What dog food helps prevent tartar buildup on my dog's teeth?

Royal canin is one of the most effective prescription diets for lver conditions and if he is doing well I would be slow to change away from it unless you knew the underlying condition had been resolved. Hills l/d is a similar diet which you could also look at. If dental health is an issue despite regular brushing then a full dental exam and cleaning would be recommended as well as an assessment for any complicating factors such as retained puppy teeth or poor dental alignment

My own preference is the Virbac C.E.T enzymatic toothpaste. You can find it online or in most pet stores. https://us.virbac.com/home/our-products/pagecontent/product-selector/cet/cet-enzymatic-toothpaste-dog-cat.html

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! Joshie's tartar build up isn't that bad. I think the best thing for you to do if you do not want to anesthetize him to clean the teeth is to be as aggressive as possible to prevent further tartar build up. Some dogs will allow you to try and scrape the tartar off with your nail or the Vet with instruments. But honestly they have to be VERY good as no one wants to get bit. So I would focus on prevention. He should have his teeth brushed at a MINIMUM of 3 days a week. I would put him on Hill's t/d food and take a look at this link from the Veterinary Oral Health Council on accepted products: http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products_dogs.html I would try to buy a dog tooth paste but the paste you are making should be fine. I hope this helps and I wish you and Joshie the best!

No problem! Maltese do have a tendency to get a lot of tartar, so it's best to brush her teeth every day if she will let you - you can get special dog toothpaste (don't use the human kind!) and a soft baby toothbrush that will be gentle on her gums. Providing things to chew on like cow or pig ears, rawhide chews, or dental sticks can also be helpful.

As far as dog food goes, I tend to recommend Hill's Science Diet or the higher end Purina products. If you are looking to go a more natural route you would want to try something like Earthborn or Acana. Periodontal disease can be delayed with regular teeth brushing if Ratchett will allow it. You should be able to purchase most of what I mentioned at one of those stores. Hope this makes sense.

My own preference, and what I use for my dog, is C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews (by Virbac). These chews, in conjunction with daily brushing, keep his teeth clean and his breath fresh. Be sure that any chew or dental product you choose has the VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council) Seal of Approval on the package.