Do the dog treats that supposedly help a dog's teeth, really work, and how do th

1. 83

   oceansnsunsetsposted 11 years ago

   Do the dog treats that supposedly help a dog's teeth, really work, and how do they work?
   
   I have seen the dog treats for sale in stores like Pet Smart, etc, where they are advertising that if consumed, the dogs teeth and gums will benefit.  Do they really work, and if so how?

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2. 60

   T-X-2posted 11 years ago

   I have wondered this very thing. From what I have read, it has more to do with the motion of chewing than it does with the treats themselves.
   
   Pets.webmd.com says, "Dogs that chew actively have less plaque build-up. And some types of dog dental treats and diets can reduce plaque by nearly 70%. How do they do this? Simply the mechanical action of chewing can make a difference. In one study, increasing the diameter of kibble by 50% led to a 42% reduction in tartar. In the same study, coating the products with a substance called polyphosphate further reduced tartar by 55%. It prevents plaque from turning into tartar by isolating calcium on teeth."
   
   You can go to http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm to find out which ones are the best.

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      oceansnsunsetsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your comment, I appreciate that.

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3. 100

   DrMark1961posted 11 years ago

   
   
   Let me answer your  question with a question: would you tell your kids, "you dont have to brush your teeth tonight, have some of these cookies tonight and it will be just as good"? I hope not. Those cookies are only for people unwilling to brush their dogs teeth or feed their dog a raw diet that contains bones.
   No, they do not work.
   (I am attaching a photo of a middle aged dog on raw dog food. If this photo does not work-my ISP is horrible-you can see a hub on dental disease and raw dog food at my profile page.)

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      oceansnsunsetsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your comment, I appreciate that.  So the bones in a raw diet help achieve the same thing?  So dogs that lived/live in the wild don't have the same struggle as housebound pets?

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      DrMark1961posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      No, peridontal disease is a problem we see mostly in domesticated dogs, and unfortunately it is common at one year of age. Some breeds have malformed mouths and will always have problems, but dogs with a normal bite can keep tartar down through chewi

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