[Cynna]

I've seen a few brands out there for powder that's added to a dog's food, and over time it can remove bad plaque. The ingredient is an Icelandic Kelp called Ascophyllum nodosum and you can buy small bottles of it under various names (ie: PlaqueOff), or just buy a bag of it for way less.

After researching via Encyclopedia Google, it looks like the only concern would be if a dog had thyroid issues (due to natural iodine in kelp). Reviews for this are great, though sounds like effectiveness stops after about 8 weeks before a break from it.

Has anyone tried this? I'm going to mention it to our vet tonight but they tend to only give the okay on products they sell there (so I'll be wary of her response). If I could get the nasty plaque off his teeth with it I'd be super happy, as conditioning him to a toothbrush is slow-going and either way won't remove the existing plaque.

 

[Cynna]

Just an update, I spoke with our vet about this. She's very traditional and not keen on anything other than what they sell, so I mostly expected a negative response. Surprisingly, she had great things to say about this and that she'd seen positive effects in many dogs who were given it.

Of course brushing their teeth is key, but if you have a dog with a tonne of plaque already (like our 4 year old rescue pup), this is a great way to get their teeth cleaned up.

Go the brandname route if you want, but for $20 we got a pound of it that will likely last 5+ years - no need to be pricegouged.

I'll try to get pics of Jav's mouth before I start this, and another set in 2 months. Fingers crossed that this gets rid of all that brown grime he's dealing with.

 

[SchnauzerGirl8810]

Cynna, I'm very interested in this. Please come back and let us know if works!

 

[Cynna]

I'll definitely post results. When we got Jav his paperwork mentioned extensive calculus on his teeth, I'd figured we'd have to get them done. Took him to the vet for a basic checkup and he said it wasn't that bad for a 4 year old and we could wait a few years.

Jav had a lot of trouble eating hard food, it was so sad to watch. I managed to work a bit off with tooth gel, but it also seemed to irritate his mouth so no-go on that. Then he had an attempted breakout and at 8 pounds, tried to rip the door frame off - crazy guy! Only bright side was he'd managed to scrape some of the plaque off his canines, so at least they're better than the candy-corn ones he'd arrived with!

I'd love if he never had to get put under for dental work, so my fingers are crossed. I'm giving it a week after his deworming to go through before adding anything else to his system. I'm excited about this both from a 'Mom' and a nerd standpoint, lol.

 

[Sabina88]

Ive never heard of a food additive to help with plaque so I'm interested to see how it works as well.
At Petco I found a couple different water additives that help with plaque and freshen breath so I'm currently giving that a try.
Good luck with your teeth cleaning goals for him

 

[SchnauzerGirl8810]

I am also using a water additive made by Nylabone. Seems to help somewhat.

 

[Cynna]

Ive never heard of a food additive to help with plaque so I'm interested to see how it works as well.
At Petco I found a couple different water additives that help with plaque and freshen breath so I'm currently giving that a try.
Good luck with your teeth cleaning goals for him

Sabina, this seems to be the most common brand name, here's a link to it on Amazon, you can see the reviews. Proden Plaqueoff
http://www.dogforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[yoshiposhi]

Just an update, I spoke with our vet about this. She's very traditional and not keen on anything other than what they sell, so I mostly expected a negative response. Surprisingly, she had great things to say about this and that she'd seen positive effects in many dogs who were given it.

Of course brushing their teeth is key, but if you have a dog with a tonne of plaque already (like our 4 year old rescue pup), this is a great way to get their teeth cleaned up.

Go the brandname route if you want, but for $20 we got a pound of it that will likely last 5+ years - no need to be pricegouged.

I'll try to get pics of Jav's mouth before I start this, and another set in 2 months. Fingers crossed that this gets rid of all that brown grime he's dealing with.

Did you buy something like this?

Amazon.com : Life Line Organic Ocean Kelp Dog and Cat Supplement, 1-1/2-Pound : Horse Nutritional Supplements And Remedies : Pet Supplies

My shiba has terrible plaque that I can't brush off, would be great if something like this can work and it's so much cheaper than that Plaqueoff!

 

[patronizingrabbits]

Honestly, the only thing that has consistently removed plaque from my dog's teeth is raw bones, like turkey necks or pork back. Even brushing wasn't getting the build up off her teeth. I really only brush the canines and let the bones do the work. One pork back piece gets all the plaque off her teeth.

 

[jagger]

Yup, raw bones, natures toothbrush. No, my finger was not in the dogs eye, he's 4.

 

[yoshiposhi]

Honestly, the only thing that has consistently removed plaque from my dog's teeth is raw bones, like turkey necks or pork back. Even brushing wasn't getting the build up off her teeth. I really only brush the canines and let the bones do the work. One pork back piece gets all the plaque off her teeth.

I was walking my puppy the other day and this guy comes up to me to pet her. Turns out hes the butcher at the grocery store down the street and he recommended turkey necks! So that's something I'm going to look into.

This is a dumb question but do I have to prepare it in anyway? rinse and give it to her?

 

[patronizingrabbits]

I was walking my puppy the other day and this guy comes up to me to pet her. Turns out hes the butcher at the grocery store down the street and he recommended turkey necks! So that's something I'm going to look into.

This is a dumb question but do I have to prepare it in anyway? rinse and give it to her?

For turkey necks, no. Personally, I give it frozen because my dog would inhale it straight up raw.

 

[yoshiposhi]

@patronizingrabbits
ohhhh frozen!! good call! thank you!

 

[jagger]

Frozen meaty bones are best, you'll notice they use different parts of the mouth, different teeth to remove the meat from the bone. Size of the bone is up to you, in accordance with the size of the dog. I prefer giving bones that they can crunch/chew/swallow. But do keep an eye on your dog, make sure they are a good chewer.

Friends have a 14 year old Shihtzu cross (blind and deaf now) that has never experienced a raw meat bone before. His teeth were brown, and it was thought not in very good shape. He grabbed one of our dogs pork ribs with meat and chowed down, couldn't believe this old dog could destroy a pork bone like that.

 

[yoshiposhi]

Frozen meaty bones are best, you'll notice they use different parts of the mouth, different teeth to remove the meat from the bone. Size of the bone is up to you, in accordance with the size of the dog. I prefer giving bones that they can crunch/chew/swallow. But do keep an eye on your dog, make sure they are a good chewer.

Friends have a 14 year old Shihtzu cross (blind and deaf now) that has never experienced a raw meat bone before. His teeth were brown, and it was thought not in very good shape. He grabbed one of our dogs pork ribs with meat and chowed down, couldn't believe this old dog could destroy a pork bone like that.

oh that's good to know. My 12 year old shiba has horrible plaque on his teeth, I have never been able to brush it off and the vet told me it was going to be $1200 to clean! He's never had raw meat bone before either so we'll see how he chews the turkey necks. Butcher down the street gave me some free ones!

 

[jagger]

oh that's good to know. My 12 year old shiba has horrible plaque on his teeth, I have never been able to brush it off and the vet told me it was going to be $1200 to clean! He's never had raw meat bone before either so we'll see how he chews the turkey necks. Butcher down the street gave me some free ones!

Your older dog can benefit from raw chicken feet as well, thawed or frozen if he'll eat them. Good source of natural glucosamine and chondroitin. Good for the old joints.