I have never owned a pet that tolerated having its teeth brushed. So, I always feel a little ridiculous when I tell people “brushing is the best thing to prevent dental disease in your pet”. The statement is true… every study has shown this. But I am also a realistic veterinarian when I am counseling my clients. Luckily, there are some less-than-perfect alternatives that do a better job than nothing.
My first advice is don’t buy anything your vet hasn’t approved. I have seen many bogus products and my typical response to people who ask about them is: “If you haven’t seen the same product for people, it’s probably Snake Oil”. There’s not a lot of regulation on pet products, so they can throw out anything. My most recent favorite was some garbage that you spray onto your dog’s water. If that actually worked, toothbrushes would be out of most people’s homes.
The oldest of the legit alternatives are the so-called “Dental Diets”. These are large-scale kibbles that are hard enough to be abrasive, but also supple enough that the teeth sink in without the pieces just crumbling. This creates a scraping action to remove plaque before it becomes tartar. It was the first alternative approved by the American Veterinary Dental Association as something that actually works. The only issue is that, to make it supple, they add a lot of fats. So, the teeth are clean but the pets started porking-up and we had obesity issues. More recent studies have shown that changing 20% of a pet’s diet to this dental diet, usually in the form of treats, is almost equivalent to feeding the diet exclusively. We actually use the dental diet as treats in the office and pets do love it. The effective ones are prescription-only, so don’t fall for over-the-counter options. With a prescription from your vet, these diets can be delivered to your home.
The only over-the-counter alternative that has been approved are Greenies. There are many knock-offs, some unsafe. So, shop with care. These hard chews work on the same basic premise as the diets in that they are hard and scrape away plaque. As a chew, they last longer and we don’t have to worry about calories like with the diets. However, they are the least effective of the approved products and don’t seem to slow tartar build-up once it is established.
The most effective product seems to be delmopinol chews. While these are considered “prescription”, they are a very tasty chew that are used as a once-a-day treat for dogs only. I think they smell like circus peanuts and every dog in my family goes absolutely nuts when it’s time for their chew. They are somewhat soft and contain a compound that prevents bacteria from sticking to the tooth surface. Those bacteria normally would crate a coating and die, forming plaque. As those dead bacteria build-up they become tartar. What I like the most about them is, in my experience, they can even slow progression of disease once tartar buildup has started. The only real side effect is that it turns the stool green. If folks can get past that, they will likely save thousands of dollars on dental care over their dog’s lifetime.