In celebration of Pet Dental Care Month, I want to tell you all about some treats that I really enjoy. They are tasty, healthy and help clean my teeth. I hear my Mommy and Daddy talking about getting the right type of dental treats for me and my doggie brothers and sisters. Apparently getting the right type of treat is really important for our health, but I just love the taste!
Doggie Dental treats can help me and other pups keep our teeth clean. Dogs that actively chew have less plaque build-up than other pups, and some type of doggie dental treats can reduce plaque build-up by 70%! At first I didn’t know what plaque was other than a funny sounding word, but I heard my vet say it is a buildup of doggie saliva, bacteria and food on the teeth. Yuck! I don’t want that! Plaque buildup can lead to other problems like gum disease, broken or lost teeth, and the bacteria can get into other organs and cause all sorts of doggie health problems. So it’s good to encourage us dogs to chew the appropriate doggie treat.
When choosing a doggie dental chew, you want to make sure it is approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC). The toys with their stamp of approval have been proven to reduce plaque and/or tartar by at least 10%. All doggie parents should visit http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm to see their list.
A lot of yummy treats have been approved by the VOHC, which makes me happy! Rawhides, dental chews and bones, and even some types of kibble are on their approved list. My Mommy always buys me firm dental bone treats because I’m a big time chewer with a strong bite! My little brothers and sisters tend to get softer dental chews because they don’t chew as hard as I do. If I chomp down on their treats, it just falls apart and doesn’t help me clean my teeth. And my Mommy or Daddy is always around with I have one. I get so excited and just chomp it up and they worry I might get choked while trying to swallow a big piece I bit off. I never have, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry – so doggie parents, make sure you are supervising your pups while they are enjoying their yummy dental treat.
And remember – these are treats with calories! So watch your pups food intake when giving them these yummy special treats to help clean their teeth. And if you have any questions, always contact your vet.
Do you give your dog dental cleaning treats?
