Within hours after your puppy gobbles up a meal, sticky plaque begins to accumulate on their teeth. Within a day, that plaque combines with minerals in their saliva to become tartar.
Brushing their teeth is the best way to keep your puppy’s mouth clean and healthy. But daily brushing can get challenging at times, especially with a high-energy, wiggly puppy! Other dental products can supplement brushing to help reduce bacteria and plaque on your puppy’s teeth, and they can bridge the gap on days when brushing just isn’t going to happen.
With so many dental products available, how do you know which to choose for your canine companion? Let us help demystify this issue.
- Dental chews and dental treats: These are designed to scrub your puppy’s teeth as they chew, hopefully rubbing off plaque in the process. Some of these products may also contain compounds that fight the bacteria on a chemical level. When it comes to dental chews, size does matter. If your puppy can swallow the chew with barely any chomping, then it’s not doing its job and could be a choking hazard.
- Toys: Chewing on rubber toys can also help scrub plaque off your pet’s teeth, and are less likely to fracture teeth because most toys are soft. However, supervision is a good idea in case your puppy is tearing off and swallowing large pieces of the toy.
- Water additives: These are much like a drinkable mouthwash that you add to your puppy’s water bowl. They help reduce the amount of plaque-forming bacteria in your puppy’s mouth. Most dogs don’t mind the taste, and it’s safe if your cat drinks some, too. But only use pet-approved products, because human mouthwashes are toxic to pets!
A quick note about rawhide chews and bones: These are best avoided. Rawhides and bones can cause tooth fractures, and your puppy may even swallow a chunk, which could create an obstruction. Because they pose a health hazard, rawhides and bones aren’t recommended.
Once you have chosen the type of dental product, how do you choose the brand? Luckily, the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) has made this easy. Their seal of approval appears only on products that have passed testing to prove they are effective and safe for pets. You can see a complete list of approved products here
