The range includes a water additive which received a Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) approval after being shown to deliver a reduction in calculus of at least 20% in two studies¹.
The other products in the range are a gum spray and a malt flavoured toothpaste.
Animalcare says each has been designed to support owner compliance through ease of use and accompanying educational materials.
The company has also launched a website for veterinary professionals and pet owners: https://dental.pet.
For owners, the site has information on the importance of dental health in pets and advice on establishing a dental care regime.
For veterinary professionals, resources include 'talk tracks' to start discussions with clients about dental care and tools to help them recognise signs of dental pain.
Animalcare Product Manager Eleanor Workman Wright said: “Despite research showing that at least 80% of dogs and 70% of cats are likely to develop periodontal disease by the age of three², dental care is still often neglected.
"While tooth-brushing is cited as the gold standard, it has to be used daily to achieve a significant degree of efficacy.
"This is often just not possible in the ‘real world’ and a more flexible approach can be helpful, with products such as water additives and gum sprays offering a practical, less time-consuming solution in some circumstances."
“Products should be grounded in science which is why we are delighted that the Plaqtiv+ Water Additive has just become the first European product of its type to earn approval from the VOHC.”
References
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I’m going to try and access the VOHC submission to find out a bit more. The reduction in calculus is not the big picture. A consistent reduction in plaque on a daily basis is what would be useful. Plaque becomes pathogenic over time - not much time usually - whereby calculus is inert and forms more slowly on top of undisturbed plaque. In itself the significance of calculus is the rough surface that encourages more plaque to form, apart from being unsightly. My initial thoughts were that the aims are nothing new and unless the chemistry is novel I’m not overly impressed.
Having said that anything that adds to the armoury and engages the owner is worthwhile but nothing - absolutely nothing- compares to daily brushing.
A wee story. I didn’t brush my own dog’s teeth that diligently and every 6-9 months he accumulated enough calculus to make a dental procedure necessary. The last thing I did as a real vet was to clean his teeth. Since that date more than three years ago I’ve brushed his teeth daily and he still doesn’t need a dental procedure anytime soon. Although brushing is only the buccal surfaces the toothpaste seems to have enough of a calculus retarding effect to remove the calcium and other minerals from tye mouth and slow down calculus formation.
So the real story might be putting more resources into education of owners assisting them getting brushing going rather than some spray or additive that can’t really match the brush for effectiveness. It’s always easier to sell something that has a grand claim than take the time and effort to educate, motivate and assist an owner.
The bottom line always is that brushing is cheap and very effective and everything else isn’t. Tell that to owners.
The toothpaste is Virbac enzymatic. It’s been around since the late 1980’s