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Nontraditional Products to Help Destroy Doggie's Bad Breath

PetSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:00:59 -0700

Is doggie's mouth not so fresh and clean? If so, Fido isn't alone. More than half of PetSugar readers say their dogs have stinky mouth odor. Like humans, grody animal breath may be an aftereffect of a smelly treat, diet or body chemistry. You can take prevention steps by routinely brushing with meant-for-doggies toothbrush and toothpaste. Sadly, it can also be a symptom of greater health problems such as inflammation of soft tissue in the mouth, regurgitation or wart virus, so ask your vet to sniff out possible health concerns if you notice a certain stench.

Vets recommend that you routinely rinse or brush your dog's mouth out to kill major bacteria, but it's not an activity that makes doggie jump for joy. Check out some nontraditional products that will help keep your best friend's breath fresh between standard cleanings when you read more.

Tartar-Reducing Flossies: If doggie hates when you brush his teeth, try Flossies ($7 each). Think of these bones as beefy gum. The tendons make your dog lick his chops as he chews and create a friction to help clean his teeth.
Dental Swipes: Fast and Fresh Dental Swipes ($16) sounds great . . . kinda like a disinfecting wipe for your pets' teeth. The pre-moistened pads have an all-natural combo of peppermint, parsley, and baking soda to fight plaque and bacteria and promote healthy gums and teeth.
Chomper toys: Hard, rubbery toys with ridges and bumps stimulate gums, clean teeth, and keep him rather busy in the process. Braided floss products remove food debris, reduce plaque and tartar build up, and add in fluoride and mint to freshen breath, too.
Pop a breath mint: If you've tried everything (including a check up with the vet), and still don't think your pet is ready for a kissing scene, you might consider stocking up on some breath mints.

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I Need Your Help . . . Anesthesia to Clean My Dog's Teeth?

PetSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:30:15 -0700

Dirty teeth and stinky breath . . . no thanks! North lets me brush his chompers (since I got him used to it when he was just a pup) so he's never gone in for a professional cleaning. But one furry family needs our help with this matter – I'm calling on you to share experiences with getting your pets' teeth cleaned by a doctor using anesthesia.TeamSugar member, moco is concerned about having her eight-year-old Cocker Spaniel rescue "go under" for this procedure as recommended by the vet. While she understands the necessity of this treatment, her boyfriend is against it because he's worried about their beloved, Lola simply not waking up.

What do you think about this? Please share any advice and thoughts in the comments below.

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Does Your Pet Have Bad Breath?

PetSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:00:25 -0700

Guess they don't call it doggie breath for nothing! How's your pet smell when he comes in close for a kiss - super stinky or super sweet?

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Dental Swipes: Spoiled Sweet or Spoiled Rotten?

PetSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:00:57 -0700

It's hard to keep those chompers clean, especially if your pets aren't too fond of the toothbrushing process. Now, the concept of these Fast and Fresh Dental Swipes ($16) sounds great . . . kinda like a disinfecting wipe for your pets' teeth. The pre-moistened pads have an all-natural combo of peppermint, parsley, and baking soda to fight plaque and bacteria and promote healthy gums and teeth. But do you think the 50 pads a pack are worth the price . . . or the application process?

Street Team: Tartar-Reducing Flossies

PetSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:30:53 -0700

There are definitely times when it's hard to convince a pooch that teeth brushing is a fun activity. It's important to practice good oral hygiene for pets, and there are many different toys and treats that freshen his breath and clean his teeth in the process. Myko here gets very squirmy at just the idea of that brushing, and wren wants to keep the professional vet cleanings at a minimum (because of the necessary anesthesia). However, she located this great product seen here to help her IG get clean teeth and a treat in the process! Learn all about it when you read more.

You can find Flossies at well stocked pet stores or online – wren picked one up from a local shop whose owner's four-year-old pooch had bright, white teeth. She tells us:

It's made of beef tendon, and the bands of fibers really help to scrape plaque off a dog's teeth and between them, too (hence the name). I've really started to notice a difference after a few weeks of use. I cut the Flossie into five pieces, and he chews through each piece in about three days. Best of all, he loves it.

Do you have great products your pets love? Keep sharing them with PetSugar's Street Team!

Bare Bones: Clean Teeth Chompers

PetSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:17 -0800

February is National Pet Dental Health Month! I realize that many of us don't take the time to brush our pet's teeth as often as we should, but there are many great toys that can help a doggie do his part! Hard, rubbery toys with ridges and bumps stimulate gums, clean teeth, and keep him rather busy in the process. Braided floss products remove food debris, reduce plaque and tartar build up, and add in flouride and mint to freshen breath, too.

