing beats most dental chews. The reason is texture — a raw wing has give, so the dog has to work at it, and that repeated gnawing is what scrapes plaque off the back molars where gum disease tends to start. Dental chews dissolve relatively quickly and a lot of dogs, especially small ones, crunch through them in seconds without much actual chewing. The fact that she wasn't interested in them is also telling — raw meat is intrinsically more appealing, so you're more likely to get sustained chewing behaviour, which is where the benefit comes from. The one thing to keep in mind: because she's had a scale and polish and her gums are inflamed right now, I'd wait until any post-procedure soreness has settled — usually a week or two — before introducing the wings. Worth confirming that timing with your vet.

Natures Menu Raw Chicken Wings are available on Amazon UK — they come frozen in resealable bags, which is ideal. You keep the bag in the freezer and just take out individual wings the night before, defrost them in the fridge overnight in a covered container, and give them fresh the next day. Don't refreeze once thawed, and don't leave them out at room temperature for more than an hour. It's a simple routine once you've done it a couple of times. Start with one wing, watch how she handles it, and if she's chewing steadily and not gulping, you're on the right track.

Good — it's genuinely one of the more straightforward things you can do for a small dog's dental health when you go about it the right way. Keep an eye on her stools the first couple of times; a small amount of firmer stool is normal when bone is introduced, but if she seems uncomfortable or constipated, just reduce frequency. And if her next vet check shows improvement at the gum line, that's exactly the feedback worth sharing — it helps build a clearer picture for the vet too.