Why would you need to put your companion on a dental food? Especially if you already are brushing their teeth & watching their toys? Well as I will say time and time again, Preventatives are always cheaper than problems. So that being said let’s talk about how dental food actually works and when it is a good idea to start this food.
Your pet’s dental food works with mechanical mechanisms. What this means is normal dog and cat kibble is made so that it can easily be swallowed whole or broken into pieces once the kibble touches the tooth. Now your companion’s dental food is made differently. You will notice this kibble is made to be larger to make our friends chew their food (since the tend to not do so) and is made a bit more durable so that they have to chew it a number of times in order to eat it. This creates mechanical mechanism of actually chewing and breaking down their food. Since the kibble is made for them to specially do this it can sort of work like a toothbrush. The texture of the kibble is made so that when the bite down and let go its similar to brushing up and down on teeth.
This food is a great food to use for any healthy adult dog or cat. It is also a great thing to you when you find you don’t have to keep on brushing teeth as it will basically brush them every time they are eating. You can also use this food as treats if your pet is on other foods, you do not wish to deter from. It may not be as good as having it for a meal, but it would still be better than nothing at all!
Another way dental diets help is by using sodium polyphosphate, which binds with calcium in saliva, thus making it unavailable for the formation of tartar. As well the use of Zinc slows down tartar and plaque buildup and has antiseptic properties which will help prevent bad breath.
This food will always work best as dry food as water prevents effective cleaning, as their main meal food, and after a professional dental cleaning or when aged to an adult.
You would not want to use this diet however if your companion is on a therapeutic diet (gastro, allergenic, renal, diabetic, etc.) as you would not want to upset any of the other problems you have already encountered. You also would not to use this diet if your friends’ teeth are already under periodontal attack, however if you got a dental done then you could use it as a preventative to help not be back in that situation. Dental food is preventative not a cure.
Lastly, when picking a dental food, make sure it has the VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council) seal of approval. This will make sure you get a food that allowed the reduction of tartar and/plaque buildup. You can also purchase it as a small dog breed if required.
Written by: Ashley G, VT
Resources:
The Paws Print – https://blog.paws.com/blog/dental-diets-for-dogs/