Product Review-Petz Life Oral Care Gel and Spray

February is pet dental health month .   According to the American Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS) almost 80% of dogs and 70% of cats over the age of three have some sort of peridontal disease.   Since bacteria on the teeth and gums travel to other parts of the pets body: heart, lungs, joints, kidneys, and intestinal tract.   So its easy to see that proper oral hygiene is a very important component of any pets medical routine.   Tooth care is especially important for small dogs who have the same number of teeth, 42, as a large dog but in a smaller space. The breeds who tend to have the most tooth problems are Poodles, Maltese, Chihuahuas, and short faced breeds like Pekinese, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Boston Terriers, and ....Pugs!

The most important part of a pet dental health care routine is brushing at home, especially if like me you want to avoid anesthesia at all cost (a bigger concern if you have a breed that has difficulty with anesthesia like a pug).   

To care for my dogs teeth I use Petz Life Oral Gel and Spray

Petz life is recommended by a number of well known Holistic vets.  It uses grape seed extract to remove plaque and tartar from a dogs teeth.  According to Petz Life when using the gel you don't have to brush and can just apply with your finger (I choose to brush as its more effective and my dogs are used to it).  Petz life gel also contains a small amount of grain alcohol which makes some owners nervous.  After reading up on the product online and talking to my vet I feel completely comfortable using it with my pets.  The company also welcomes calls from consumers and will discuss any concerns with you over the phone or through e-mail.  You can by it at any number of quality pet supply stores, on amazon, and from Olive Green Dog.

From my own experience I do feel Petz Life works, its true that even with daily cleaning Tubby and Ping have some small signs of dental disease, but my vet assures me it is less severe then in most pugs.   My vet has also told me that Bob has the best teeth he has ever see on a Bulldog

and at nearly 11 Norbert has no plaque at all!

Getting a puppy used to tooth care is very easy, it may be a bit more of a challenge with an older dog.  Start by running your finger over your dogs teeth while you are holding them.   If they resist you can put something tasty on your finger (I never had to do this with either  Bob or Weasley as I started touching there teeth right away when they came home and they never minded).   Once the dog tolerates you rubbing the teeth put a little tooth paste or tooth care gel on your finger and rub it on the teeth.   I also let Weasley chew on his brush a lot when he was a younger puppy, something he still enjoys:

For Weasley who as a puppy has no plaque at all I choose to brush is teeth with  Petosan  mostly because it is a bit less expensive then Petz Life.  Happy brushing!