Canine Dental Home Care
EVIDENCE-BASED CANINE DENTAL HOME CARE
The goal of home care is to maximize the time between your pet’s professional teeth cleanings and to minimize and prevent the health risks and pain associated with dental disease.
One of the easiest and most cost effective methods of preventing basic dental plaque & tartar is to feed an evidence based plaque prevention food to your pet.
DENTAL DIETS PROVEN TO REDUCE PLAQUE AND TARTAR (at least 20% better than average food)
• Hill’s Prescription Diet® Canine T/D (Original Bites and Small Bites) Prevent both plaque & tartar.
This kibble is designed with a proprietary fiber matrix technology to reduce plaque and tartar by mechanical means. It is also formulated with reduced amounts of certain nutrients that can contribute to plaque and tartar buildup.
• Purina Veterinary Diets® DH Dental Health™ brand Canine Formula (Regular and Small Bites) DH dental has the tartar to the required 20% level to get the VOHC label but not the plaque rating.
• Science Diet® Oral Care Has VOHC label supporting both plaque & tartar prevention.
BRUSHING/RINSING
• CET® Toothpaste:
Flavored paste with an enzyme to kill bacteria and also increase your pet’s acceptance of brushing. Used in daily brushing, these toothpastes will help prevent plaque and tartar buildup.
• CET® Oral Hygiene Rinse:
This is an oral rinse that contains antibacterial agents in an anti-plaque formula.
- Chlorhexidene containing pastes & gels.
BARRIER SEALANT
• OraVet®:
A waxy product that adheres to the external surface of the teeth. Applied once to twice weekly, it is 24 – 47% effective in preventing plaque and tartar buildup. Please visit us.merial.com/index.asp for more information.
WATER ADDITIVE
Healthymouth Add to pets water supply to prevent plaque naturally.
First water product to get VOHC seal.
Aquadent (r) water additive that can help prevent plaque and tartar accumulation. Used daily it has a study that claims 58% tartar reduction.
TREATS that have evidence to support their use:
• CET Hextra Chews ®:
Contains enzymes to prevent plaque formulation and bacterial growth.
• Tartar Shield® Soft Rawhide Chews*
• Greenies®
• Purina Veterinary Diets® Dental Chewz
All products listed have evidence to support their use. All products shown are approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) and have proven efficacy in the reduction of plaque and/or tartar.
Please visit the VOHC website for a complete list of approved products at www.vohc.org.
