Learn how you can keep your green dog's teeth healthy for years.

February is National pet Dental Health month, a great time to focus on keeping your green dog's teeth healthy and strong.

Believe it or not, I am going to be 11 years old in June of this year.

Not once in my 10+ years have I had my teeth cleaned - knock wood. And not once in all those years has a vet told me I needed my pearly whites worked on.

My teeth aren't perfect, I have a couple of insignificant chips, one on my front tooth (you can see in the photo) and one on one of my back molars. But overall, I have really, really healthy teeth.

So how do we keep my teeth so healthy, strong and clean?

Many talk about the importance of brushing your dog's teeth, and yes, we believe that it is really important; especially if you feed kibble (hopefully if you are feeding kibble (we eat it sometimes) that it's super high quality).

I do get my teeth brushed on occasion, but because I eat raw food part of the time, I don't need my teeth brushed nearly as often.

Raw meaty bones are what keep my pearly whites clean. Yep, that's right....gnawing and chewing and grinding away at those chicken backs, chicken necks and chicken feet 3-4 days per week have kept all the plaque, tarter and yucky stuff that decays teeth away from us!

Oh you can see a little yellow on a few of my teeth, but I'm due for my raw food this week as I haven't had it in at least five days, oops....bad Mum!

Here is one of the chicken backs (organs included) that Mum cuts up and divides for me and Gracie!

Mum says there is nothing better than the sound of me crunching away at all the bone, meat and cartilage, so natural. Oooooo....Mum....raw chicken feet? Let me at it!

Remember, it's important if you feed raw that you do your research! We suggest visits to Dr. Karen Becker's blog and do a search for raw dog food to learn the ins and outs. Also, you can visit Dog Food Advisor to learn about prepared raw dog foods; and RawLearning.com for more information.

We believe, it's also very important that if you do feed raw that you purchase organic, all-natural, hormone and anti-biotic free meats....so as not to add those nasty chemicals and drugs to your dog's diet.

Puppy Rach is getting in on the raw. Mum remembers when he first came to live with us, how quickly and eagerly he devoured his first raw chicken neck about a week after he came to us. Now when he eats raw, since he's such an eager eater, Mum makes sure he gets ground raw - meat, bone and organs, until he gets the hang of it.

If you'd like to give your dog a little raw, you can start like we did by adding some chicken necks (you can order them at your local organic grocery or butcher), then graduate to other items like backs, feet, other protein sources and more.

If you don't feed raw, but feed a super high quality kibble, it is very important to brush your dog's teeth frequently. We recommend at least 3-4 days a week.

Happy eating, healthy smiles!