Can dental diet food be used as treats for my dog's oral health?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! One of the best ways to maintain dental health is with regular teeth brushing, at least several times a week. Because Korbyn is fairly young, it will be possible to train him to accept having his teeth brushed by providing plenty of praise and treats during the process. Treats can also be given to supplement brushing, you should look for treats that have enzymatic properties as well as ones that take a while to chew, as this action strengthens the jaw and removes tartar. I also recommend keeping Korbyn on dry food to promote good dental condition. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Sasha. Good on you for caring about her dental health! The best thing I can recommend is daily brushing with a canine toothbrush and canine toothpaste. I love the CET brand of dental products for dogs, they are excellent. Chew sticks are ok, and you can use something like Dentasticks as a daily treat, but they won't have as good effects as brushing. I hope this helps!

HI, thanks for using Petcoach! I am sorry Ziggy is sick! Sadly there isn't a perfect treat to keep a dogs teeth clean. Veterinary dentists recommend brushing their teeth AT LEAST three times per week. Anything less isn't doing anything. If Ziggy has a lot of tartar build up already then it is best to have an anesthetic (put under) dental to have his teeth cleaned, X-rayed and extracted if infected. Then brushing his teeth 3 or more times per week will hopefully keep the tartar away. Below is a link to the Veterinary Oral Health Councils recommend products. I hope this helps and good luck! http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf

Hello, and thank you for using PetCoach. It's great that you're thinking about Teddy's oral health! It is best to brush Teddy's teeth daily using a toothpaste formulated for dogs. There are lots of good options, so try a few out and see what flavors Teddy likes, but I recommend an enzymatic toothpaste. Here's an example: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/sentry-petrodex-enzymatic-toothpaste-for-dogs-5000644--1 It's also beneficial for Teddy to chew on things that are meant to massage his gums and help work tarter off his teeth. I prefer rawhides that are coated in enzymes to help combat tarter, such as these: VIP-_-92700027187667220&kwid=p27187667220&device=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2PLt-eSv1wIViLrACh0JkwyJEAQYASABEgLS3PD_BwE My own opinion is that providing good products for dogs to chew on does the most to help their teeth - but the combination of chewing and regular tooth brushing will benefit Teddy's oral health the most. Also, some dogs are less enthusiastic about chewing, which makes brushing the teeth even more important. Of course, all of these are measures to help slow tarter production - but nothing completely replaces regular dental care from your veterinarian. Just as we humans brush daily and still need regular dental care, our pets need the same. Hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question! I am sorry to hear that Ruby lost so many teeth! Unfortunately, some dogs are predisposed to bad dental disease genetically. There really is not a great food for prevention of dental disease. A diet that was designed to help with prevention of tartar accumulation is a food called Hills T/D and requires a prescription from your veterinarian. There are other means of preventing tartar from occurring such as Oravet chews, Tartar shield, Plaque off or CET oral enzymatic toothpaste. The most beneficial thing you can do for Ruby is to have her teeth cleaned professionally under anesthesia once yearly. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! The only ones that have shown to have any effect are those recommended by the VOHC. The whimzees look to be well received by pet owners. http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products_dogs.html

Hello! I personally love the Greenies brand dental chews for my dogs! You can also smear some dog toothpaste on their other toys, like a nylabone for example, to make a fun teeth brushing treat for him. :) I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!