February is National Pet Dental Awareness Month. Yes, there is such a thing!
That’s because dental disease is the number one health issue for dogs, affecting 80% of adult dogs and up to 96% of senior dogs. That’s why it’s more important than ever to take an active role in your pup’s at-home dental care. Poor oral health can negatively impact your dog’s overall health. (Whimzees)
Besides our regular dental checks when we have our annual vet visits, Mum’s not terribly good at brushing our teeth until she found Logic Oral Hygiene Gel.
Bad breath is often the first sign of oral hygiene problems and It is estimated that 80% of all dogs and cats over three years of age have dental disease. Tooth brushing is known to be the single most effective way of removing plaque. If left untreated, the gums become detached from the tooth forming ‘pockets’ which predispose to further plaque build up. This represents the first stage of periodontitis (inflammation of the gums and supporting structures of the teeth). Early stage periodontitis can be REVERSIBLE with professional descaling, polishing and subsequent home care. In the absence of appropriate care, the progression of periodontitis causes gum recession and destruction of the tooth’s supporting structures. This may result in root exposure, abscess formation and teeth becoming loose or falling out. Advanced stages of periodontitis are IRREVERSIBLE and may require tooth extraction. The Logic dental range is designed to assist in minimising this process. (Logic for Pets)
I’m pretty good with Mum brushing my teeth.
George had become so much better at having his teeth brushed.
But in between, Mum had decided to get us chews BUT they must not affect what comes out at the other end! That’s how she knows when something is not good for us – the ultimate test.
Mac & Maisie shared some of their Whimzies with us and they’re fun shapes. I devour them immediately, but George walks around with them, tries to hide them and even leaves them when I am not around to help out.
George trying to hide the same Whimzee …
And then there’s Woof Brush from Lily’s Kitchen that we’ve had for awhile. Again, I like them –
But George is not sure what to do. Maybe they’re too big for him but that’s not the reason because when Mum gives him a dental stick from Edgard Cooper – he chews them immediately!
EdgardCooper gave us a few packs to trial and I think we’ve found something for George.
May’s comment: Since we are raw feeders, this helps with less plaque accumulation but they still have their bedtime biscuits and the odd treats. The raw feeding definitely helps with the bad breath – little to none. But certain breeds tend to have bad breath due to teeth decay. George has both Yorkie and Maltese – both of which prone to dental problems. And he had quite a few teeth pulled out.
Also to be noted – thankfully none of the above chews have affected their stools! They get a chew a day and now that I know which they each prefer. Well, Darcy will chew and eat anything whereas George has more of a preference.
These are the chews we use:
Whimzees – They are vegetarian, grain and gluten free, contain no artificial ingredients, flavours or additives, easily digestible, and come in a variety of fun, hardworking shapes. They come in three sizes …
Lily’s Kitchen Woofbrush – has a unique spongey texture full of air bubbles so they flex around the teeth with every bite. It’s important that their chew is as kind to their tummy as it is to their teeth. Woofbrush uses top notch natural ingredients like parsley, coconut oil and fennel for a proper clean without additives. They come in three different sizes – S (1-10kg), M (11-25kg), L (26-35kg). Darcy has the Medium even though she is less than 10kg and George has the Small.
Edgard Cooper Doggy Dental Sticks – They are air-dried for effective chew, packed with mint and eucalyptus for a fresh breath, full of calcium for strong teeth and they are also vegan!
As for brushing their teeth – I’ve tried a few things but Logic Oral Hygiene whitens their teeth almost immediately and they seem to like it!!!
National Pet Dental month is created by the American Veterinary Medical Association to highlight how important oral health is to overall health, happiness and wellbeing of your pet.
This is not an ad – we share our choice and experience of products that work for us.
One Response
I will look into the products you use, especially the Logic Oral Hygiene. We use Greenies every day with our dog, Gina, but it only seems to clean her lower teeth. I do need to investigate your products and see if some of them are sold in the U.S.