North and I especially like the Pearly Whites N-Bone dog dental treats. In addition to his love of toys he can chomp on, it contains clove (a natural astringent that kills the bacteria that causes tartar buildup), tri-calcium phosphate to remove tartar during chewing, and calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 to build strong and healthy teeth. Best yet, it still includes peppermint and parsley powder to freshen breath if I don't have any mints on hand. To see some of our favorite toys that do this double dental duty, read more.

Double Action Dental Chew ($8.99)	Gourdo Rubber + Rope Chew Toy ($11 and up)
Dental Kong with Rope ($9.99)	Booda Fresh N' Floss 2 Knot Cotton Rope Medium Tug for Dogs 2-Pack ($6.82)
Nylabone Dental Chew ($19.99)	Plaque Attacker Dental Device, Giant ($13.99)
Pet Stages Dental Health knot ($11.49)	Compressed Piggy Bone ($1.19 and up)	Pearly White N-Bone ($4.99 and up)

Keep Your Pup's Breath Doggone Fresh

PetSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:00:10 -0800

It's perfectly common for us dog owners to worry about our pet's breath, especially when we have the type of pups that like to give kisses.

If you've tried the usual steps like brushing your pet's teeth, and still don't think your pet is ready for a kissing scene, you might consider stocking up on some breath mints.

While I haven't tested any of the mints myself, I've been intrigued by a Denver-based company called Mouthfuls, which markets cute tins full of all natural puppy mints. You can get some of their products from their website, or at chain stores like Cost Plus World Market. They range in cost from $5 to $8 for a tin of about a hundred mints.

Pet Peeves: My Dog Has Dirty Teeth

PetSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:04:59 -0700

Q: My dog's teeth are pretty dirty looking, and his breath isn't so fresh either. I want to brush his teeth, but I'm not even sure where to start. Help!

A: You're not alone – dogs get plaque and tartar build-up too! Start with a meant-for-doggies toothbrush and toothpaste, like the KissAble version. Before you get started, consider your dog's temperament. If he doesn't seem to like (or is not used to) hands near his mouth, practice petting him close to it to get him acclimated. For North, I also put a little peanut butter on my finger for him to lick off – he couldn't resist! When he realized that my finger had a savory snack on it, he seemed much more interested when I put my hand near his mouth.

Next, I let him try some of the yummy-smelling, natural vanilla-flavored toothpaste off my finger. After that, he was ready for the real deal. Because he is a lil' guy, I held him on my lap – for bigger dogs, you can stand behind them and hold mouth (and upper lip) up. Always, brush teeth in a circular motion, making sure to hit all sides of each one... just like your own. I rewarded North with a bone-shaped Yip Yap Dog Mint... and he was good to go.

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Clean Teeth With a Brush?

PetSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:00:28 -0800

Back when North was still a rascally pup, his "gamma" (aka, my mother) sent me a doggie toothbrushing set as a present. Before I could get down to the business of snatching him, my phone rang. I had already put the puppy paste on the brush, set it on the coffee table, and came back to a chewed-up toothbrush. Oops. Guess he liked the toothpaste flavor though the brush itself wasn't salvageable. For February's Dental Health month, I've provided some toothbrushing tips, dental chews, and mints for your furry friend, but now I want to get the real scoop from you! For my anonymous poll, I'm curious how often you actually brush your pet's teeth in the traditional manner, in addition to providing all those other options.

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Quick Tip: Carrots for Clean Teeth

PetSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:00:01 -0800

In the spirit of National Pet Dental Health Month, try a different approach to cleaning a pet's teeth – feed him a carrot instead! Although not meant to eliminate the need to get teeth cleaned professionally or do it yourself, a raw carrot can also help scrub away plaque. Who knew?!

North had never tried a carrot so I was excited to test this out. I washed it off and offered it to him. In typical North fashion (with no trepidation), he snatched the yum right out of my hand and brought it to his bed . . . and I followed to observe. He started out licking and nibbling on it before eventually gnawing off small pieces and eating them. I didn't have any full-sized carrots in my fridge so I gave him a baby carrot and he seemed to get the idea that he was supposed to break off pieces but, as with any edible bone or toy, monitor your pet to make sure he's not biting off more than he can chew (or not chewing at all). I think a larger carrot may work better or even a frozen one – I think it was the gnawing that helped his teeth the most! To learn the other benefits, read more.

After this success, I did a little more research about the crunchy, orange veggies. In addition to helping combat plaque and tarter, carrots are a good source of vitamins A and C and fiber. It's important not to feed them to a pet too often as vitamin A can build up in their system and sometimes cause runny poo – I'd say as a treat no more than once or twice a week.

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