Speaking of teeth products...

What do you use to clean your pugs teeth?

I brush. I admit I am hit and miss. Ideally I'd brush every other day, or every day really, but I get really good at it, then slack. Right now her toothbrush and toothpaste is on the kitchen ledge and I've been brushing almost every day. She also gets to chew a bully stick a couple times a week for maybe 30 minutes until the end gets soggy and I take it away.

Is there anyone that does anything else, uses a spray, anything? While I do brush her teeth I admit I am not that good at it and obviously she is not too cooperative. Her last dental was more than I have spent on my own dental care in a few years combined and I am a cash dental patient myself! Of course I'll do what I have to, but I'd like to prevent the cost as well as her having to go under anesthesia.

ideas?

We use Plaque Off powder; have done for years. Both pugs have pretty good teeth and their breath is fine, though of course they are both relatively young still.

The bones they get help a lot, but some pugs have such odd teeth that the only thing that really helps is brushing. I'm very leery of most of the commercial products--especially the ones that go in the water as most have chemicals I just don't want my guys to have and quite a few use alcohol.

The Wysong product (http://www.wysong.net/products/dentatreat-dog-cat-supplement.php) I have heard good things about, but I have several dogs who are lactose intolerant so this one is a no go for me.

I use the finger brush and a bit of baking soda.

Bella--is this the product you use?

http://www.international-dental.com/id/proden_plaqueoff_animal_ingredients_dosage.htm

The Wysong Dentatreat is great stuff - used it for a long time on my cats before I had dogs. Now the pugs need something a little more hardcore, I use the PetzLife oral gel. You put it on at night before they go to bed and it really does help. Vince's nearly 14-yr old 'yuck mouth' is almost pleasant when he's snoring on my pillow. For him I do it in am and pm, the others only pm (I can't risk infection in his yuck mouth at his age and there's no way he's going under). My vets have always been pleasantly surprised their mouths are in fairly decent shape. The PetzLife is pretty expensive but is available at Petedge.com for cheap (online wholesaler).

lisamak wrote:The Wysong Dentatreat is great stuff - used it for a long time on my cats before I had dogs. Now the pugs need something a little more hardcore, I use the PetzLife oral gel. You put it on at night before they go to bed and it really does help. Vince's nearly 14-yr old 'yuck mouth' is almost pleasant when he's snoring on my pillow. For him I do it in am and pm, the others only pm (I can't risk infection in his yuck mouth at his age and there's no way he's going under). My vets have always been pleasantly surprised their mouths are in fairly decent shape. The PetzLife is pretty expensive but is available at Petedge.com for cheap (online wholesaler).

So you use the gel, do you apply it with a tooth brush. And you use the spray too or no?

I am intrigued. And I do brush with a soft toothbrush.

Again, the use of grain alcohol in the PetzLife would be a stopper for me, especially since it's the second ingredient. they do have a paragraph about it where they reference a holistic vet. Here's an excerpt from it:

We asked Dr. Maier if she could make a statement about the safety of
our ingredients especially grain alcohol, long term use, and how
important Clinical Studies are to her.


Dr. Maier has been using PetzLife Oral Care for over 5 years in her
clinic. "I'm not really one for research data, I depend more on
experience. This product has been available for more than long enough to
establish an incredible safety record."

So while I'm not necessarily wedded to research data, I find her response not completely comforting or reassuring given the difficulties my dogs have with most chemicals.

I use the gel, just put on index finger...rub on thumb and get right in there. I get it on the teeth, they lick it and spread it around. I honestly don't think a spray would be nearly as effective or as easy to use (you'd have to hold mouth open with 1 hand and squirt with another).

Understood on the concerns about the alcohol Blanche but I've used it on kidney dogs and seniors w/o issue. The grain alcohol is the base that preserves their blend of herbs, etc. that do the work. I've tasted it (as has my vet) and neither of us has noticed even an alchohol-y smell. We presume its about the same as using an herbal tincture which I've done tons with the boyz (and the cats before them).

Tropiclean and Pet's Best make gels that work similarly w/o the alcohol - they're much cheaper and not as effective, but they're certainly options.

lisamak wrote:I use the gel, just put on index finger...rub on thumb and get right in there. I get it on the teeth, they lick it and spread it around. I honestly don't think a spray would be nearly as effective or as easy to use (you'd have to hold mouth open with 1 hand and squirt with another).

Understood on the concerns about the alcohol Blanche but I've used it on kidney dogs and seniors w/o issue. The grain alcohol is the base that preserves their blend of herbs, etc. that do the work. I've tasted it (as has my vet) and neither of us has noticed even an alchohol-y smell. We presume its about the same as using an herbal tincture which I've done tons with the boyz (and the cats before them).

Tropiclean and Pet's Best make gels that work similarly w/o the alcohol - they're much cheaper and not as effective, but they're certainly options.

I'm not saying you shouldn't use it, Lisa or implying that you're careless in any way since you obviously aren't. I just have to be so careful with Tank especially since he reacts to so many things--including many naturopathic things. I think I can stuck with the raw bones and brushing with my "allergic to the world" old man. the other issue with him is the rosemary and thyme oil. He has a tendency to react to herbals and I think that rosemary is contraindicated for thyroid dogs--but I may be confusing it with epilepsy as I think rosemary is contraindicated for them.

I appreciate both of your opinions. I might be willing to try the grain alcohol if it meant avoiding anesthesia every couple years and knowing another caring pug owner has safely used it with their pugs. She was 5 at her last dental and her teeth were terrible. She seems to just have bad genetics in that area. I hate putting her under and every year older she gets it makes me more nervous.

northernwitch wrote:Bella--is this the product you use?

http://www.international-dental.com/id/proden_plaqueoff_animal_ingredients_dosage.htm

Yes, that's it.

northernwitch wrote:Dr. Maier has been using PetzLife Oral Care for over 5 years in her clinic. "I'm not really one for research data, I depend more on experience. This product has been available for more than long enough to establish an incredible safety record."

"Nobody's died yet" isn't quite the endorsement I look for in a product...

northernwitch wrote:but I may be confusing it with epilepsy as I think rosemary is contraindicated for them.

This is correct. I had a helluva time finding a decent food without rosemary in it for Zoe.

Lisa, do you use the mint flavor? I see that Amazon has it as well as Petedge, but they also have the Salmon flavor. Hercules need some help in the breath and cleaning department. When I try to brush his teeth, he bites the tooth brush terribly and fights me, he is a piece of work, my little man!!

I use the Petz Life Spray on my old pug Ty's few teeth that he has left. I just open his mouth and give a quick squirt. He does the rest......there is no way I would ever be able to have him put under to have a dental. He's at least 13.

PugMomto3 wrote:Lisa, do you use the mint flavor? I see that Amazon has it as well as Petedge, but they also have the Salmon flavor. Hercules need some help in the breath and cleaning department. When I try to brush his teeth, he bites the tooth brush terribly and fights me, he is a piece of work, my little man!!

We use the mint Lucy...not sure if the salmon flavor smells like salmon, but my little old jewish man pug doesn't need fish breath (his Zeal does that quite nicely!).

Thanks Lisa, I ordered the mint flavor, after I thought about it, I didn't think I wanted to smell fish on Hercules' breath either! LOL

I just thought he may enjoy the fish one better, but since he is cuddling with me and I have to be subjected to his snoring in my face I chose the flavor. LOL.

Excellent decision! I use the "mint" flavor for my pug. No fish breath for me either.