Plaque-Blast for dogs

Question
Hi,

My question is regarding my dogs plaque. He is a Sheltie,7 years old and his teeth do have some plaque. I have been told to try the product Plaque-Blast and see if this helps. Have you heard of this product, and if so do you know if this works. I would like to try it, if it works at all. If not, I will have his teeth cleaned by the vet. I do know that teeth brushing doesn't get rid of the plaque. So I would appreciate any help you can give me.   Thanks

Answer
There are several "tartar removers" on the market. I looked up Plaque Blasts ingredients & personally cannot recommend it since it contains several ingredients that I would consider not appropriate for a dog to ingest such as Chlorine Dioxide, Disodium & Monopotassium Phosphate, Poloxamer 407, Sucralose, Sodium Hydroxide, Phosphoric Acid, Phosphino Carboxylic Acid, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Propylene Glycol.
Unless your dog has a chronic, pervasive case of periodontal disease that is not remedied by home care & diet & professional hygiene cleanings, there should be no need to resort to such a chemical concoction.

You might try the following: First, have your dog's teeth professionally scaled & polished  either by a veterinarian (dog is under anesthesia) or contact a non-anesthetic dental hygienist such as Houndstooth. If the mouth requires more than a cleaning, i.e.,extractions, it should see a veterinarian who specializes in dentistry.

After the professional cleaning, you should maintain the health of the mouth by performing home care at least every other day. While some dogs do not mind having their teeth brushed, many fight it. If so, simply use a thin, dry terrycloth or washcloth. Position the dog so it is facing away fro you. lift the upper lips up & back  ( do not try to open the dog's mouth)). Then give the teeth a thorough & vigorous wiping with the cloth. If you wan to get really fancy, dip the cloth in some diluted hydrogen peroxide ( about 25% peroxide/75% water).

Also, do not feed kibble (high in plaque feeding starches). Instead select a premium brand canned food or better still, make your own meat & chopped veggie food or buy a frozen, fresh dog food. It is much more economical & nutritious. there are many web sites that will teach you how to prepare a simple easy homemade diet.

Have your dogs teeth re-cleaned professionally ( preferably without anesthesia) in 6 months to gauge what the plaque regrowth rate is & then set a regular cleaning routine, By far the diet & home care will be the 2 things that determine whether the amount of time you can wait between cleanings.

Also, DO NOT feed knuckle or marrow bones or anything that you cannot bend, break or dent with a fingernail in the hope that it will clean the teeth. Theses hard "treats" fracture teeth & are the cause of millions of tooth extractions. They can go undetected for years while the dog endures extreme pain until the tooth finally dies.