I'm having this slight issue were Thane refuses 90% of the time to eat treats like rabbit ears, duck neck, bones, etc.  Which help clean his teeth and he would eat all the time up until the end of spring.  

He normally would get fed 9oz of raw in the morning and at night but I upped the quantity to 11oz a while ago because he was getting to skinny and his bones were becoming a lot more visible.  I feel that he is at a nice weight now but he seems to want to chew and eat less treats and settles for only breakfast and dinner.  I tried starving him out for a bit and see if he would want treats when he got hungry but nothing might touch the bone for a few minutes but other than that he doesn't care and waits for his raw meal.

I tried upping our activity a little more since the weather has gotten a bit more cooler but still nothing.  His teeth are starting to get build up so now I have resorted to brushing them till I can figure out why he has no interest in the treats he used to love.  He is still chipper as always and still has a ton of energy so I'm kind of at a loss.   Anybody have any ideas or suggestions?

I'm confused, if you are feeding a raw diet, are bones not part of his regular meals already?

As an alternative to raw teeth cleaning, I have been extremely happy with Proden PlaqueOff supplement and Petzlife spray or gel.

There are existing topics on both suggestions:
ProDen PlaqueOff

Petzlife Oral Care Spray

I would suggest either of those for the build up and maintenance but I would still keep at it with the bones regardless.

There is bone in the meal already but yes I am supposed to give him a marrow bone once a week as part of his diet but he won't touch them anymore or very seldom. Those two products look like it will do the trick with his teeth for sure, but yeah I'm working hard to get to the root of this issue.

Hi, and please forgive my ignorance, but I thought bones were bad for the dogs. I always avoided giving him bones because I am afraid that it would puncture something inside him, like his intestines or something.

Raw bones...ok. Cooked bones...brittle, sharp...NOT ok. Keep the bones larger than his throat so he can't swallow whole.

Just, at first...watch your dog - if he attacks the bone with huge energy and looks like he could break teeth, than make sure the bones are really large and he has to slowly gnaw on a side. If he gnaws and savors, you're ok. Just be aware - their paws can get bloody (from the bone, not cuts in the dog ) and when they are done, they usually like to hide the bone somewhere. Here that is not a problem with Ami - he likes the soft, leaf litter soil in the brush. Archer on the other hand likes to dig a real hole in the lawn. Other indoor dogs somethimes like to dig the hole in the sofa cushions...

Thank you Amy for answering my post.

So, raw bones bigger than his throat. Got it. Beef bones.

Thanks again.

Should you take the bone away after a day or so if the dog doesn't finish it? I just worry about her eating spoiled meat since it just sits in the yard, not that there is a lot of meat on the bone but there is some.

I don't - usually he gnaws off all the soft parts the first day - what's left is mostly bone and these he hides in the brush around the perimeter of the backyard (or most lately, in my newly dug, newly planted daylily bed ). I have read that one of the reasons dogs bury bones is that the soil enzymatic/bacterial action on them actually renders them more digestible for the dog. But, if yours is eating bones inside...that would be mighty stinky a day or so later

That is interesting, thanks. We definitely keep the bones outside. She has only had a couple but its funny how she likes to bury them as soon as she gets one and then it will show up a few days or weeks later when she digs it up. I was just worried because it looked so dirty that it would make her sick. Our dog has a very sensitive stomach. I have been reading up on some of the medical advice on this forum and it is really, really helpful. I have been trying to keep her on a grain free diet as a result.

When were her teeth x rayed last? Both Robin and Camillia had never had full dental x-rays.When they were9 yrs old and we switched vets,they had them and between the two of them had about 12-15 teeth either cracked or broken BELOW the gum line. Thier teeth looked great,but thier mouths wre definitly sore. Obviously they didnt complain,but they did stop knawing and crushing bones for a couple years previous.They are both back to bone crushing now though!